Light scatterometry combined with chemometrics can be a practical approach for the analysis of size and concentration of microplastics in water.
Recent advances in knowledge suggest that micro- and nanoplastics pose a threat to plant health, however, the responses of plants to this stressor are not well-known. Here we examined the response of plant cell defence mechanisms to nanoparticles of commonly used plastic, polystyrene. We used plant cell cultures of widely cultivated plants, the monocots wheat and barley (Triticum aestivum L., Hordeum vulgare L.) and the dicots carrot and tomato (Daucus carota L., Solanum lycopersicum L.). We measured the activities of enzymes involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species and nonenzymatic antioxidants and we estimated potential damages in plant cell structures and functioning via lipid peroxidation and DNA methylation levels. Our results demonstrate that the mode of action of polystyrene nanoparticles on plant cells involves oxidative stress. However, the changes in plant defence mechanisms are dependent on plant species, exposure time and nanoplastic concentrations. In general, both monocots showed similar responses to nanoplastics, but the carrot followed more the response of monocots than a second dicot, a tomato. Higher H2O2, lipid peroxidation and lower enzyme activities scavenging H2O2 suggest that tomato cells may be more susceptible to polystyrene-induced stress. In conclusion, polystyrene nanoplastics induce oxidative stress and the response of the plant defense mechanisms involving several chain reactions leading to oxidoreductive homeostasis.Light scatterometry combined with chemometrics can be a practical approach for the analysis of size and concentration of microplastics in water.
", "keywords": ["Polyethylene", "PARTICLE-SIZE DISTRIBUTIONIDENTIFICATIONRELEASEFOOD", "Microplastics", "PARTICLE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION", " IDENTIFICATION", " RELEASE", " FOOD", "Polymethyl Methacrylate", "Polystyrenes", "Reproducibility of Results", "Water", "Chemometrics", "Plastics", "6. Clean water"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/523367/1/Batch%20analysis%20of%20microplastics%20using%20multi-angle%20static%20light%20scattering%20and%20chemometric%20methods.pdf"}, {"href": "http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2022/AY/D2AY01215D"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ay01215d"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Analytical%20Methods", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1039/d2ay01215d", "name": "item", "description": "10.1039/d2ay01215d", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1039/d2ay01215d"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10447/688224", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-22T16:22:02Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-08-19", "title": "Photoaging of polystyrene-based microplastics amplifies inflammatory response in macrophages", "description": "The continuous release of municipal and industrial products into the environment poses a growing concern for public health. Among environmental pollutants, polystyrene (PS) stands out as a primary constituent of environmental plastic waste, given its widespread use and high production rates owing to its durability and user-friendly properties. The detection of polystyrene microparticles (PS-MPs) in various living organisms has been well-documented, posing a serious threat due to their potential passage into the human ecosystem. In this manuscript, we aimed to study the toxicological effects of low concentrations of pristine and photoaged PS-MPs in a murine macrophage cell line. To this purpose, PS-MPs were photoaged by indoor exposure to visible light to simulate environmental weathering due to solar irradiation (PS-MPs3h). Physical characterization revealed that the irradiation treatment results in particle degradation and the possible release of nanoparticles. Monocultures of the RAW264.7\u00a0cell line were then exposed to PS-MPs and PS-MPs3h at concentrations comparable to experimental measurements from biological samples, to assess cytotoxicity, intracellular oxidative stress, primary genotoxicity, and inflammatory effects. Significant toxicity-related outcomes were observed in cells treated with both pristine PS-MPs and PS-MPs3h even at low concentrations (0,10\u00a0\u03bcg/ml and 1\u00a0\u03bcg/ml). PS-MPs3h exhibited greater adverse effects compared to PS-MPs, including reduced cell viability, increased ROS production, elevated DNA damage, and upregulation of IL-6 and NOS2 gene expression. Therefore, we can conclude that changes induced by environmental aging in the physicochemical composition of PS microplastics play a crucial role in the adverse health outcomes associated with microplastic exposure.", "keywords": ["Inflammation", "microplastics", " polystyrene", " macrophages", "Cell Survival", "Microplastics", "Macrophages", "Mice", "Oxidative Stress", "RAW 264.7 Cells", "N/A", "Polystyrenes", "Animals", "Environmental Pollutants", "Reactive Oxygen Species", "DNA Damage"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/493702/1/Aloi%20et%20al%20Chemospere%202024.pdf"}, {"href": "https://iris.unipa.it/bitstream/10447/688224/2/Aloi%20et%20al.%202024.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10447/688224"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Chemosphere", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10447/688224", "name": "item", "description": "10447/688224", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10447/688224"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10029/626877", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-22T16:21:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-07-21", "title": "Species-dependent responses of crop plants to polystyrene microplastics", "description": "Only recently there has been a strong focus on the impacts of microplastics on terrestrial crop plants. This study aims to examine and compare the effects of microplastics on two monocotyledonous (barley, Hordeum vulgare and wheat, Triticum aestivum), and two dicotyledonous (carrot, Daucus carota and lettuce, Lactuca sativa) plant species through two complimentary experiments. First, we investigated the effects of low, medium, and high (103, 105, 107 particles per mL) concentrations of 500\u00a0nm polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on seed germination and early development. We found species-dependent effects on the early development, with microplastics only significantly affecting lettuce and carrot. When acutely exposed during germination, PS-MPs significantly delayed the germination of lettuce by 24%, as well as promoted the shoot growth of carrot by 71% and decreased its biomass by 26%. No effect was recorded on monocot species. Secondly, we performed a chronic (21\u00a0d) hydroponic experiment on lettuce and wheat. We observed that PS-MPs significantly reduced the shoot growth of lettuce by up to 35% and increased its biomass by up to 64%, while no record was reported on wheat. In addition, stress level indicators and defence mechanisms were significantly up-regulated in both lettuce and wheat seedlings. Overall, this study shows that PS-MPs affect plant development: impacts were recorded on both germination and growth for dicots, and responses identified by biochemical markers of stress were increased in both lettuce and wheat. This highlights species-dependent effects as the four crops were grown under identical conditions to allow direct comparison. For future research, our study emphasizes the need to focus on crop specific effects, while also working towards knowledge of plastic-induced impacts at environmentally relevant conditions.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Microplastics", "Microplastic", "ta1183", "Biochemical indicators of stress", "Agriculture", "Germination", "15. Life on land", "Seed germination", "Seedlings", "Polystyrenes", "microplastic", "Plastics", "Triticum", "agriculture", "Plant growth", "Lactuca"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10029/626877"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Pollution", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10029/626877", "name": "item", "description": "10029/626877", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10029/626877"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "20.500.14017/fd1879c3-ab01-40b3-a4f5-12da309de638", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-22T16:22:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-09-23", "title": "Batch analysis of microplastics in water using multi-angle static light scattering and chemometric methods", "description": "Light scatterometry combined with chemometrics can be a practical approach for the analysis of size and concentration of microplastics in water.
Light scatterometry combined with chemometrics can be a practical approach for the analysis of size and concentration of microplastics in water.
Recent advances in knowledge suggest that micro- and nanoplastics pose a threat to plant health, however, the responses of plants to this stressor are not well-known. Here we examined the response of plant cell defence mechanisms to nanoparticles of commonly used plastic, polystyrene. We used plant cell cultures of widely cultivated plants, the monocots wheat and barley (Triticum aestivum L., Hordeum vulgare L.) and the dicots carrot and tomato (Daucus carota L., Solanum lycopersicum L.). We measured the activities of enzymes involved in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species and nonenzymatic antioxidants and we estimated potential damages in plant cell structures and functioning via lipid peroxidation and DNA methylation levels. Our results demonstrate that the mode of action of polystyrene nanoparticles on plant cells involves oxidative stress. However, the changes in plant defence mechanisms are dependent on plant species, exposure time and nanoplastic concentrations. In general, both monocots showed similar responses to nanoplastics, but the carrot followed more the response of monocots than a second dicot, a tomato. Higher H2O2, lipid peroxidation and lower enzyme activities scavenging H2O2 suggest that tomato cells may be more susceptible to polystyrene-induced stress. In conclusion, polystyrene nanoplastics induce oxidative stress and the response of the plant defense mechanisms involving several chain reactions leading to oxidoreductive homeostasis.