Polystyrene Nanoplastics
Perturb cell membranes
These particles reshape cell membranes to trigger bystander uptake, driving co-internalization of otherwise impermeable molecules and offering a new mechanism for nanoplastic toxicity.
Wang, Tao · Yang, Yang · Liu, Hong · Yuan, Bing
Journal of Hazardous Materials 2026
Specifications
- Mobile lipid fraction reduction
- {'zh': '29.7', 'en': '29.7'} percentage points
- Bystander uptake enhancement
- {'zh': '2-6', 'en': '2-6'} fold
Advantages
Strong membrane perturbation triggers bystander uptake
25 nm particles cause massive membrane remodeling that enables co-internalization of normally impermeable proteins, peptides and metal nanoparticles, increasing uptake by 2- to 6-fold.
Mechanistically defined: no chemical complexation
Bystander uptake is not driven by carrier–cargo chemical complexation but by physical membrane deformation that hijacks cholesterol-dependent macropinocytosis and lipid raft-mediated endocytosis.
Applications
- Environmental pollutant toxicity assessment：Provides a new mechanism for nanoplastics as physical entry facilitators, enabling more comprehensive risk assessment of co-existing pollutants.
- Food safety risk assessment：Suggests nanoplastic contamination may enhance intestinal absorption of other hazardous substances from food via membrane perturbation.
- Cell membrane biophysics：Reveals size-dependent membrane remodeling and endocytic pathway modulation, providing quantitative data for biophysical studies.