Papers

61,005 results
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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

Predicting Bioaccumulation of Nanomaterials: Modeling Approaches with Challenges

This review examines different computer modeling approaches for predicting how nanomaterials, including nanoplastics, accumulate in living organisms. Traditional models developed for dissolved chemicals often give inaccurate results for nanoparticles because they behave differently in biological systems. Newer machine learning approaches show promise for better predictions, which could help scientists estimate how much nanoplastic actually builds up in the body without needing extensive animal testing.

2024 Environment & Health 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics in biological systems: What laboratory mechanisms reveal about real-world toxicity

Researchers developed a mechanistic-scaling framework reconciling high-dose laboratory toxicity data for nanoplastics with low-dose environmental realities, arguing that core injury pathways—oxidative stress, lysosomal rupture, mitochondrial dysfunction—remain active at environmental concentrations and are amplified by particle aging and co-contaminant loading.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Toxicological considerations of nano-sized plastics

This review examined the toxicological considerations specific to nanoplastics, focusing on how particle deposition in different biological compartments, physical properties (size, shape, surface chemistry), and chemical additives interact to determine biological effects. The authors argue that understanding nanoplastic toxicology requires shifting focus from exposure characterization to mechanistic biological relevance at the tissue and organ level.

2019 AIMS environmental science 132 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential adverse health effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics on humans. Lessons learned from in vivo and in vitro mammalian models

This review compiles recent studies on the effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics using mammalian in vivo and in vitro models to assess potential human health implications. The authors found that while substantial research effort has been made, significant gaps remain in understanding absorption, biodistribution, and toxicity of these particles in mammalian systems. The review provides recommendations for improved testing methods to generate more relevant and targeted data for human risk assessment.

2019 Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part B 272 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and joint exposure to nanoplastics and bisphenols: a comparative assessment of in vitro hazards

This study compared the individual and combined toxicity of nanoplastics and bisphenol compounds in biological test systems, finding synergistic effects at certain exposure combinations. The results indicate that co-exposure to these two common plastic-associated contaminants may be more harmful than either alone.

2024 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

Mixtures of Micro and Nanoplastics and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Environment: What We Know about Their Toxicological Effects

This review examines what is known about the toxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastic mixtures combined with other emerging contaminants in the environment. Researchers found that most studies fail to calculate proper interaction parameters, making it difficult to determine whether combined exposures produce additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects on organisms.

2024 Toxics 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Nanoplastics on Human Health: A Comprehensive Study

This comprehensive review examines the diverse health effects of nanoplastics, drawing on toxicology, environmental science, and epidemiology to document how these particles interact with human biological systems. The authors conclude that nanoplastics represent a growing public health concern requiring further investigation.

2024 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The toxicity of nanoparticles and their interaction with cells: an in vitro metabolomic perspective

This review examines how nanoparticles interact with human cells and cause toxic effects, using a technique called metabolomics to track changes in cell chemistry. Understanding nanoparticle toxicity is relevant to microplastic research because nanoplastics behave similarly to other nanoparticles, penetrating cells and disrupting normal metabolic processes.

2023 Nanoscale Advances 238 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic toxicity: mechanisms, assessment methods, and future research directions

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic toxicity mechanisms, integrating physical, chemical, and biological pathways into a unified framework. Researchers examined assessment methods across aquatic organisms, terrestrial species, and human cell models, identifying critical knowledge gaps and recommending standardized approaches for future microplastic toxicity research.

2026 Frontiers in Toxicology
Review Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics: origin, sources of intake and impact on human health (literature review)

This literature review synthesizes mechanisms by which micro- and nanoplastics interact with living organisms, examining their physicochemical properties, routes of human exposure, and documented health effects across multiple organ systems.

2025 Hygiene and Sanitation
Article Tier 2

Human exposure to micro- and nanoplastic: biological effects and health consequence

This review summarized the biological effects and health consequences of human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, covering routes of uptake (ingestion, inhalation, dermal), cellular toxicity mechanisms, and systemic health risks identified in recent experimental and epidemiological studies.

2023 Reviews in Biological and Biomedical Sciences 3 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

Toxicity of gold nanoparticles complicated by the co-existence multiscale plastics.

This study examined how co-exposure to gold nanoparticles and plastic particles of different sizes modifies the toxicity of gold nanoparticles, finding complex interactions that altered toxic outcomes compared to gold nanoparticles alone. The results highlight that real-world toxicological risk assessment must account for co-contaminant interactions rather than testing pollutants in isolation.

2024 Frontiers in microbiology
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

Reviewing nanoplastic toxicology: It's an interface problem

This review of nanoplastic toxicology argued that toxicity is fundamentally an interface problem — driven by surface properties, protein corona formation, and nano-bio interactions — and proposed mechanistic approaches borrowed from nanotoxicology to improve risk assessment frameworks.

2020 Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to micro- and nanoplastics: Developing a modular and flexible risk assessment framework for human health

Researchers proposed a modular and flexible risk assessment framework for evaluating the human health risks of oral exposure to micro- and nanoplastics. The framework integrates modern concepts such as Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment and Adverse Outcome Pathways, providing a systematic method for addressing the complexity and diversity of these materials.

2026 Food and Chemical Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Micro-and Nanoplastic-Induced Biochemical Toxicity: Emerging Mechanisms and Health Risks Across Biological Systems

This comprehensive review synthesizes current understanding of how micro- and nanoplastics cause biochemical toxicity across biological systems, from plants and invertebrates to vertebrates and humans. Key mechanisms include oxidative stress, membrane disruption, immune activation, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and microbiome perturbation, all modulated by particle size, shape, and surface chemistry. The authors highlight critical gaps in standardization, chronic low-dose effect data, and the need for translatable biomarkers for risk assessment.

2026 IDOSR JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ALLIED FIELDS
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Hazard assessment of small-size plastic particles: is the conceptual framework of particle toxicology useful?

Researchers reviewed the toxicological evidence for micro- and nanoplastic hazards using a particle toxicology framework, finding that most cell culture studies show effects only at high concentrations and that animal studies have not demonstrated overt toxicity — while concluding that realistic low-dose studies using tissue models that mimic mammalian architecture are urgently needed to properly assess human health risk.

2019 Food and Chemical Toxicology 48 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical viewpoint on current issues, limitations, and future research needs on micro- and nanoplastic studies: From the detection to the toxicological assessment.

This critical review examines the current methods for detecting and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics in various environmental samples, as well as reported toxic effects from in vivo and in vitro studies. The authors found that while substantial effort has been made to understand microplastic behavior, the scientific community is still far from a complete understanding of how these particles behave in biological systems. The review calls for improved standardized protocols and more studies focused on uptake kinetics, accumulation, and biodistribution.

2019 Environmental Research 163 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Effects of Nanoplastics on Aquatic Organisms

This review synthesizes knowledge on the ecotoxicological effects of nanoplastics in aquatic organisms, covering how nanoplastics interact synergistically with traditional and emerging co-pollutants, the mechanisms underlying long-term low-dose toxicity, and the research gaps that must be addressed for accurate risk assessment.

2025 Advances in Engineering Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Human Toxicity of Nano‐ and Microplastics

This review summarizes current evidence on the human toxicity of nano- and microplastics, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes and the biological effects documented in experimental systems. The authors assess the state of the evidence and identify key gaps for risk characterization.

2024 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Application of Machine Learning in Nanotoxicology: A Critical Review and Perspective

This review evaluates how machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used to predict the toxic effects of nanomaterials, including nanoplastics, on human health and the environment. These computational tools can help screen thousands of materials for potential hazards much faster than traditional lab experiments, though the authors note that better data quality and standardized methods are still needed.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 20 citations