Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Exploring the impact of nanoplastics on human hepatic cells: dynamics of internalization and harmful effects in HuH-7 cells

Researchers investigated how nanoplastics are internalized by human liver cancer cells (HuH-7) and assessed the cellular damage that follows, characterizing the dynamics of particle uptake and the resulting cytotoxic effects relevant to hepatic health.

2025 Environmental Science Nano
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

The effects of concentration, duration of exposure, size and surface function of polymethyl methacrylate micro/nanoplastics on human liver cells

Researchers tested the effects of polymethyl methacrylate micro- and nanoplastics on human liver cells, varying the particle concentration, exposure duration, size, and surface chemistry. They found that smaller particles and those with specific surface modifications caused greater cellular damage, including reduced viability and increased oxidative stress. The study suggests that the physical and chemical properties of microplastics play a critical role in determining their potential toxicity to human tissues.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The size-dependent effects of nanoplastics in mouse primary hepatocytes from cells to molecules

Researchers studied how different sizes of nanoplastics affect mouse liver cells, finding that particle size significantly influences toxicity. Larger nanoplastics were more harmful at low doses, while smaller particles caused greater damage at high doses by more effectively penetrating cells and disrupting enzyme function. The study suggests that nanoplastic size is a critical factor in determining potential liver health risks.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

How surface properties of pristine and environmentally exposed microplastics determine particle-cell-interactions

Researchers examined how surface properties of pristine versus environmentally exposed microplastic particles determine their interactions with cells, including attachment and internalization. The study found that physicochemical properties such as surface charge, functional groups, and eco-corona coatings are critical determinants of particle-cell interactions, underscoring the need for thorough particle characterization in cytotoxicity studies.

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

Nanoplastic Toxicity: Insights and Challenges from Experimental Model Systems

This review summarizes what researchers have learned about nanoplastic toxicity from studies in cell cultures, aquatic organisms, and terrestrial animals. Evidence indicates that nanoplastics can be internalized by cells through various mechanisms and their toxicity depends on factors like particle size, surface modifications, and concentration. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends more systematic research to better understand the health risks these particles may pose to humans.

2022 Small 85 citations
Article Tier 2

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

Researchers compared molecular and cellular mechanisms triggered by differently surface-functionalized micro- and nanoplastics in human intestinal and liver cells, finding that surface chemistry strongly determines biological effects. Functionalized particles elicited distinct patterns of oxidative stress, inflammation, and membrane damage compared to unfunctionalized particles.

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

Uptake and Effects of Micro‐, Submicro‐ and Nanoplastics Investigated on in vitro Models of the Intestinal Barrier and the Liver

Researchers investigated the uptake and toxic effects of micro-, submicro-, and nanoplastics using in vitro models of the intestinal barrier and liver to assess how plastic particles of different sizes interact with gastrointestinal and hepatic cells. The study examined cellular internalization, barrier integrity, and metabolic responses to characterize size-dependent toxicity mechanisms.

2024 Lebensmittelchemie
Article Tier 2

Structural parameters of nanoparticles affecting their toxicity for biomedical applications: a review

Researchers reviewed how the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles — including size, shape, surface charge, and material type — influence their toxicity in living cells and tissues, with relevance to both medical applications and environmental exposures like nanoplastics. Smaller particles are generally more toxic because they have greater surface area and can more easily penetrate cell membranes and trigger oxidative stress.

2023 Journal of Nanoparticle Research 521 citations
Article Tier 2

A digestive system microphysiological platform for assessment of internal-exposure risks and metabolic disease mechanisms induced by multi-size nano-plastics.

Researchers developed a digestive system organ-on-a-chip microphysiological platform to assess how nanoplastics (NPs) are absorbed, metabolized, and cause internal exposure risks. The system revealed size-dependent toxic effects of NPs on liver cells and lipid metabolism, providing mechanistic insights into NP-associated liver disease risk.

2025 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic ShapeEffects on Lipid Bilayer Permeabilization

Researchers investigated how nanoplastic shape affects lipid bilayer permeabilisation, demonstrating that morphologically diverse environmental nanoplastics interact with cell membranes in ways that differ substantially from the uniform polystyrene nanospheres typically used in laboratory studies.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Polymer Microparticles with Defined Surface Chemistry and Topography Mediate the Formation of Stem Cell Aggregates and Cardiomyocyte Function.

This study developed methods for surface-functionalizing biodegradable poly(lactic acid) microparticles with different chemistries and topographies to investigate how these properties affect stem cell behavior and heart muscle cell function. While focused on biomedical applications rather than environmental microplastics, the findings add to understanding of how plastic particle surface properties influence biological responses.

2019 ACS applied materials & interfaces
Article Tier 2

Lipid Corona Formation on Micro- and Nanoplastic Particles Modulates Uptake and Toxicity in A549 Cells

Researchers found that lipid corona formation on micro- and nanoplastic particles significantly modulates their cellular uptake and toxicity in human lung cells, suggesting that biological coatings alter how plastic particles interact with human tissues.

2023 Materials 8 citations
Article Tier 2

[Exposure Pathways of Polystyrene Nanoplastics Mediate Their Cellular Distribution and Toxicity].

This study found that the route by which polystyrene nanoplastics enter the body determines which liver cell types accumulate the particles and what toxic effects occur, demonstrating that exposure pathway—not just dose—shapes nanoplastic toxicity in hepatic tissue.

2025 PubMed
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

Recent advances in toxicological research of nanoplastics in the environment: A review

Researchers systematically reviewed nanoplastic toxicology, finding that surface charge and particle size are the dominant determinants of harm — positively charged and smaller particles penetrate cell membranes more readily — and that adsorbed contaminants released inside organisms often pose greater toxicological risks than the nanoplastic particles themselves.

2019 Environmental Pollution 652 citations
Article Tier 2

Statistical Curvature Change Analysis of Random-Shape Polyethylene Microplastics and their Toxicity from a Physical Perspective

This study examined how the physical shape of polyethylene microplastics affects their toxicity to cells in laboratory experiments. Irregularly shaped fragments caused more cellular damage than smooth spheres, suggesting that the jagged surfaces of environmentally weathered microplastics may be particularly hazardous.

2020 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics: key influencing factors, limitations, and future perspectives

This review systematically analyzed how the physicochemical properties of micro- and nanoplastics — including size, shape, surface charge, and polymer type — determine their toxicological impacts across biological systems. The authors argue that property-based frameworks are essential for predicting MNP health risks and designing relevant research.

2025 Archives of Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Materials, surfaces, and interfacial phenomena in nanoplastics toxicology research

This review examines how the materials and surface properties of engineered nanoplastics used in toxicology research may not accurately represent real environmental nanoplastics. Researchers found that surfactants, fluorescent labels, and surface modifications commonly applied to lab-made nanoparticles can alter their toxicological profiles in unpredictable ways. The study calls for greater attention to how particle surface chemistry and preparation methods influence experimental outcomes in nanoplastics safety research.

2021 Environmental Pollution 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of differently-sized polystyrene nanoplastics by human lung and intestine cells

Researchers examined how human lung and intestine cells take up polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes, finding that smaller particles were internalized in greater numbers but at lower total mass compared to larger ones. When compared on a surface area basis, the uptake rates were similar across sizes, suggesting that surface interactions with cell membranes play a key role. The findings indicate that particle size is an important factor to consider when evaluating the health risks of nanoplastic exposure.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 86 citations
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

Surface functionalisation-dependent adverse effects of metal nanoparticles and nanoplastics in zebrafish embryos

Researchers used high-throughput zebrafish embryo imaging to show that surface functionalization determines the toxicity of metal nanoparticles and nanoplastics, with surface charge and coating chemistry more predictive of hatching failure and malformation rates than particle composition alone.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 25 citations
Review Tier 2

Nanoplastics Toxicity Specific to Liver in Inducing Metabolic Dysfunction—A Comprehensive Review

This review examines how nanoplastics, particles smaller than 100 nanometers, accumulate in and damage the liver. Researchers found that nanoplastics enter the body through the respiratory and digestive systems, reach the liver via the bloodstream, and can disrupt the gut-liver axis and gut microbiome. The evidence suggests that liver damage from nanoplastics may trigger cascading effects on other organs, highlighting the need for further research on these less visible pollutants.

2023 Genes 51 citations
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)