We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of polyethylene microplastics on cell membranes: A combined study of experiments and molecular dynamics simulations
ClearEffects of Nanoplastics on Lipid Membranes and Vice Versa: Insights from All-Atom Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to study how polyethylene nanoplastics interact with cell membrane models. They found that the mechanical properties of the lipid membrane, rather than the nanoplastic structure, primarily determine whether particles can penetrate cells. The study suggests that more flexible biological membranes may be more susceptible to nanoplastic penetration, providing insight into how these particles could enter living cells.
Interaction of polyethylene nanoplastics with the plasma, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosome and endosome membranes: A molecular dynamics study
Researchers used computer simulations to study how polyethylene nanoplastics interact with five types of cell membranes in the human body, finding that the plastic particles spontaneously insert themselves into the fatty inner layer of membranes and disrupt normal membrane flexibility. These atomic-level findings help explain how nanoplastics may cause cell damage from the inside.
Can Nanoplastics Alter Cell Membranes?
Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to show that polyethylene nanoplastics dissolve into the hydrophobic core of lipid bilayers as disentangled polymer chains, inducing structural and dynamic changes that alter vital cell membrane functions and may result in cell death.
Polystyrene and polyethylene perturb the structure of membrane: An experimental and computational study
Researchers combined cell experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and toxicogenomic analysis to show that polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics — individually and as a mixture — physically penetrate cell membranes and form pores, with the mixture producing stronger disruption than either polymer alone.
Insights into short chain polyethylene penetration of phospholipid bilayers via atomistic molecular dynamics simulations
Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that short-chain polyethylene fragments can penetrate phospholipid bilayer membranes, providing atomic-level insight into how nanoscale plastic particles may disrupt cell membrane integrity.
Dynamics behavior of PE and PET oligomers in lipid bilayer simulations
Researchers used computer simulations to study how tiny plastic fragments from PET and polyethylene enter cell membranes, finding that small plastic molecules pass through with little resistance and can concentrate inside membranes — suggesting passive entry into cells is possible for nanoplastics just a few nanometers in size.
Polystyrene-InducedDehydration of Lipid Membranes:Insights from Atomistic Simulations
Researchers used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with lipid bilayer membranes after penetrating them, focusing specifically on whether and how such particles induce membrane dehydration. They found that polystyrene nanoplastics cause significant dehydration of lipid membranes, providing new mechanistic insight into nanoplastic-induced cellular disruption.
Understanding the transformations of nanoplastic onto phospholipid bilayers: Mechanism, microscopic interaction and cytotoxicity assessment
Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to model how five types of nanoplastics (PVC, PS, PLA, PP, PET) interact with cell membrane lipid bilayers, finding that van der Waals forces dominate uptake and that nanoplastic accumulation reduces membrane thickness in a way that correlates with cytotoxicity.
Perturbation of Nanoplastics on Biomembranes: Molecular Insights from Neutron Scattering
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can seriously damage cell membranes, which are the protective barriers around our cells. The plastic particles caused membranes to break apart and get thinner, though some natural cell types were more resistant to damage than others. This research helps us understand why the growing amount of plastic pollution in our environment and food could pose health risks to humans.
Synergistic Effects of Microplastics and Marine Pollutants on the Destabilization of Lipid Bilayers
Using computer simulations, this study showed that microplastics combined with common marine pollutants can destabilize the lipid membranes that protect our cells. The pollutants attached to microplastic surfaces were more effective at penetrating cell membranes than the pollutants alone. This means microplastics may act as carriers that help harmful chemicals get into cells more easily, increasing their toxic effects.
Polystyrene-InducedDehydration of Lipid Membranes:Insights from Atomistic Simulations
Researchers conducted atomistic simulations to examine how polystyrene nanoplastics induce dehydration in lipid bilayer membranes after penetrating the membrane interior. The simulation results provided molecular-level evidence that nanoplastic-membrane interactions cause lipid dehydration, offering mechanistic insight into how nanoplastics may disrupt cellular membrane function.
Polystyrene-InducedDehydration of Lipid Membranes:Insights from Atomistic Simulations
Researchers performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to characterize how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with and dehydrate lipid bilayer membranes following membrane penetration. The simulations revealed the structural and thermodynamic mechanisms by which nanoplastic particles disrupt membrane hydration, contributing to understanding of nanoplastic toxicity at the cellular level.
Effects of Shape on Interaction Dynamics of Tetrahedral Nanoplastics and the Cell Membrane
Researchers used computer simulations to model how tetrahedral-shaped nanoplastics, which resemble environmentally released plastic fragments, interact with cell membranes. The study found that these sharp-edged particles were readily taken up by lipid membranes, with their movement becoming increasingly constrained as particle size grew, providing fundamental insights into how plastic particle shape affects cellular uptake.
Polystyrene-InducedDehydration of Lipid Membranes:Insights from Atomistic Simulations
Researchers used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the dehydration of lipid membranes caused by polystyrene nanoplastics that have penetrated the bilayer. The findings revealed how nanoplastic particles alter the hydration state of membrane lipids, providing detailed mechanistic understanding of nanoplastic interactions with biological membranes.
Synergistic effects of marine pollutants and microplastics on the destabilization of lipid bilayers
Researchers found that marine pollutants and microplastics act synergistically to destabilize lipid bilayers, suggesting that the combined presence of plastic particles and co-adsorbed chemicals may amplify cellular membrane damage beyond what either stressor causes alone.
Polystyrene-Induced Dehydration of Lipid Membranes: Insights from Atomistic Simulations
Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations revealed that polystyrene nanoplastics cause dehydration of lipid membranes upon contact, extracting water molecules from the bilayer interface in ways that could alter membrane structure and function relevant to cellular uptake of nanoplastic particles.
Microplastics destabilize lipid membranes by mechanical stretching
Researchers discovered a physical mechanism by which microplastics can damage cell membranes through mechanical stretching, even without chemical toxicity. Using model lipid membranes, they showed that microplastic particles partially engulfed by cell membranes create mechanical tension that destabilizes the membrane structure. The study reveals a fundamental way that microplastics could harm living cells, suggesting that physical interactions at the cellular level may be just as important as chemical effects.
Synergistic effects of marine pollutants and microplastics on the destabilization of lipid bilayers
Researchers found that marine pollutants such as chemical solvents synergistically amplify the mechanical stress that microplastic particles exert on lipid bilayer membranes, with microplastics acting as vectors that facilitate solvent penetration into membrane cores and potentially disrupting cellular integrity.
Distinguishing the nanoplastic–cell membrane interface by polymer type and aging properties: translocation, transformation and perturbation
Molecular simulations revealed that nanoplastic behavior at cell membranes differs significantly by polymer type and aging state, with distinct patterns of membrane translocation, transformation, and disruption. Aged nanoplastics showed altered interaction dynamics compared to pristine particles, suggesting weathering changes ecotoxicological risk.
Nanosized microplastics damage cell membranes by altering lateral and transverse distributions of cholesterol
Researchers used atomic-scale molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how nanosized polystyrene microplastics interact with cholesterol-containing model cell membranes, examining changes to lateral and transverse cholesterol distributions. The simulations reveal that nanoplastic particles disrupt membrane organization by altering cholesterol positioning, providing a molecular mechanism for the membrane damage associated with nanoplastic exposure.
Interaction of Polystyrene Nanoplastic with Lipid Membranes
Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics derived from food packaging interact with lipid membranes, which serve as models for cell membranes. Using microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, the study found that while water molecules initially act as a barrier to nanoplastic entry, once particles penetrate the membrane's polar region they rapidly move into the bilayer interior, and small-molecule additives like unreacted monomers can be released into the membrane during this process.
Molecular insights into nanoplastics-peptides binding and their interactions with the lipid membrane
Using computer simulations, researchers studied how nanoplastics interact with small protein fragments and cell membranes at the molecular level. They found that nanoplastics readily bind to proteins, forming a coating called a protein corona, which changes how the plastics behave when they encounter cell membranes. This research helps explain how nanoplastics might enter human cells, since the protein coating could either help or hinder the particles from crossing biological barriers.
PE and PET oligomers’ interplay with membrane bilayers
Researchers used computer simulations and lab membrane tests to study how small fragments of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics interact with cell membranes, finding evidence that some tiny plastic molecules can passively diffuse through the membrane barrier into cells. This work suggests passive absorption — without any active transport — could be a key way nanoplastics enter human cells, with implications for understanding health risks from plastic exposure.
Perturbation of Nanoplastics on Biomembranes: Molecular Insights from Neutron Scattering
Using neutron scattering, researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics — with and without surface modifications — perturb the structure and dynamics of both simple and complex bacterial-model biomembranes, suggesting nanoplastics can physically disrupt cell membrane function.