Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Influence of the polymer type on the impact of microplastic particles

Researchers compared cellular toxicity of microparticles made from polystyrene, polyethylene, PVC, PLA, and cellulose acetate in murine macrophages and epithelial cells, finding that polymer type influences cytotoxicity and uptake behavior. All particle types were ingested by macrophages, but their surface chemistry and charge affected the degree of cellular damage.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Influence of the polymer type of a microplastic challenge on the reaction of murine cells

Researchers compared how mouse cells respond to microplastic particles made from different polymer types, including polystyrene, polyethylene, PVC, and plant-based alternatives. They found that immune cells could take up all particle types, while other cell types were selective based on the particles' surface charge. Importantly, none of the tested microplastic types showed significant short-term toxic effects on the cells, though longer-term impacts remain unclear.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and cellular effects of PE, PP, PET and PVC microplastic particles

Researchers tested intestinal uptake and cytotoxicity of PE, PP, PET, and PVC microplastic particles using human cell lines and found that 1–4 µm polyethylene particles crossed the intestinal epithelium at significantly higher rates than polystyrene, though cytotoxic effects only appeared at concentrations far above realistic dietary exposure.

2020 Toxicology in Vitro 216 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparison of the effects of polystyrene and polycaprolactone nanoplastics on macrophages

A comparison of polystyrene and polycaprolactone nanoplastics on macrophage immune cells found both types induced adverse cellular effects, with the study highlighting that plastic persistence in the environment may drive progressive accumulation leading to chronic immune system impacts.

2025 Environmental Science Nano 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Noxic effects of polystyrene microparticles on murine macrophages and epithelial cells

Polystyrene microparticles induced cytotoxic effects in murine macrophages and intestinal epithelial cells at higher concentrations, triggering cell membrane damage, inflammatory cytokine release, and reduced phagocytic function, with smaller particles generally causing greater harm than larger ones at equivalent mass doses.

2021 Scientific Reports 59 citations
Article Tier 2

The Immunotoxic Effects of Environmentally Relevant Micro- and Nanoplastics

Researchers characterized the immunotoxic effects of over 20 types of micro- and nanoplastic particles on macrophages and dendritic cells, finding that physicochemical properties such as size, shape, polymer type, and surface oxidation strongly influence immune cell responses.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics, emerging pollutants, increased the risk of pulmonary fibrosis in vivo and in vitro: A comparative evaluation of their potential toxicity effects with different polymers and size

Researchers compared the lung toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics made from polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene in mice and human lung cells. They found that all particle types induced signs of pulmonary fibrosis, inflammation, and tissue remodeling, with polystyrene nanoplastics causing the most severe effects. The study suggests that smaller nanoplastic particles and certain polymer types may pose greater risks to lung health.

2025 Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Virgin and Aged Microplastics Induce Type-specific Inflammatory Responses on Vascular Cells

Both virgin and UV-aged polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics triggered inflammatory responses in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells in vitro, with different polymer types and aging states producing distinct patterns of cellular damage. The results suggest that microplastics ingested or inhaled by people may contribute to vascular inflammation and worsen cardiovascular disease — a significant human health concern.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Particle Shape and Intrinsic Cellular Variability Shape the Responses of Macrophages to Polystyrene Nano and Micro Particles

This study found that the shape of polystyrene particles and natural variation between individual macrophages both influence how immune cells respond to plastic particles. Understanding these factors is important for assessing the potential health risks of microplastic exposure.

2023 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

Pulmonary Toxicity of Polystyrene, Polypropylene, and Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics in Mice

Researchers tested the lung toxicity of three common microplastic types (polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride) in mice and found that all three caused pulmonary inflammation, but through different mechanisms. Polyvinyl chloride produced the most severe inflammatory response, while polystyrene and polypropylene showed distinct patterns of immune activation. The study suggests that the type of plastic inhaled matters for understanding respiratory health risks from airborne microplastics.

2022 Molecules 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular interactions with polystyrene nanoplastics—The role of particle size and protein corona

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with mammalian cells, finding that particle size and the protein corona that forms around particles in biological fluids strongly influence cellular uptake and toxicity. Smaller nanoplastics penetrated cell membranes more readily and caused greater disruption, suggesting that the tiniest plastic particles may pose the greatest biological risk.

2021 Biointerphases 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Degradation of Polyethylene Particles on Their Cytotoxicity

Researchers found that degradation of polyethylene particles altered their cytotoxicity, with weathered and fragmented PE showing different toxic effects on cells compared to pristine particles, suggesting environmental aging changes microplastic health risks.

2023 Microplastics 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the knot: Microplastic properties and their correlation with the cellular response

Researchers correlated the physico-chemical properties of microplastic particles -- including surface chemistry, size, and surface charge density -- with cellular uptake and biological responses in model cell lines, finding that macrophages engulfed significantly more particles than epithelial cells, and that uptake and downstream inflammatory effects were size- and surface charge-dependent.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The internal dose makes the poison: higher internalization of polystyrene particles induce increased perturbation of macrophages

Researchers exposed human macrophages, key immune cells, to polystyrene particles of different sizes and found that smaller particles were internalized more readily and caused greater cellular disruption. Nanoscale plastics triggered stronger inflammatory responses and more oxidative stress than larger microplastics. The study suggests that the amount of plastic actually absorbed by immune cells, not just the amount present in the environment, determines how harmful the exposure is.

2023 Frontiers in Immunology 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics affect the inflammatory cytokine release by primary human monocytes and dendritic cells

Researchers exposed primary human immune cells to nanoplastics of different shapes, sizes, and polymer types and measured their inflammatory responses. Irregular PVC fragments triggered the strongest release of inflammatory signaling molecules, and fragment-shaped particles consistently provoked more inflammation than spherical ones. The findings indicate that the type and shape of nanoplastics matter significantly for immune responses, and that studies using only smooth spherical particles may underestimate the real-world inflammatory potential of plastic pollution.

2022 Environment International 148 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics and Immunity: Investigating the Extracellular Matrix’s Influence on Macrophage Interaction with Polystyrene Nanoparticles

Researchers investigated how extracellular matrix components affect macrophage uptake of polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that the surrounding matrix modulates nanoplastic-immune cell interactions — with implications for understanding how nanoplastics evade or engage the innate immune response.

2025 Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale
Article Tier 2

Effects of bisphenol A and nanoscale and microscale polystyrene plastic exposure on particle uptake and toxicity in human Caco-2 cells

Researchers studied how human intestinal Caco-2 cells take up polystyrene plastic particles of five different sizes ranging from 300 nanometers to 6 micrometers. The study found that smaller particles were taken up at higher rates and that co-exposure with bisphenol A increased cellular toxicity, suggesting that nanoscale plastics may pose a greater risk to human intestinal cells than larger microplastics.

2020 Chemosphere 267 citations
Article Tier 2

Size- and polymer-dependent toxicity of amorphous environmentally relevant micro- and nanoplastics in human bronchial epithelial cells

This study examined how the size and type of plastic particles affect their toxicity to human lung cells. Researchers tested environmentally relevant micro- and nanoplastics with irregular shapes, rather than the uniform spheres typically used in lab studies, to better mimic real-world exposure. The findings contribute to a growing understanding that particle size and polymer composition both matter when assessing the potential health risks of inhaling airborne plastic particles.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent internalization of polystyrene microplastics as a key factor in macrophages and systemic toxicity

Researchers systematically tested how the size of polystyrene microplastics affects their uptake and toxicity in immune cells and mice. Smaller particles (0.5 micrometers) were taken up much more readily by immune cells and caused more damage, including mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death, compared to larger 5-micrometer particles. In living mice, smaller microplastics accumulated more in organs and caused broader changes in blood and metabolic markers, confirming that particle size is a key factor in microplastic toxicity.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.

This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of primary microplastics with secondary microplastics derived from environmental plastic fragmentation, testing responses in macrophages. Results showed that the origin of microplastic particles influences the immune response they trigger.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The potential effects of microplastic pollution on human digestive tract cells

Researchers tested polystyrene particles of four different sizes on human colon and small intestine cells to assess the potential effects of microplastic ingestion. They found that the smallest nanoscale particles were more readily taken up by cells and caused greater reductions in cell viability and increased oxidative stress. The study suggests that smaller plastic particles may pose a greater risk to the human digestive tract than larger ones.

2021 Chemosphere 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive in vitro polymer type, concentration, and size correlation analysis to microplastic toxicity and inflammation

Researchers conducted comprehensive in vitro testing of different microplastic polymer types, sizes, and concentrations across three human cell lines. The study found that toxicity and inflammatory responses varied significantly depending on polymer type and surface modification, with amine-modified particles showing the most potent effects, highlighting the importance of plastic-specific parameters in toxicity assessments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological profiling of polystyrene microplastics in raw 264.7 macrophages: Linking microplastic exposure to immune cell impairment

Researchers exposed immune cells called macrophages to polystyrene microplastics and found that the cells rapidly absorbed the particles within two hours. Higher concentrations caused mitochondrial damage, disrupted cellular recycling processes, and triggered inflammation-related signaling. The study provides evidence that microplastics can impair the function of key immune cells responsible for defending the body against foreign threats.

2025 Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Residual Monomers in the Manifestation of (Cyto)toxicity by Polystyrene Microplastic Model Particles

Researchers investigated whether the toxicity observed in laboratory studies using polystyrene microplastic particles might actually come from leftover styrene monomer trapped in the particles rather than the plastic itself. They found that standard commercial polystyrene particles containing residual monomers showed mild toxicity to mammalian cells, while thoroughly purified particles did not. The study suggests that some reported toxic effects of microplastics in lab settings may be partly attributed to chemical residues rather than the plastic particles alone.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 22 citations