Browsing by Author "Viana, Maria Rita Lopes"
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- Assessing the impact of nanoplastics in biological systems: a systematic review of in vitro animal studiesPublication . Viana, Maria Rita Lopes; Ladeira, Carina; Tonin, Fernanda S.Nanoplastics (NPs) pollution has emerged as a critical global environmental challenge, with rising concerns about its impact on human health. However, the adverse health effects of NPs on different organ systems are not yet fully understood. This systematic review consolidates current evidence on the biological effects of NPs in in vitro animal models. It further examines the impact of NP size, polymer type, and chemical modifications on toxicological outcomes and offers recommendations for future research. Following the PRISMA guidelines, articles were sourced from Web of Science, Scopus, and Pubmed databases, and analyzed to provide a comprehensive analysis of NPs’ toxicity on various cellular lines across multiple organ systems. We observed a higher frequency of negative effects from nanoplastic exposure in cellular lines of the respiratory system and a lower frequency in the immune and hepatic systems. Notably, positively charged polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles are associated with a higher toxicity potential across all organ systems when compared to their pristine and negatively charged counterparts. Size is also a major factor influencing toxicity, with smaller particles demonstrating a higher frequency of negative effects. The prevalence of studies exposing immortalized monocultures to commercially available solutions of PS NPs, coupled with the scarce number of studies utilizing environmentally relevant NPs, and limited adoption of advanced models, such as organoids and organ-on-chip systems, which better simulate physiological conditions constitutes a significant knowledge gap. Furthermore, the lack of standardized materials and methods complicates the comparability of studies and should be addressed in future research.