Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Representative secondary PET micro and nanoplastics via ethylene glycol fragmentation (EGF): Physicochemical and immuno-toxicological properties

Researchers developed a standardized lab method to produce realistic PET micro- and nanoplastics — the kind that form as plastic bottles degrade in the environment — and found that these particles trigger inflammation and reduce immune cell viability, providing better research tools for studying how plastic pollution harms human health.

2026 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
Article Tier 2

Application of a genetically engineered macrophage cell line for evaluating cellular effects of UV/US-treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) microplastics

Researchers developed a method to create PET microplastic fragments that mimic environmentally weathered particles by combining UV irradiation and ultrasound treatment. These treated fragments triggered significantly higher inflammatory responses in human macrophage cells compared to untreated particles. The study suggests that the physical and chemical changes microplastics undergo in the environment may increase their potential to cause inflammation in human cells.

2023 Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The Immunotoxic Effects of Environmentally Relevant Micro- and Nanoplastics

Researchers characterized the immunotoxic effects of over 20 types of micro- and nanoplastic particles on macrophages and dendritic cells, finding that physicochemical properties such as size, shape, polymer type, and surface oxidation strongly influence immune cell responses.

2025
Article Tier 2

Laser Ablation as a Versatile Tool To Mimic Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastic Pollutants: Characterization and Toxicology Assessment

Researchers developed a laser ablation approach to generate polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastic model particles that more closely mimic real environmental nanopollutants than synthetically produced colloid-chemistry samples. The resulting PET nanoparticles were characterized for chemical and physical properties and stability in different media, and their toxicology was assessed to evaluate interactions with biological systems.

2022 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Engineered and Weathered Polyethylene Terephthalate ( PET ) Microplastics and Nanoplastics Induce Form and Size‐Dependent Oxidative Stress, Oxidative DNA Damage, and Cytotoxicity in MCF ‐7 Cells

Researchers tested how PET microplastics and nanoplastics, both pristine and environmentally weathered, affect human breast cancer cells in the lab. They found that all particle types caused dose-dependent cell damage, increased oxidative stress, and DNA damage, with weathered particles showing distinct toxicity patterns compared to pristine ones. The study suggests that the size, shape, and environmental aging of plastic particles all influence their potential to harm cells, and that weathered microplastics found in the real environment deserve more research attention.

2026 Environmental Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of fragmented polyethylene nanoplastics using a focused ultrasonic system and assessment of their cytotoxic effects on human cells

Researchers created realistic polyethylene nanoplastic fragments in the lab and tested their effects on seven types of human cells, including stomach, lung, liver, and brain cells. While the particles did not immediately kill cells, they caused membrane damage and triggered inflammatory responses across all cell types, and were found to accumulate inside cells.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene terephthalate nanoparticles effect on RAW 264.7 macrophage cells

Researchers exposed mouse immune cells to PET nanoplastics (tiny particles from plastic bottles and containers) and found the cells easily absorbed them, triggering mild oxidative stress and switching on several genes linked to immune defense and cell maintenance, providing early evidence of how nanoplastics may affect human immune function.

2022 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of true-to-life PET nanoplastics using primary human nasal epithelial cells

Researchers exposed human nasal cells to nanoplastics made from real PET water bottles and found that the particles were absorbed into cells and triggered oxidative stress. The nanoplastics also disrupted mitochondrial function and activated the cell's autophagy cleanup pathway. Since the nose is the first barrier encountered when breathing in airborne plastic particles, these findings suggest that nasal tissues may be particularly vulnerable to nanoplastic exposure.

2023 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 55 citations
Article Tier 2

In Vitro High-Throughput Toxicological Assessment of Nanoplastics

Researchers developed a high-throughput in vitro method to assess nanoplastic toxicity, finding that laser-ablated polycarbonate and PET nanoparticles showed greater cellular uptake and toxicity than nanoprecipitated PET, highlighting how production method affects nanoplastic hazard.

2022 Nanomaterials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nano-plastics induce inflammation and cell death in human cells.

Human cell cultures exposed to micro- and nano-plastics (MNPLs) showed elevated inflammation markers and cell death, with effects varying by particle type and concentration. The study developed a novel extraction and staining technique to identify individual plastic types in complex mixtures, advancing methods for assessing human cellular toxicity.

2025 Frontiers in immunology
Article Tier 2

A sonication-assisted method for the production of true-to-life nanoplastics from polymeric materials

Researchers developed a sonication-assisted laboratory method for producing 'true-to-life' nanoplastics from bulk polymeric materials, designed to mimic the physicochemical properties of nanoplastics formed through natural environmental degradation processes. The method addresses the key limitation that laboratory-synthesized nanoplastics often elicit different biological responses than environmentally relevant nanoplastics, improving the ecological validity of nanotoxicology studies.

2025 Nano Express
Article Tier 2

An assessment of the toxicity of polypropylene microplastics in human derived cells

Researchers assessed the toxicity of polypropylene microplastics on human-derived cell lines and found that the particles triggered inflammatory responses and oxidative stress at concentrations relevant to environmental exposure. The microplastics also affected cell viability and caused measurable changes in immune-related gene expression. The study raises concerns about potential health effects from chronic human exposure to one of the most commonly produced plastic types.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 621 citations
Article Tier 2

Approaches for the preparation and evaluation of hydrophilic polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastic particles suited for toxicological effect studies

Researchers developed methods to create large quantities of artificially aged, hydrophilic microplastic particles from PET and polyethylene, eliminating the need for surfactants in toxicity experiments. Using alkaline and acidic treatments, they produced particles smaller than 5 micrometers with significantly increased water compatibility. These standardized, aged particles better represent real-world microplastics and could improve the consistency and relevance of laboratory toxicity studies.

2025 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to micro- and nanoplastics generated from polyethylene terephthalate suppresses acute intestinal damage in vivo

Researchers generated environmentally realistic PET micro- and nanoplastics through UV-assisted mechanical fragmentation and found that oral exposure to these irregularly shaped particles unexpectedly suppressed acute intestinal inflammation in a mouse colitis model by downregulating JAK-STAT and NF-κB immune pathways.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Harmful effects of true-to-life nanoplastics derived from PET water bottles in human alveolar macrophages.

Researchers tested nanoplastics derived from actual PET water bottles on mouse lung immune cells, focusing specifically on cells that had internalized the particles. Even though the nanoplastics were taken up by 100% of cells at the highest dose, they did not cause outright cell death. However, they did trigger significant increases in reactive oxygen species and shifted the immune cells toward a pro-inflammatory state, suggesting that inhaled nanoplastics from everyday plastic products could promote chronic lung inflammation.

2024 Environmental Pollution 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to phagolysosomal simulated fluid altered the cytotoxicity of PET micro(nano)plastics to human lung epithelial cells.

Researchers simulated how PET micro(nano)plastics are altered in phagolysosomal fluid (mimicking how lung immune cells digest particles) and found that this degradation changed the cytotoxicity profile of PET particles toward human lung epithelial cells, suggesting the body's own processing can modify plastic hazard.

2024 Toxicology mechanisms and methods
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics affect the inflammatory cytokine release by primary human monocytes and dendritic cells

Researchers exposed primary human immune cells to nanoplastics of different shapes, sizes, and polymer types and measured their inflammatory responses. Irregular PVC fragments triggered the strongest release of inflammatory signaling molecules, and fragment-shaped particles consistently provoked more inflammation than spherical ones. The findings indicate that the type and shape of nanoplastics matter significantly for immune responses, and that studies using only smooth spherical particles may underestimate the real-world inflammatory potential of plastic pollution.

2022 Environment International 148 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular and Systemic Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals—What We Know So Far

This review summarized known cellular and systemic effects of micro- and nanoplastics in mammals, finding that while ingestion is common, knowledge of health impacts remains limited, with oxidative stress and inflammation as the most reported biological responses.

2023 Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Laser Ablation as a Versatile Tool To Mimic Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastic Pollutants: Characterization and Toxicology Assessment

Researchers developed a laser ablation method to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics that closely mimic those found in the environment, unlike commercially available engineered nanoparticles. Toxicology tests on marine organisms showed that these realistic PET nanoplastics caused measurable biological effects, suggesting that the method provides a more accurate tool for studying nanoplastic impacts.

2018 ACS Nano 310 citations
Article Tier 2

Generation of Eroded Nanoplastics from Domestic Wastes and Their Impact on Macrophage Cell Viability and Gene Expression

Researchers created nanoplastics from common household plastic waste like water bottles, styrofoam, and plastic bags, then tested their effects on immune cells. All types of nanoplastics killed immune cells in a dose-dependent way and triggered changes in genes related to inflammation, with polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene being the most toxic. This study shows that the tiny plastic particles shed from everyday items can harm immune cells, which could weaken the body's ability to fight infection and disease.

2024 Molecules 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Genotoxicity of Particles From Grinded Plastic Items in Caco-2 and HepG2 Cells

Researchers ground real-life plastic food containers into nano-sized particles and tested their effects on human intestinal and liver cell lines. The study found that nanoplastics from transparent PET containers produced a modest increase in DNA strand breaks, though no significant cytotoxicity or oxidative stress was observed, suggesting potential genotoxic effects warrant further investigation.

2022 Frontiers in Public Health 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of microplastic and nanoplastic particles and fibres for use in pulmonary toxicity studies

Researchers developed fabrication methods to produce micro- and nanoplastics from three environmentally relevant polymers (polyamide, polypropylene, and PET) in both particle and fiber shapes, addressing a critical gap in pulmonary toxicity research where most studies use only polystyrene spheres.

2025 Particle and Fibre Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Top-down generated micro- and nanoplastics reduce macrophage viability without eliciting a pro-inflammatory response

This study investigated whether top-down mechanically generated micro- and nanoplastics from physically shredded plastic affect macrophage viability and inflammation. The particles reduced macrophage viability in a dose-dependent manner but did not elicit a classical pro-inflammatory cytokine response.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Degradation of Polyethylene Particles on Their Cytotoxicity

Researchers found that degradation of polyethylene particles altered their cytotoxicity, with weathered and fragmented PE showing different toxic effects on cells compared to pristine particles, suggesting environmental aging changes microplastic health risks.

2023 Microplastics 14 citations