Papers

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Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics alter the conformation and activity of human serum albumin

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with human serum albumin, a key blood protein, and found that nanoplastics bind to the protein through hydrophobic forces, altering its structure and reducing its enzymatic activity. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure could interfere with normal protein function in the bloodstream, highlighting the need for regulation of nanoplastics in consumer products.

2022 NanoImpact 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics enhance thrombosis through adsorption of plasma proteins

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics can enter the bloodstream and increase the risk of blood clots by adsorbing key clotting proteins, particularly coagulation factor XII and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. This protein-adsorption mechanism was confirmed through multiple analytical approaches. The discovery of this thrombosis-promoting pathway is concerning because it suggests that nanoplastic exposure could increase cardiovascular risks like stroke and heart attack.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Effects on Thrombin-Fibrinogen Clotting Dynamics Measured via Turbidity

Researchers found that non-modified polystyrene microplastics significantly slowed fibrin clot formation in a laboratory model — reducing clotting rate up to 27-fold — while aminated polystyrene had minimal effect, suggesting microplastic surface chemistry may influence blood coagulation dynamics.

2023 Proceedings of IMPRS
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Nanoplastic Contaminants Denature Human Apolipoprotein A-1

Researchers used advanced spectroscopy techniques to study what happens when a key human blood protein, apolipoprotein A-1, comes into contact with polystyrene nanoplastics. They found that the protein changes its structure and forms abnormal fibrillar clumps at the nanoplastic surface, causing the plastic particles to cluster together. Since apolipoprotein A-1 is important for cholesterol transport, these structural changes at the nanoplastic interface may pose risks to cardiovascular health.

2025 Nano Letters 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic-induced vascular endothelial injury and coagulation dysfunction in mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface modifications and found that the particles caused structural damage to vascular endothelial cells and triggered inflammatory responses. The nanoplastics also disrupted blood coagulation function in the mice. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure may pose risks to cardiovascular health due to the particles' ability to travel through the bloodstream and damage blood vessel linings.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 65 citations
Article Tier 2

The weakened physiological functions of human serum albumin in presence of polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics interfere with human serum albumin, the most abundant protein in blood that performs critical functions like transporting substances and acting as an enzyme. The nanoplastics reduced the protein's enzyme activity and altered its ability to transport chemicals like bisphenol A. This study provides evidence that once nanoplastics enter the human bloodstream, they could disrupt important blood protein functions with potential health consequences.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Effects on Thrombin–Fibrinogen Clotting Dynamics Measured via Turbidity and Thromboelastography

Researchers found that microplastics directly altered fibrin clot formation dynamics in a human thrombin-fibrinogen model, with effects varying by plastic type, size, and concentration, suggesting potential impacts on blood clotting and cardiovascular health.

2022 Biomolecules 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Modelling bionano interactions and potential health risks for environmental nanoplastics: the case of functionalized polystyrene

Researchers used computer simulations to model how proteins adsorb onto polystyrene nanoplastic surfaces, investigating bionano interactions relevant to potential health risks. The study focused on functionalized polystyrene as a model for environmental nanoplastics. The findings contribute to understanding how nanoplastics interact with biological molecules, which is important for evaluating their toxicological potential.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Interaction of polystyrene nanoplastics and hemoglobin is determined by both particle curvature and available surface area

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes interact with hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in blood. They found that 100-nanometer particles caused the most significant changes to the protein's structure and function, due to a balance between particle curvature and available surface area. The study suggests that mid-sized nanoplastics may be the most disruptive to protein-dependent biological processes in the body.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics modulate VGLL3 phase separation by enhancing intermolecular interactions: Implications for fibrosis and beyond

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics affect the behavior of VGLL3, a protein involved in fibrosis, by modulating its ability to form liquid-like condensates inside cells. They found that negatively charged nanoplastics selectively triggered VGLL3 to cluster together in a concentration- and size-dependent manner by stabilizing protein-to-protein contacts on the particle surface. The study provides a mechanistic basis for how aged or surface-modified microplastics could potentially influence fibrosis-related cellular processes.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the Modification of Esterase-like Activity of Serum Albumin by Nanoplastics and Their Cocontaminants

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface charges and sizes affect the enzymatic activity of human serum albumin, a key blood protein. The study found that amino-modified and smaller nanoplastics had the greatest impact on protein structure and inhibited its ability to metabolize compounds, while the presence of the drug metformin reduced nanoplastic binding to the protein. These findings suggest that nanoplastics could interfere with normal protein function in the bloodstream and that co-exposure with other chemicals may alter how nanoplastics are transported in the body.

2023 ACS Omega 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Amine-modified nanoplastics promote the procoagulant activation of isolated human red blood cells and thrombus formation in rats

Researchers investigated whether polystyrene nanoplastics promote blood coagulation activity in human red blood cells. The study found that amine-modified 100 nm nanoplastics were taken up by red blood cells, caused morphological changes, induced phosphatidylserine externalization, and generated microvesicles, suggesting that certain nanoplastics may promote procoagulant activity and potentially contribute to thrombus formation.

2022 Particle and Fibre Toxicology 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial interactions between PMMA nanoplastics and a model globular protein: towards a molecular understanding of nanoplastic-driven biological dyshomeostasis

Researchers investigated the molecular interactions between PMMA nanoplastics and a model globular protein to understand how nanoplastics disrupt normal protein function. They found that PMMA nanoplastics bind to and alter the structural conformation of the protein, potentially contributing to cellular protein dysfunction.

2025 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of clarithromycin on polystyrene nanoplastics surface and its combined adverse effect on serum albumin

Researchers examined how the antibiotic clarithromycin binds to the surface of polystyrene nanoplastics and how this combination interacts with blood proteins. They found that the drug readily adsorbed onto the nanoplastic surface and that the drug-nanoplastic complex altered the structure and function of serum albumin more than either substance alone. The findings suggest that nanoplastics could amplify the biological effects of pharmaceutical pollutants by acting as carriers in the body.

2023 Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces 16 citations
Article Tier 2

PB1065 Microvesicles Display Opposite Coagulolytic Balances According to Their Cellular Origin and Activation Status

Polystyrene microplastics activated human vascular endothelial cells, upregulating inflammation markers ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, and promoted larger and denser blood clot formation when added to whole blood perfused over collagen at concentrations found in human plasma. These results raise concern that microplastics circulating in human blood could increase the risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular events.

2023 Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Article Tier 2

Exploring microplastic impact on whole blood clotting dynamics utilizing thromboelastography

Researchers used a blood clotting analysis technique to study how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and surface types affect human blood clotting. They found that negatively charged particles consistently activated the clotting process, increasing both the speed and strength of clot formation in a size-dependent manner. The findings highlight that microplastic surface chemistry and particle size play important roles in how these particles might interact with blood.

2023 Frontiers in Public Health 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics: Role of surface functional groups and protein and electrolyte variation

Researchers studied how different surface coatings on polystyrene nanoplastics affect their tendency to clump together in water containing proteins and salts. They found that the type of surface functional group significantly changed how the particles aggregated, with proteins and electrolytes playing important roles in the process. The study helps explain how nanoplastics behave and transform as they move through natural water systems.

2023 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Alter DNA

Researchers demonstrated that positively charged polystyrene chains can bind directly to DNA helices through electrostatic interactions with phosphate groups, inducing structural changes in the DNA. The findings suggest nanoplastics with charged surfaces could interfere with DNA structure and function at the molecular level.

2025 Nano Letters 2 citations
Article Tier 2

PolystyreneNanoplastic Contaminants Denature HumanApolipoprotein A‑1

This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics denature human apolipoprotein A-1 upon binding, altering the protein's structure in ways that could impair its function in cholesterol metabolism and HDL formation, raising concerns about nanoplastic effects on cardiovascular health.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Impact of Protein Corona Formation and Polystyrene Nanoparticle Functionalisation on the Interaction with Dynamic Biomimetic Membranes Comprising of Integrin

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoparticles interact with blood proteins and cell membranes to understand potential health effects of nanoplastic exposure. They found that when blood proteins coat the nanoparticles, forming a so-called protein corona, it actually reduces the particles' ability to damage cell membranes. The study suggests that the body's natural protein coating of nanoplastics may offer some protection against membrane disruption, though the long-term implications remain unclear.

2024 ChemBioChem 5 citations
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

Nanoplastics as a Potential Environmental Health Factor: From Molecular Interaction to Altered Cellular Function and Human Diseases

This review examined how nanoplastics — particularly polystyrene — interact with cells at the molecular level, potentially causing lasting changes that could contribute to developmental problems and degenerative disease. The study highlights growing concerns about nanoplastics as an emerging environmental health risk given their widespread presence in food, water, and air.

2021 Serbian Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research 1 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