<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The problem of plastic pollution is becoming increasingly important and has attracted great interest in the last few years. Polystyrene is one of the most used plastic types in the food and beverage industry, medical and laboratory devices. Increased plastic production and increased food, water, and air pollution and contact with nanoplastics may cause long-lasting changes and predispose to adverse developmental and degenerative diseases through mechanisms that are not yet understood.</p><p>The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current knowledge to plastics, especially polystyrene, and their impact on the human health. In particular, we discuss the major sources of plastic waste, polystyrene surface chemistry, as well as mechanisms by which plastics degrade in the environment. We also provide an insight into cellular uptake mechanism and the molecular interaction of polystyrene nanoparticles and human cells. This review offers scientists and clinicians useful information and could be used as a starting point for more in-depth analysis of nanoplastics as a potential environmental health factor.</p></abstract>

The problem of plastic pollution is becoming increasingly important and has attracted great interest in the last few years. Polystyrene is one of the most used plastic types in the food and beverage industry, medical and laboratory devices. Increased plastic production and increased food, water, and air pollution and contact with nanoplastics may cause long-lasting changes and predispose to adverse developmental and degenerative diseases through mechanisms that are not yet understood.The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current knowledge to plastics, especially polystyrene, and their impact on the human health. In particular, we discuss the major sources of plastic waste, polystyrene surface chemistry, as well as mechanisms by which plastics degrade in the environment. We also provide an insight into cellular uptake mechanism and the molecular interaction of polystyrene nanoparticles and human cells. This review offers scientists and clinicians useful information and could be used as a starting point for more in-depth analysis of nanoplastics as a potential environmental health factor.

Nanoplastics as a Potential Environmental Health Factor: From Molecular Interaction to Altered Cellular Function and Human Diseases

Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Genetics

Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Dentistry

Experimental and Applied Biomedical Research (EABR)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The problem of plastic pollution is becoming increasingly important and has attracted great interest in the last few years. Polystyrene is one of the most used...

Nanoplastics as a Potential Environmental Health Factor: From Molecular Interaction to Altered Cellular Function and Human Diseases

Publicado en línea: 29 ene 2021

Páginas: -

Recibido: 05 oct 2020

Aceptado: 26 oct 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2020-0049

Palabras clave
nanoplastics, polystyrene, human diseases

© 2020 Sandra Nikolić et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Nanoplastics as a Potential Environmental Health Factor: From Molecular Interaction to Altered Cellular Function and Human Diseases

Publicado en línea: 29 ene 2021

Páginas: -

Recibido: 05 oct 2020

Aceptado: 26 oct 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2020-0049

Palabras clavenanoplastics, polystyrene, human diseases

© 2020 Sandra Nikolić et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Palabras clave
nanoplastics, polystyrene, human diseases