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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics aggravate intestinal barrier damage by overproduction of ROS
ClearEnhanced hepatic metabolic perturbation of polystyrene nanoplastics by UV irradiation-induced hydroxyl radical generation
Researchers found that ultraviolet light exposure changes the surface properties of polystyrene nanoplastics, making them more toxic to mouse livers than untreated particles. The UV-altered nanoplastics caused greater disruption to liver metabolism, triggering increased oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. The study highlights that environmental weathering can make nanoplastics more harmful over time, which means laboratory studies using pristine particles may underestimate real-world health risks.
Photoaging of polystyrene-based microplastics amplifies inflammatory response in macrophages
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics aged by sunlight exposure for just three hours triggered stronger inflammatory responses and DNA damage in immune cells than fresh microplastics, even at very low concentrations. The aging process changed the particles' surface properties, making them more biologically reactive. Since most microplastics in the real world have been weathered by sunlight, this study suggests their actual health impact may be greater than lab studies using pristine particles indicate.
Cytotoxicity of UV-degradated polystyrene nanoplastics in co-culture model of inflammatory bowel disease.
Researchers studied the cytotoxicity of UV-degraded polystyrene nanoplastics in a co-culture model of intestinal cells, mimicking the inflammatory bowel disease environment. Aged nanoplastics showed greater toxicity in inflamed gut cell models, suggesting IBD patients may be at higher risk from nanoplastic exposure.
Photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics induce perturbation of glucose metabolism in HepG2 cells via oxidative stress
Researchers exposed human liver cells to polystyrene nanoplastics with varying degrees of UV-induced aging and found that photoaged particles caused more severe disruptions to glucose metabolism than pristine ones. Long-term photoaged nanoplastics triggered dose-dependent metabolic disorders through oxidative stress, while pristine particles only caused effects at high concentrations. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater health risks than fresh plastic particles.
Cytotoxicity of UV-degradated polystyrene nanoplastics in co-culture model of inflammatory bowel disease.
Researchers exposed intestinal co-culture models representing inflammatory bowel disease to UV-degraded polystyrene nanoplastics, finding greater cytotoxicity compared to pristine particles. The results suggest that people with IBD may be more vulnerable to nanoplastic-induced gut damage than healthy individuals.
Ultraviolet-induced photodegradation elevated the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics on human lung epithelial A549 cells
Researchers found that UV-induced photodegradation significantly increased the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics on human lung epithelial cells. The degraded nanoplastics caused greater cell death, stronger oxidative stress, more severe membrane damage, and intensive mitochondrial dysfunction compared to non-degraded particles, suggesting that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater health risks than pristine ones.
UV-aged nanoplastics induced stronger biotoxicity to earthworms: Differential effects and the underlying mechanisms of pristine and aged polystyrene nanoplastics
Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics on earthworms and found that aged nanoplastics caused significantly stronger harmful effects. At higher concentrations, aged nanoplastics increased earthworm mortality by 11.1% and reduced reproduction, with the enhanced toxicity attributed to changes in surface properties that occur during environmental UV weathering.
Aging amplifies the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and norfloxacin on human intestinal cells
Researchers investigated how environmental aging of polystyrene nanoplastics affects their combined toxicity with the antibiotic norfloxacin on human intestinal cells. They found that aged nanoplastics were taken up more readily by cells and significantly amplified the harmful effects of the antibiotic, including increased cell damage. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater health risks than fresh particles, especially when combined with other contaminants.
Polystyrene nanoplastics deteriorate LPS-modulated duodenal permeability and inflammation in mice via ROS drived-NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics worsened intestinal inflammation and increased gut permeability in mice already exposed to bacterial endotoxin. The combined exposure triggered higher levels of oxidative stress and activated inflammatory pathways, leading to greater damage to the intestinal lining than either substance alone. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure could make the gut more vulnerable to inflammation and barrier breakdown when other stressors are present.
Enhancement of biological effects of oxidised nano- and microplastics in human professional phagocytes
Researchers studied how virgin and environmentally aged polystyrene nano- and microplastics affect human immune cells (monocytes and macrophages). The study found that oxidized particles, which simulate environmental aging, caused significantly greater DNA damage and oxidative stress than virgin particles, suggesting that weathered plastics in the environment may pose higher health risks.
Photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics exposure results in reproductive toxicity due to oxidative damage in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene nanoplastics that had been aged by sunlight, simulating real-world environmental conditions. The study found that these weathered nanoplastics caused more severe reproductive harm than pristine particles, primarily through increased oxidative stress, suggesting that aging makes plastic particles more toxic to living organisms.
Impact of UV Aging on the Toxicity and Bioavailability of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)-Traceable Core–Shell Polystyrene Nanoplastics in an In Vitro Triculture Small Intestinal Epithelium Model
Researchers developed gold-core polystyrene nanoplastics traceable by mass spectrometry to study how UV aging affects nanoplastic toxicity and uptake in a human intestinal cell model. The study found that UV aging altered the surface properties and biological behavior of nanoplastics, highlighting the importance of studying environmentally realistic, weathered particles rather than only pristine laboratory materials.
Aging Processes Dramatically Alter the Protein Corona Constitution, Cellular Internalization, and Cytotoxicity of Polystyrene Nanoplastics
Researchers found that aging processes such as UV and ozone exposure dramatically alter how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with blood plasma proteins, form protein coronas, and enter cells. The study suggests that environmentally aged nanoplastics may have different biological effects than pristine particles, which has important implications for accurately assessing the health risks of real-world nanoplastic exposure.
Photoaging of polystyrene microspheres causes oxidative alterations to surface physicochemistry and enhances airway epithelial toxicity
Researchers aged polystyrene microplastics with UV light and then tested their effects on human lung cells. They found that UV-weathered particles caused more pronounced biological responses than fresh ones, including cell cycle disruption, altered cell shape, and impaired wound healing. The study suggests that environmental aging of airborne microplastics may increase their potential to harm respiratory tissues.
Photo-transformation of microplastics and its toxicity to Caco-2 cells
Researchers studied how ultraviolet light transforms polystyrene microplastics and how these changes affect toxicity to human intestinal cells. They found that UV exposure roughened the particle surfaces and introduced oxygen-containing functional groups, and that these photo-transformed microplastics were significantly more toxic to Caco-2 cells than pristine particles. The study suggests that environmentally weathered microplastics may pose greater risks to the human digestive system than freshly produced ones.
Adverse effects of pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics in mice and their Nrf2-mediated defense mechanisms with tissue specificity
Researchers exposed mice to pristine and UV-aged polystyrene microplastics via intratracheal instillation and found structural damage to the gut, liver, spleen, and testis. Aged microplastics caused greater functional damage than pristine particles, including increased liver enzymes and cholesterol, reduced antioxidant capacity, and tissue-specific activation of the Nrf2 defense pathway.
ROS-mediated photoaging pathways of nano- and micro-plastic particles under UV irradiation
Researchers investigated the role of reactive oxygen species in the photoaging of nano- and micro-plastic particles under UV irradiation. The study found that bare polystyrene nanoparticles generated hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen, while surface coatings and larger particle sizes reduced ROS generation. The findings help explain the mechanisms by which UV exposure breaks down plastic particles in aquatic environments.
Underestimated health risks: polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics jointly induce intestinal barrier dysfunction by ROS-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis
This mouse study found that when micro-sized and nano-sized polystyrene particles were present together, as they would be in the real world, they caused more intestinal damage than either size alone. The combined exposure increased gut permeability by killing intestinal lining cells through oxidative stress, weakening the barrier that keeps harmful substances out of the bloodstream. This is important because real-world microplastic exposure always involves a mix of particle sizes, meaning health risks may be greater than single-size lab studies suggest.
Benzo [a] pyrene-loaded aged polystyrene microplastics promote colonic barrier injury via oxidative stress-mediated notch signalling
Researchers found that aged polystyrene microplastics loaded with benzo[a]pyrene, a common environmental carcinogen, caused significantly more damage to the colon lining in mice than clean microplastics. The contaminated particles triggered oxidative stress, inflammation, and disrupted the protective barrier of the intestine through a specific cell signaling pathway. This suggests that real-world microplastics, which commonly carry absorbed toxic chemicals, may be more harmful to gut health than pristine lab particles.
Uptake of Breathable Nano- and Micro-Sized Polystyrene Particles: Comparison of Virgin and Oxidised nPS/mPS in Human Alveolar Cells
Researchers found that environmentally aged (oxidised) nano- and microplastics were rapidly taken up by human lung cells and caused significantly greater DNA damage, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial impairment compared to pristine particles, highlighting the heightened health risks of weathered airborne plastics.
Photoaging of polystyrene microspheres causes oxidative alterations to surface physicochemistry and enhances airway epithelial toxicity
Researchers photoaged polystyrene microspheres under ultraviolet radiation for five weeks and then compared their toxicity to pristine microspheres in A549 human lung cells. They found that UV aging increased polar surface groups on the particles and produced more pronounced oxidative stress, cell cycle arrest, and morphological changes than pristine microspheres, with toxicity further shaped by particle size, dose, and exposure duration.
Aggregation kinetics of UV irradiated nanoplastics in aquatic environments
Researchers compared the aggregation behavior of fresh versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics under various aquatic conditions. They found that UV aging altered the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, making them more stable in water and less likely to aggregate, which means they could remain suspended and bioavailable for longer periods. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics may behave very differently from fresh particles in the environment, complicating risk assessments.
UVB-Aged Microplastics and Cellular Damage: An in Vitro Study
Researchers compared the cellular damage caused by UV-aged versus new microplastic particles using lab-grown human cells. They found that UV-aged microplastics caused significantly more DNA damage and oxidative stress than pristine particles, likely due to chemical changes on their surfaces during weathering. The findings suggest that environmentally weathered microplastics may pose greater health risks than freshly produced ones.
New Insights into the Mechanisms of Toxicity of Aging Microplastics
This study showed that UV-aged polypropylene microplastics are significantly more toxic than fresh ones, absorbing more chemicals and generating more harmful reactive oxygen species in seawater. The aged particles caused greater damage to cell membranes in mussels compared to pristine plastics. Since most microplastics in the ocean have been weathered by sunlight, real-world exposure risks may be higher than laboratory studies using new plastics suggest.