Fluorescent plastic nanoparticles to track their interaction and fate in physiological environments

Caldwell, Jessica; Lehner, Roman; Balog, Sandor; Rhême, Christian; Gao, Xin; Septiadi, Dedy; Weder, Christoph; Petri‐Fink, Alke; Rothen‐Rutishauser, Barbara

doi:10.1039/d0en00944j

Cited by 25 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Another advantage of the proposed method consists in achieving a polydisperse size distribution that makes easier separation by size for further studies of interaction with marine organisms. The observed size heterogeneity could be similar to that present in the real nanoplastics gathered in the marine environment [28,46], which are produced by the degradation of primary and secondary microplastics with a ball milling-like process where small hard sand granules play the role of zirconia balls in the proposed laboratory experiments. However, if for a specific experiment, a size fraction of NPs is required, the aqueous dispersion can be subject to centrifugation and filtration in order to collect, for example, only a close nanometric fraction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…Even if the nanometric sizes achieved by the three procedures are comparable, Procedure C is more efficient, with the highest yield of nanometric fraction below 1 µm, equal to 36.4% by volume, achieved in the lowest time. The milling time of about 36 min is very low if compared to the 3 h reported for PET nanoplastics with a different ball mill but with the same ZrO 2 ball diameter [46]. The effectiveness of ball milling with hard small spheres can be considered a process very close to what can occur on sea shores, where hard sand granules hit meso-and microplastics at low rates but for a time incommensurably longer.…”

Section: Optimization Of Wet Ball Milling For Producing Pet Nanoplasticsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Mechanical milling, often combined with liquid nitrogen, has been very recently reported in the literature for the production of polymer micro-and nanoparticles, mostly made of polyethylene and polystyrene [36,37,[42][43][44]. To the authors' knowledge, only the works of Ji et al [45] and Caldwell et al [46] have applied mechanical milling to the production of PET NPs. Despite the simplicity of operation and the absence of toxic solvents, mechanical milling shows some limitations related to the low yield and long times required to obtain the nanometric sizes [45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the simplicity of operation and the absence of toxic solvents, mechanical milling shows some limitations related to the low yield and long times required to obtain the nanometric sizes [45]. The long-lasting mechanical treatment could lead to polymer overheating and, consequently, to friction-induced thermal degradation or polymer agglomeration [42,46].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles

et al. 2021

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Microplastic (MP) pollution represents one of the biggest environmental problems that is further exacerbated by the continuous degradation in the marine environment of MPs to nanoplastics (NPs). The most diffuse plastics in oceans are commodity polymers, mainly thermoplastics widely used for packaging, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, the huge interest in the chemical vector role of micro/nanoplastics, their fate and negative effects on the environment and human health is still under discussion and the research is still sparse due also to the difficulties of sampling MPs and NPs from the environment or producing NPs in laboratory. Moreover, the research on MPs and NPs pollution relies on the availability of engineered nanoparticles similar to those present in the marine environment for toxicological, transport and adsorption studies in biological tissues as well as for wastewater remediation studies. This work aims to develop an easy, fast and scalable procedure for the production of representative model nanoplastics from PET pellets. The proposed method, based on a simple and economic milling process, has been optimized considering the peculiarities of the polymer. The results demonstrated the reliability of the method for preparing particle suspensions for aquatic microplastic research, with evident advantages compared to the present literature procedures, such as low cost, the absence of liquid nitrogen, the short production time, the high yield of the process, stability, reproducibility and polydisperse size distribution of the produced water dispersed nanometric PET.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Optimization Of Wet Ball Milling For Producing Pet Nanoplasticsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles

et al. 2021

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“…A recent study suggested that the preparation of PPNPs as model plastic nanomaterials and a subsequent labeling technique were important to improve toxicological and biodistribution studies. PPNPs were produced with high yield (>84%) by nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS), which is a unique method that is neither a bottom-up method, such as polymerization, nor a top-down method, such as ball milling or cryomilling. , The physical and chemical properties of the as-prepared PPNPs were fully characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and successfully fluorescently labeled for visualization of their biofate in zebrafish embryos (ZFEs) as an animal model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluorescent Polypropylene Nanoplastics for Studying Uptake, Biodistribution, and Excretion in Zebrafish Embryos

et al. 2022

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Nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging environmental pollutants and are a significant concern for human health. The small size of NPs allows them to accumulate within and adversely affect various tissues by penetrating the gastrointestinal barrier. However, most toxicity studies on NPs have been based on commercial polystyrene nanoparticles. Among plastics, polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used, and it is continuously micronized in the environment. Although PP has high potential for forming NPs by weathering, little is known about the biological effects of polypropylene nanoplastics (PPNPs) due to a lack of particle models. Here, we present a simple and high-yield method for PPNP production by nonsolvent-induced phase separation. The synthesized PPNPs were spherical in shape, with an average diameter of 562.15 ± 118.47 nm and a high yield of over 84%. These PPNPs were fluorescently labeled by the combined swelling-diffusion method to study their biodistribution after exposure to developing zebrafish embryos (ZFEs). We found that the fluorescent PPNPs were internalized by ingestion, distributed in the intestine of developing ZFEs, and eventually excreted. This study will aid evaluations of the potential risks of environmentally relevant plastics at the nanoscale.

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Genotoxic and neurotoxic potential of intracellular nanoplastics: A review

Casella,

Ballaz

2024

J of Applied Toxicology

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Plastic waste comprises polymers of different chemicals that disintegrate into nanoplastic particles (NPLs) of 1–100‐nm size, thereby littering the environment and posing a threat to wildlife and human health. Research on NPL contamination has up to now focused on the ecotoxicology effects of the pollution rather than the health risks. This review aimed to speculate about the possible properties of carcinogenic and neurotoxic NPL as pollutants. Given their low‐dimensional size and high surface size ratio, NPLs can easily penetrate biological membranes to cause functional and structural damage in cells. Once inside the cell, NPLs can interrupt the autophagy flux of cellular debris, alter proteostasis, provoke mitochondrial dysfunctions, and induce endoplasmic reticulum stress. Harmful metabolic and biological processes induced by NPLs include oxidative stress (OS), ROS generation, and pro‐inflammatory reactions. Depending on the cell cycle status, NPLs may direct DNA damage, tumorigenesis, and lately carcinogenesis in tissues with high self‐renewal capabilities like epithelia. In cells able to live the longest like neurons, NPLs could trigger neurodegeneration by promoting toxic proteinaceous aggregates, OS, and chronic inflammation. NPL genotoxicity and neurotoxicity are discussed based on the gathered evidence, when available, within the context of the intracellular uptake of these newcomer nanoparticles. In summary, this review explains how the risk evaluation of NPL pollution for human health may benefit from accurately monitoring NPL toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics at the intracellular resolution level.

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Fluorescent plastic nanoparticles to track their interaction and fate in physiological environments

Abstract: This work aims to establish a production and characterization protocol for fluorescent plastic nanoparticles of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) that can be tracked in biological environments.

Cited by 25 publications

References 48 publications

Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles

Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles

Fluorescent Polypropylene Nanoplastics for Studying Uptake, Biodistribution, and Excretion in Zebrafish Embryos

Genotoxic and neurotoxic potential of intracellular nanoplastics: A review

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