Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized micro- and nanoplastics in human cells, assessing how surface chemistry affects cellular responses. Surface functionalization significantly altered the toxicity profile of particles, with some coatings increasing and others decreasing inflammatory and oxidative responses.

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

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared the molecular mechanisms triggered by polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalization in human colon cell lines. The study examined how surface chemistry of nanoplastic particles influences their biological interactions with intestinal cells, contributing to understanding of how nanoplastics may affect the human gastrointestinal system.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of molecular mechanisms triggered by differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics in human colon cell lines

Researchers compared the molecular responses triggered by polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface chemical groups in human colon cell lines. The study investigated how the specific functionalization of nanoplastic surfaces influences the cellular and molecular pathways activated upon exposure in human intestinal tissue.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics induce distinct toxicity and transcriptomic changes in human intestinal Caco-2 cells

Researchers exposed human intestinal Caco-2 cells to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalizations (plain, aminated, carboxylated) and assessed cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and transcriptomic responses. Surface chemistry strongly determined both uptake efficiency and the pattern of gene expression changes, with aminated particles inducing the most severe cytotoxic and inflammatory responses.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics on liver cells based on particle size, surface functionalization, concentration and exposure period

Researchers systematically studied the effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on human liver cells, varying particle size, surface chemistry, concentration, and exposure duration. They found that smaller particles were internalized more readily and that surface functionalization significantly influenced toxicity, with aminated particles causing the most cell damage. The study suggests that particle characteristics beyond just size play an important role in determining how micro- and nanoplastics affect human cells.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Cytotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalization on human HepG2 cells

Researchers exposed human liver (HepG2) cells to 50 nm polystyrene nanoparticles with three different surface chemistries and found that amino-functionalized particles caused the greatest cytotoxicity and oxidative stress, demonstrating that surface charge and chemistry — not just particle size — determine nanoplastic harm to human cells.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 211 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface functionalization-dependent inflammatory potential of polystyrene nanoplastics through the activation of MAPK/ NF-κB signaling pathways in macrophage Raw 264.7

Researchers studied how surface chemistry of polystyrene nanoplastics affects their ability to trigger inflammation in immune cells. They found that amino-functionalized nanoplastics caused the strongest inflammatory response by activating the MAPK and NF-kB signaling pathways and generating reactive oxygen species. The study demonstrates that the chemical coating on nanoplastics significantly determines their potential to cause immune system disruption.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Growth and membrane stress responses in E. coli and Acinetobacter sp. upon exposure to functionalized polystyrene microplastics

Researchers exposed E. coli and Acinetobacter bacteria to polystyrene microplastics with different surface chemistries, finding that surface functionalization strongly influenced MP toxicity, with some functionalized particles disrupting bacterial membrane integrity and biofilm formation more than non-functionalized particles.

2025 Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Are all nanoplastics equally neurotoxic? Influence of size and surface functionalization on the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in human neuronal cells

Researchers tested four types of polystyrene nanoplastics on human neuronal cells and found that toxicity varied dramatically depending on particle surface chemistry. Particles with amine surface groups were the most harmful, significantly reducing cell survival and causing visible damage to cell structures, while unmodified particles showed minimal toxicity, suggesting that surface properties matter as much as size when assessing nanoplastic risks.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Differently surface-labeled polystyrene nanoplastics at an environmentally relevant concentration induced Crohn’s ileitis-like features via triggering intestinal epithelial cell necroptosis

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally realistic levels triggered Crohn's disease-like inflammation in the small intestine of mice. Different surface coatings on the nanoplastics affected which immune pathways were activated, but all types caused gut damage. This study suggests that nanoplastic exposure through food and water could contribute to inflammatory bowel disease in humans.

2023 Environment International 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Hazard assessment of nanoplastics is driven by their surface-functionalization. Effects in human-derived primary endothelial cells

Researchers tested three types of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface coatings on human blood vessel cells and found that the surface chemistry dramatically affected their toxicity. Positively charged nanoplastics were the most harmful, killing cells, while all types caused DNA damage and oxidative stress. This study shows that as plastics break down in the environment and their surface properties change, their potential to harm the cardiovascular system may change in unpredictable ways.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on extracellular polymeric substance composition of activated sludge: The role of surface functional groups

Researchers investigated how three types of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups affect activated sludge used in wastewater treatment. All three types significantly reduced total protein production in the sludge and caused cellular oxidative stress and membrane damage, with positively charged particles causing the most harm. The findings suggest that nanoplastic contamination in wastewater could impair the biological processes essential for effective sewage treatment.

2021 Environmental Pollution 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and toxicity of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in gastric cells: Effects of particle size and surface functionalization

Researchers evaluated the uptake and toxicity of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in human gastric cells, comparing different sizes and surface treatments. The study found that smaller 50-nanometer particles were taken up at significantly higher rates, with positively charged aminated particles being the most toxic, causing cytotoxicity at lower concentrations and higher rates of cell death.

2021 PLoS ONE 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular absorption of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functionalization and the toxicity to RAW264.7 macrophage cells

Researchers tested how polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface coatings affect immune cells (macrophages) and found that positively charged amino-coated particles were the most toxic. All types of nanoplastics were absorbed into the cells, but the amino-coated ones caused the most cell membrane damage, oxidative stress, and cell death through a mitochondrial pathway. This matters because it shows that the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, not just their size, determines how dangerous they are to immune cells that serve as the body's first line of defense.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 70 citations
Article Tier 2

DistinctEffects between Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics:Exacerbation of Adverse Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-likeZebrafish and Mice

Researchers compared the effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on a biological system, finding that nanoplastics caused more severe adverse effects than microplastics at equivalent mass doses, likely due to greater surface area and cellular penetration capacity.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Study on the Toxic Effects of Nanoplastics on Colonic Epithelial NCM460 Cells

Polystyrene (PS-100) and amino-functionalized polystyrene (NH2-PS-100) nanoplastics at 100 nm were tested on NCM460 normal human colorectal mucosal cells, finding concentration- and surface-chemistry-dependent cytotoxicity—with amino-functionalized particles showing greater toxicity—contributing to the mechanistic understanding of nanoplastic intestinal cell effects.

2025 MEDS Basic Medicine
Article Tier 2

The potential effects of in vitro digestion on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers studied how the human digestive process changes the physical and biological properties of polystyrene nanoplastics. They found that digestive fluids altered the surface characteristics of the particles, potentially affecting how they interact with gut cells. The study suggests that the form of nanoplastics that actually reaches our intestines may behave differently than the pristine particles typically used in lab studies.

2023 Environmental Pollution 30 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of the Size and Surface Chemistry of Polystyrene Micro- and Nanobeads in the Interaction with an Advanced In Vitro Tri-Culture Intestinal Barrier Model

Researchers studied how the size and surface chemistry of polystyrene micro- and nanobeads affect their interaction with an advanced three-cell-type intestinal barrier model. The study examined how particle characteristics influence uptake, barrier integrity, and inflammatory responses in the gut lining. The findings suggest that both size and surface modifications play important roles in determining how plastic particles interact with intestinal tissue.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells.

Researchers exposed human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models with and without M cells to polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics, finding that nano-plastics caused greater disruption of barrier integrity and uptake than micro-plastics, and that M cell-containing models showed enhanced particle translocation compared to standard epithelial models.

2023 Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Microplastics of Varying Sizes and Shapes Induce Distinct Redox and Mitochondrial Stress Responses in a Caco-2 Monolayer

Researchers tested three sizes and shapes of polystyrene microplastics on human intestinal cells and found that all were taken up by the cells, with the smallest particles (200 nm) causing the most pronounced effects on cellular stress responses. The microplastics triggered changes in antioxidant gene expression and mitochondrial activity. The study suggests that the number of particles a cell absorbs, driven largely by particle size, determines the severity of the stress response.

2023 Antioxidants 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Hepatotoxic mechanisms of functionalized nanopolystyrene: decoding the role of ionic surface groups

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface charges via drinking water, finding that charged particles accumulate in liver sinusoids and induce hepatocyte ferroptosis through an endoplasmic reticulum stress cascade, while neutral particles cause endothelial cell senescence through lysosomal dysfunction.

2026 Hepatology International
Article Tier 2

Role of nanoparticle surface charge in their toxicity

This study examined how surface charge (carboxyl vs. amino functionalization) affects the toxicity of polystyrene nanoparticles formed during plastic degradation, noting that nanoparticle toxicity can differ substantially from bulk material. Results highlighted that surface chemistry is a critical determinant of nanoparticle behavior in biological environments.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Autophagic response of intestinal epithelial cells exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics accumulate in the cytoplasm of intestinal epithelial cells, impairing autophagic flux and triggering an autophagic stress response confirmed in both cell and animal models.

2022 Environmental Toxicology 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of the digestive process on intestinal toxicity of polystyrene microplastics as determined by in vitro Caco-2 models

Researchers studied how the human digestive process transforms polystyrene microplastics and affects their intestinal toxicity using in vitro Caco-2 cell models. The study found that digestion formed a corona on microplastic surfaces without altering their chemical composition, and that smaller particles (100 nm) showed higher toxicity than larger ones (5 micrometers) regardless of digestive treatment.

2020 Chemosphere 135 citations