The rising concern of plastic pollution and the increase in nanoplastics, which are small plastic debris particles with nanoscale sizes between 1 and 1000 nm, have become a field of research that has garnered popularity over recent years. Innovative research published in the journal, ACS Omega, has investigated the effect of nanoplastics on developing zebrafish embryos.
Nanoplastic Pollution
Nanoplastic pollution is a significant rising concern for public health and the environment.
Plastics, which have become a ubiquitous waste material found in landfills and the oceans, have been a growing concern due to their lack of biodegradability. Additionally, the eroding of large plastics into nanosize can be more detrimental for the environment and human health, with nanosized particles causing more damage.
(a) Scheme for preparation of the polypropylene nanoplastics (PPNPs) using a modified nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method. (b) SEM images and the size distribution (n = 100). © Lee, W., Kim, H., Sim, Y., Kang, T. and Jeong, J., (2022)
With physiochemical properties associated with nanosized plastics, they can interact with biological systems, leading to disastrous effects. Additionally, nanoplastic pollution may not be purified by wastewater treatment systems.
It can be found in drinking water, causing them to be ingested; resultant oxidative stress and inflammation have been reported in diverse organisms. This can also occur through its ability to penetrate human tissue by crossing the lungs, skin and gastrointestinal barriers – which can be deleterious for health.
Plastic types that are a risk and constitute plastic debris include polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene (PP). Polystyrene has largely been responsible for the risk that nanoplastics hold due to its commercial availability of various sizes and surface charges; however, while this plastic has high usage, polyethylene and polypropylene are ubiquitously detected in plastic debris in the environment.
While polypropylene is abundant in the environment, there are limited studies on this plastic type. Regardless, its incorporation as the most used plastic, such as within food packaging, automotive components, and even personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks that have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, raises the concern for plastic pollution.
The accumulation of PP into microplastics such as UV radiation, oxidation, and biofilms can be a health risk with the detection of PP being found gastrointestinal tracts of sea turtles on the Atlantic coastline of Florida after only being post-hatched for 96 hours. Additionally, PP microplastics were found to induce cytotoxicity, proinflammatory cytokine production, oxidative stress and intestinal damage in human-derived cell and animal models such as zebrafish.
With the disastrous effect of microplastics on both the environment and human health, fragmentation into nanosized particles could be potentially further hazardous. This plastic pollution, which is a major concern due to associated plastic manufacturing, requires further research to understand the effects of polypropylene nanoplastics.
Innovative Nanoplastic Research
The researchers of this innovative study aimed to investigate the biological effects of nanoscale polypropylene in an animal model utilizing developing zebrafish embryos.
The team produced PPNPs utilizing a high yield method, including nonsolvent-induced phase separation; they fabricated PPNPs within a spherical shape with an average diameter of 562.15 ± 118.47 nm. They were then fluorescently labeled utilizing the combined swelling-diffusion method to investigate and observe the biodistribution of these particles after being exposed to developing zebrafish embryos.
Interestingly, the researchers found the fluorescent-labeled polypropylene nanoplastics internalized through ingestion and found even in the intestines of developing zebrafish embryos before being eventually excreted.
(a) Scheme of fluorescence labeling of PPNPs by the CSD method. (b) Photographs of PP pellets, PPNPs, and R-PPNP suspension in DW under visible light (left), UV light (365 nm, middle), and visible light with laser beam (right). (c) FT-IR spectra, (d) fluorescence spectra, and (e) fluorescence stability of RBITC and R-PPNPs. © Lee, W., Kim, H., Sim, Y., Kang, T. and Jeong, J., (2022)
Significant Implications for Environmental and Human Health
Overcoming the limitations of prior investigations into polypropylene plastic pollution, this novel research has uncovered the significant effect that nanoplastics can have on biological systems.
The team has raised awareness of the biodistribution of nanoplastics, especially polypropylene, which is found significantly in plastic debris within the environment. This study can be a basis for further research into the effect that nanoplastics can have on biological systems, such as focusing on oxidative stress and potential interactions that may cause harm for human health if ingested.
The research team can also aid in bringing awareness to the significance of nanoplastic pollution and its effects on the environment, with microplastic awareness being provided with traction. This can translate to reducing the manufacturing of polypropylene-based plastics, including finding other biodegradable plastics for applications, including PPE, which has become an increasing concern for plastic pollution.
Creating biodegradable plastics can ease plastic pollution and advancement in wastewater treatments can reduce any harmful effects these plastics can have on animal and human health.
Optical and fluorescence images of zebrafish embryos with or without R-PPNP treatments at 24 and 72 hpf. These images were taken after 24 h exposure. © Lee, W., Kim, H., Sim, Y., Kang, T. and Jeong, J., (2022)

News
Studies detail high rates of long COVID among healthcare, dental workers
Researchers have estimated approximately 8% of Americas have ever experienced long COVID, or lasting symptoms, following an acute COVID-19 infection. Now two recent international studies suggest that the percentage is much higher among healthcare workers [...]
Melting Arctic Ice May Unleash Ancient Deadly Diseases, Scientists Warn
Melting Arctic ice increases human and animal interactions, raising the risk of infectious disease spread. Researchers urge early intervention and surveillance. Climate change is opening new pathways for the spread of infectious diseases such [...]
Scientists May Have Found a Secret Weapon To Stop Pancreatic Cancer Before It Starts
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have found that blocking the FGFR2 and EGFR genes can stop early-stage pancreatic cancer from progressing, offering a promising path toward prevention. Pancreatic cancer is expected to become [...]
Breakthrough Drug Restores Vision: Researchers Successfully Reverse Retinal Damage
Blocking the PROX1 protein allowed KAIST researchers to regenerate damaged retinas and restore vision in mice. Vision is one of the most important human senses, yet more than 300 million people around the world are at [...]
Differentiating cancerous and healthy cells through motion analysis
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found that the motion of unlabeled cells can be used to tell whether they are cancerous or healthy. They observed malignant fibrosarcoma cells and [...]
This Tiny Cellular Gate Could Be the Key to Curing Cancer – And Regrowing Hair
After more than five decades of mystery, scientists have finally unveiled the detailed structure and function of a long-theorized molecular machine in our mitochondria — the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier. This microscopic gatekeeper controls how [...]
Unlocking Vision’s Secrets: Researchers Reveal 3D Structure of Key Eye Protein
Researchers have uncovered the 3D structure of RBP3, a key protein in vision, revealing how it transports retinoids and fatty acids and how its dysfunction may lead to retinal diseases. Proteins play a critical [...]
5 Key Facts About Nanoplastics and How They Affect the Human Body
Nanoplastics are typically defined as plastic particles smaller than 1000 nanometers. These particles are increasingly being detected in human tissues: they can bypass biological barriers, accumulate in organs, and may influence health in ways [...]
Measles Is Back: Doctors Warn of Dangerous Surge Across the U.S.
Parents are encouraged to contact their pediatrician if their child has been exposed to measles or is showing symptoms. Pediatric infectious disease experts are emphasizing the critical importance of measles vaccination, as the highly [...]
AI at the Speed of Light: How Silicon Photonics Are Reinventing Hardware
A cutting-edge AI acceleration platform powered by light rather than electricity could revolutionize how AI is trained and deployed. Using photonic integrated circuits made from advanced III-V semiconductors, researchers have developed a system that vastly [...]
A Grain of Brain, 523 Million Synapses, Most Complicated Neuroscience Experiment Ever Attempted
A team of over 150 scientists has achieved what once seemed impossible: a complete wiring and activity map of a tiny section of a mammalian brain. This feat, part of the MICrONS Project, rivals [...]
The Secret “Radar” Bacteria Use To Outsmart Their Enemies
A chemical radar allows bacteria to sense and eliminate predators. Investigating how microorganisms communicate deepens our understanding of the complex ecological interactions that shape our environment is an area of key focus for the [...]
Psychologists explore ethical issues associated with human-AI relationships
It's becoming increasingly commonplace for people to develop intimate, long-term relationships with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. At their extreme, people have "married" their AI companions in non-legally binding ceremonies, and at least two people [...]
When You Lose Weight, Where Does It Actually Go?
Most health professionals lack a clear understanding of how body fat is lost, often subscribing to misconceptions like fat converting to energy or muscle. The truth is, fat is actually broken down into carbon [...]
How Everyday Plastics Quietly Turn Into DNA-Damaging Nanoparticles
The same unique structure that makes plastic so versatile also makes it susceptible to breaking down into harmful micro- and nanoscale particles. The world is saturated with trillions of microscopic and nanoscopic plastic particles, some smaller [...]
AI Outperforms Physicians in Real-World Urgent Care Decisions, Study Finds
The study, conducted at the virtual urgent care clinic Cedars-Sinai Connect in LA, compared recommendations given in about 500 visits of adult patients with relatively common symptoms – respiratory, urinary, eye, vaginal and dental. [...]