Titanium-doped PET nanoplastics of environmental origin as a true-to-life model of nanoplastic.

The increased presence of secondary micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) in the environment requires urgent studies on their potentially hazardous effects on exposed organisms, including humans. In this context, it is essential to obtain representative MNPL samples for such purposes. In our study, we have obtained true-to-life NPLs resulting from the degradation, via sanding, of opaque PET bottles. Since these bottles contain titanium (TiO2NPs), the resulting MNPLs also contain embedded metal. The obtained PET(Ti)NPLs were extensively characterized from a physicochemical point of view, confirming their nanosized range and their hybrid composition. This is the first time these types of NPLs are obtained and characterized. The preliminary hazard studies show their easy internalization in different cell lines, without apparent general toxicity. The demonstration by confocal microscopy that the obtained NPLs contain Ti samples offers this material multiple advantages. Thus, they can be used in in vivo approaches to determine the fate of NPLs after exposure, escaping from the existing difficulties to follow up MNPLs in biological samples.

• Publication year

  2023

• Venue

  Science of the Total Environment

• Publication date

  2023-04-01

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Materials Science, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163151PMID 37011676
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Hazard Assessment of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Primary Human Nasal Epithelial Cells, Focusing on the Autophagic Effects

  2023cited by this paper
• Experimental human placental models for studying uptake, transport and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics.

  2022cited by this paper
• A review of potential human health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics exposure.

  2022cited by this paper
• Microplastic pollution in soils, plants, and animals: A review of distributions, effects and potential mechanisms.

  2022cited by this paper
• Ingestion of titanium dioxide nanoparticles: a definite health risk for consumers and their progeny

  2022cited by this paper
• A new source of representative secondary PET nanoplastics. Obtention, characterization, and hazard evaluation.

  2022cited by this paper
• Genotoxicity of Particles From Grinded Plastic Items in Caco-2 and HepG2 Cells

  2022cited by this paper
• Recent advances on the transport of microplastics/nanoplastics in abiotic and biotic compartments.

  2022cited by this paper
• Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity of microplastics in the human body and health implications.

  2022cited by this paper
• Occurrence, toxicity and remediation of polyethylene terephthalate plastics. A review

  2022cited by this paper
• Development and application of a health-based framework for informing regulatory action in relation to exposure of microplastic particles in California drinking water

  2022cited by this paper
• Hazardous metal additives in plastics and their environmental impacts.

  2021cited by this paper
• Short-term physiological and biometrical responses of Lepidium sativum seedlings exposed to PET-made microplastics and acid rain.

  2021cited by this paper
• Enhancement of the fatigue life of recycled PP by incorporation of recycled opaque PET collected from household milk bottle wastes.

  2021cited by this paper
• Nanoplastics are neither microplastics nor engineered nanoparticles

  2021cited by this paper
• Safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive

  2021cited by this paper
• Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles

  2021cited by this paper
• Demonstrating the translocation of nanoplastics across the fish intestine using palladium-doped polystyrene in a salmon gut-sac.

  2021cited by this paper
• Fabrication of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoparticles with fluorescent tracers for studies in mammalian cells

  2020cited by this paper
• Assessment of Human Health Risks Posed by Nano-and Microplastics Is Currently Not Feasible

  2020cited by this paper
• Single-Particle Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy of Nanoplastics

  2020cited by this paper
• Micro- and nanoplastics – current state of knowledge with the focus on oral uptake and toxicity

  2020cited by this paper
• Biological effects, including oxidative stress and genotoxic damage, of polystyrene nanoparticles in different human hematopoietic cell lines.

  2020cited by this paper
• Mobilisation kinetics of Br, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb and Sb in microplastics exposed to simulated, dietary-adapted digestive conditions of seabirds.

  2020cited by this paper
• Surface Modification to Improve Properties of Materials

  2019cited by this paper
• Are We Speaking the Same Language? Recommendations for a Definition and Categorization Framework for Plastic Debris.

  2019cited by this paper
• Potential adverse health effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics on humans. Lessons learned from in vivo and in vitro mammalian models

  2019cited by this paper
• Mechanical formation of micro- and nano-plastic materials for environmental studies in agricultural ecosystems.

  2019cited by this paper
• Modification of filler surface treatment of composite resins using alternative silanes and functional nanogels.

  2019cited by this paper
• Synthesis of metal-doped nanoplastics and their utility to investigate fate and behavior in complex environmental systems

  2019cited by this paper
• Laser Ablation as a Versatile Tool To Mimic Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastic Pollutants: Characterization and Toxicology Assessment.

  2018cited by this paper
• Long-term exposures to low doses of titanium dioxide nanoparticles induce cell transformation, but not genotoxic damage in BEAS-2B cells

  2015cited by this paper
• Simple and easy method to evaluate uptake potential of nanoparticles in mammalian cells using a flow cytometric light scatter analysis.

  2007cited by this paper

• Unveiling the Environmental Characteristics of Sub-1000-nm Nanoplastics: A Comprehensive Review of the Preparation Methods for Nanoplastic Model Samples.

  2025cites this paper
• Production, characterization, and toxicology of environmentally relevant nanoplastics: a review

  2025cites this paper
• Occurrence, analysis, and toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics: a review

  2025cites this paper
• The long-term in vitro co-exposure of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics and cigarette smoke condensate exacerbates the induction of carcinogenic traits.

  2025cites this paper
• Toxicity of nanoplastics: machine learning combined with meta-analysis.

  2025cites this paper
• Toxicity of true-to-life microplastics to human iPSC-derived intestinal epithelia correlates to their protein corona composition.

  2025cites this paper
• Biological Impact of True-to-Life PET and Titanium-Doped PET Nanoplastics on Human-Derived Monocyte (THP-1) Cells

  2025cites this paper
• Harmful effects of true-to-life nanoplastics derived from PET water bottles in human alveolar macrophages.

  2024cites this paper
• Preparation of fragmented polyethylene nanoplastics using a focused ultrasonic system and assessment of their cytotoxic effects on human cells.

  2024cites this paper
• Teabag-derived micro/nanoplastics (true-to-life MNPLs) as a surrogate for real-life exposure scenarios.

  2024cites this paper
• Are bioplastics safe? Hazardous effects of polylactic acid (PLA) nanoplastics in Drosophila.

  2024cites this paper
• Fluorescent labeling of micro/nanoplastics for biological applications with a focus on "true-to-life" tracking.

  2024influential citation
• Titanium-doped PET nanoplastics, from opaque milk bottle degradation, as a model of environmental true-to-life nanoplastics. Hazardous effects on Drosophila.

  2023cites this paper
• Challenges and recommendations in experimentation and risk assessment of nanoplastics in aquatic organisms

  2023cites this paper