Microplastics & Humans

Devices and packagings from chemo-synthetic polymers can be non-specifically degraded in natural environments. The microplastics generated can be taken up by humans unintentionally. Then, they distribute in human body by different pathways and accumulate in specific organs. The exact amount of particles and their potential for biodistribution and toxicity in humans remain under public debate.

Recent publications (short selection)

Holger Siega, H., Ottb, F., Böhmerta, L., Druschc, S., Thünemannd, A.F., Rohnb, S., Kieserlingb, H. (2026) Unraveling Nanoplastics-Enzyme Interactions: Physicochemical, Structural, Functional, and Cell Biological Characterization of α-Amylase Nanoplastics Complexes. Langmuir

Bai, S., Rau, S.J., Steinberg, T., Tomakidi, P., Polydorou, O. (2026) A Dusty Affair: SIRT1-S682 Modulation Orchestrates ERK FN1–p38–NF-κB Signaling and Composite-Dependent IL-8 Responses in Gingival Keratinocytes Exposed to Dental Dust and Eluates. International of functional Biomaterials 17,264 https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb17060264

Bashirova, N., Schölzel, F., Hornig, D., Scheidt, H. A., Krueger, M., Salvan, G., Huster, D., Matysik, J., Alia, A. (2025). The Effect of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastics on Amyloid-β Peptide Fibrillation. Molecules, 30(7), 1432. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30071432

Drometer, E., Rähse, T., Knöchelmann, A., Leipold, S., Miclea, P., Wehrspohn, R., Dannemann, S. (2026) Everyday Certainty and Scientific Uncertainty: Potentials of Scientists’ Perspectives from Microplastics Research to Address Uncertainty in Science Education. International Journal of Science Education (TSED)

Heinzelmann, J., Vaghasiya, H., Gadara, M.D., Gramsall, S., Viestenz, A., Nguyen, H.T., Miclea, P.T. (2026) Microplastic contamination associated with contact lenses and related ophthalmic materials under real-world conditions. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye

Lehner, E., Scheffler, J., Hoernke, M., Liebau, A., Vaghasiya, H., Garada, M., Nguyen, H.T., Gramsall, S., Plontke, S.K., Miclea, P.T. (2026) Micro- and nanoplastic release upon simulated cleaning of tracheostomy tubes: Experimental evaluation and particle characterization. Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics, (3), 100051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazmp.2026.100051.

Saemann, L., Stiller, M., Vaghasiya, H., Gadara, M., Gramsall, S., Großkopf, A., Simm, A., Szabó, G., Miclea, P.T. (2026) Polymeric micro- and nanoparticle release from cardiopulmonary bypass and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuits. Biomed. Eng.-Biomed. Tech. 71(2): 103–111
https://doi.org/10.1515/bmt-2025-0480

Shuvo, R.G., Thünemann, A.F., Katcharava, Z., Marinow, A., Hoppe, R., Woltersdorf, G., Du, M., Androsch, R., Martins de Souza e Silva, J., Busse, K., Binder, W.H. (2026). Generating Tagged Micro- and Nanoparticles of Poly(ethylene furanoate) and Poly(ethylene terephthalate) as Reference Materials. Macromolecular Rapid Communications 47, 4 : e00839. https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202500839

Other publications

Adjedje, V.K.B., Schell, E., Wolf, Y.L., Laub, A., Weissenborn, M.J., Binder, W.H. (2021) Enzymatic degradation of synthetic polyisoprenes via surfactant-free polymer emulsification. Green Chem. 23(23): 9433–38. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1gc03515k

Argun, B.R., Statt, A. (2023) Influence of shape on heteroaggregation of model microplastics: a simulation study. Soft Matter, 19(42): 8081–90. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3sm01014g

Bäcker, A., Li, Y., Fritz, M., Grätz, M., Ke, Z., Langer, R. (2019) Redox-Active, Boron-Based Ligands in Iron Complexes with Inverted Hydride Reactivity in Dehydrogenation Catalysis. ACS Catal., 9 (8): 7300–7309. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.9b00882

Bashirova, N., Butenschön, E., Poppitz, D., Gaß, H., Halik, M., Dentel, D., Tegenkamp, C., Matysik, J., Alia, A. (2024). Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Monitoring of the Accumulation of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastics. Molecules, 29(18): 4380. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29184380

Bashirova, N., Poppitz, D., Klüver, N., Scholz, S. Matysik, J., Alia, A. (2023) A mechanistic understanding of the effects of polyethylene terephthalate nanoplastics in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo. Sci Rep 13, 1891. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28712-y

Bitter, K., Fleck, C., Lagrange, A., Rack, A., Zaslansky, P. (2022) Time-lapse submicrometer particle motion reveals residual strain evolution and damaging stress relaxation in clinical resin composites sealing human root canals, Acta Biomaterialia, 140: 350-363,ISSN 1742-7061, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2021.10.052.

Blanes, H.P., Ghiasi, P., Sandkühler, J., Yesilcicek, Y., Pentzien, S., Conradi, A., Prinz, C., Al-Sabbagh, D., Thünemann, A.F., Ozcan, O., Witt, J. (2023) High CO2 reduction activity on AlCrCoCuFeNi multi-principal element alloy nanoparticle electrocatalysts prepared by means of pulsed laser ablation,
Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 24: 9434-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.05.143.

Fernandes, R., Miclea, P.T., Fadda, M., Putzu, M., Sacco, A., Rossi, A.M., Giovannozzi, A.M., Barbaresi, M., Masino, M., Mattarozzi, M., Careri, M., Palma, C., Almeida, J., Drago, C. Pellegrino, O., Quendera, R., Braun, U., Bettencourt da Silva, R.J.N. (2026) Inter-instrument definition of valid criteria for the automatic identification of microplastics by micro-Raman spectroscopy, Talanta, Volume 298, Part A, 128834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128834.

Fischer, F., Ermer, M.R., Howanski, J., Yin, Z., Bauer, M., Wagner, M., Fink, B, Zenclussen, A.C., Schumacher, A. (2024) Single and mixture effects of bisphenol A and benzophenone-3 on in vitro T helper cell differentiation, Chemico-Biological Interactions, (395): 111011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111011.

Göttel, B., Lucas, H., Syrowatka, F., Knolle, W., Kuntsche, J., Heinzelmann, J., Viestenz, A., Mäder, K. (2020) In situ Gelling Amphotericin B Nanofibers: A New Option for the Treatment of Keratomycosis. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 8:600384. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.600384

Herbst, M., Kipp, J., Kessler, S.M., Wischke C. (2026) Physicochemical and Biological Characterization of the TLR7 Agonist SZU-106. Pharm Res 43, 1177–1188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-026-04031-5

Hilgeroth, P.S., Lehner, E., Martins-Schalinski, J., Mäder, K., Binder, W.H. (2026) PLGA based formulations with poly(2-oxazoline)s for controlled dexamethasone release from thin extrudates, International Journal of Pharmaceutics: X, 11: 100532, ISSN 2590-1567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpx.2026.100532.

Hildebrandt, J., Thünemann, A.F. (2023) Aqueous Dispersions of Polypropylene: Toward Reference Materials for Characterizing Nanoplastics. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 44, 2200874. https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202200874

Honold, T., Skrybeck, D., Wagner, K.G., Karg, M. (2017) Fully Reversible Quantitative Phase Transfer of Gold Nanoparticles Using Bifunctional PNIPAM Ligands. Langmuir 33 (1): 253–261. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b03874

Janich, C., Friedmann, A., Martins de Souza E Silva, J., Santos de Oliveira, C., Souza, L.E., Rujescu, D., Hildebrandt, C., Beck-Broichsitter, M., Schmelzer, C.E.H., Mäder, K. (2019) Risperidone-Loaded PLGA-Lipid Particles with Improved Release Kinetics: Manufacturing and Detailed Characterization by Electron Microscopy and Nano-CT. Pharmaceutics. 11(12):665. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics11120665.

Jiang, Y., Wingert, N., Arif, A., Garcia-Käufer, M., Schulz, S.D., Hellwig, E., Gminski, R., Polydorou, O. (2022). Cytotoxic and inflammatory response of human lung epithelial cells A549 to particles released from dental restorative materials during dry and wet grinding, Dental Materials, (38)12: 1886-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2022.09.018.

Karg, M. (2016), Functional Materials Design through Hydrogel Encapsulation of Inorganic Nanoparticles: Recent Developments and Challenges. Macromol. Chem. Phys., 217: 242-255. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201500334

Kieserling, H., Sieg, H., Heilscher, J., Drusch, S., Braeuning, A., Thünemann, A.F., Rohn, S. (2025) Towards understanding particle-protein complexes: Physicochemical, structural, and cellbiological characterization of β-lactoglobulin interactions with silica, polylactic acid, and polyethylene terephthalate nanoparticles, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 253: 114702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2025.114702.

Kleinvogel, L., Wemken, G., Reidelbach, C., Garcia-Käufer, M., Vach, K., Hellwig, E., Spies, B.C., Polydorou, O. (2023) Method development for the intraoral release of nanoparticles from dental restorative materials, Dental Materials, (39)8: 693-701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2023.06.006.

Krabbes, M., Kampik, V., Krieghoff, J., Haas, V., Heizmann, M. Morawietz, M., Kalwa, H., Kaysser, L., Schoeder, C.T., Mäder, K., Schmelzer, C.E.H., Schulz-Siegmund, M., Wölk, C. (2025). Development and functionality analysis of lipoplex-loaded polysaccharide-based surface coatings for local nucleic acid delivery,
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 673: 125330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125330.

Mejzini, F., Erdmann, F., Kunert, J., Lucas, H., Kollan, J., Krüger, S., Mäder, K. (2026) Oscillation-generating micromixing (FDmiX) – a new method for manufacturing of mRNA-lipid nanoparticles with scalable high-throughput production, Journal of Controlled Release, 393: 114783, ISSN 0168-3659, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.114783.

Michler, N., Hirsch, U.M., Steinert, C., Fritzsche, G., Schmelzer, C.E.H. (2024) Plasma-Enhanced Magnetron Sputtering: A Novel Approach for Biofunctional Metal Nanoparticle Coatings on Reverse Osmosis Composite Membranes. Adv. Mater. Interfaces, 11: 2400461. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202400461

Miclea, P.T., Khan, M.Z., Richter, S., Hagendorf, C. (2023) Cascade filter system tests for airborne nano‐ and microplastic particle analytics in a laboratory dust chamber, Appl. Res.2:e202200053. https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200053

Miclea, P.T., Richter, S., Hagendorf, C. (2023) Nanoporous membrane filter cascade for size‐selective analysis of nano‐ and microplastic particles, Appl. Res. 2:e202200094. https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200094

Miclea, P.T., Sboron, M., Vaghasiya, H., Nguyen, H.T., Gadara, M., Schmid, T. (2025) Big Data, Tiny Targets: An Exploratory Study in Machine Learning-enhanced Detection of Microplastic. arXiv:2510.18089. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2510.18089

Miclea, P.T., Visileanu, E., & Altmann, K. (2025). Filtration of airbone nano- and microplastic particles in cascade. (Version v1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14850135

Nagaraja, S.M., Mujtaba, A., Beiner, M. (2017) Quantification of different contributions to dissipation in elastomer nanoparticle composites, Polymer, 111: 48-52, ISSN 0032-3861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2017.01.011.

Olkhov, R.V., Weissenborn, M.J., Flitsch, S.L., Shaw, A.M. (2014) Glycosylation Characterization of Human and Porcine Fibrinogen Proteins by Lectin-Binding Biophotonic Microarray Imaging. Anal. Chem. 86(1): 621–628. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac402872t

Osim, W., Stojanovic, A., Akbarzadeh, J., Peterlik, H., Binder, W.H. (2013) Surface modification of MoS₂ nanoparticles with ionic liquid–ligands: towards highly dispersed nanoparticles. Chem. Commun. 49 (81): 9311–9313. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3cc45305g

Otten, M., Hildebrandt, D., Mölders, S., Hildebrandt, M., Pich, A., Karg, M. (2025) PNIPAM-Based Copolymer Microgels as Nanoreactors for the In Situ Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics 226, 23. e00292. https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202500292

Paul, M.B., Böhmert, L., Thünemann, A.F., Loeschner, K., Givelet, L., Fahrenson, C., Braeuning, A., Sieg, H. (2024) Influence of artificial digestion on characteristics and intestinal cellular effects of micro-, submicro- and nanoplastics, Food and Chemical Toxicology, 84: 114423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2023.114423.

Reidelbach, C., Raab, L., Hellwig, E., Vach, K., Garcia-Käufer, M., Polydorou, O. (2026) Ecotoxic and genotoxic potential of eluates from dental composite dust – an in vitro study, Dental Materials, (42)10: 1783-1791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2026.04.017.

Rupp, H., Döhler, D., Hilgeroth, P., Mahmood, N., Beiner, M., Binder, W.H. (2019) 3D Printing of Supramolecular Polymers: Impact of Nanoparticles and Phase Separation on Printability. Macromol. Rapid Commun., 40, 1900467. https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.201900467

Schädlich, A., Hoffmann, S., Mueller, T., Caysa, H., Rose, C., Göpferich, A., Li, J., Kuntsche, J., Mäder, K. (2012) Accumulation of nanocarriers in the ovary: A neglected toxicity risk?, Journal of Controlled Release, 160(1): 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2012.02.012.

Schulz, M., Olubummo, A., Bacia, K., Binder, W.H. (2014) Lateral surface engineering of hybrid lipid–BCP vesicles and selective nanoparticle embedding. Soft Matter, 10 (6): 831–839. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3sm52040d

Seifert, B., Baudis, S., Wischke, C. (2023). Composition-Dependent Protein–Material Interaction of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate-co-styrene) Nanoparticle Series. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(22), 16390. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242216390

Sindram, J. and Karg, M. (2021) Polymer ligand binding to surface-immobilized gold nanoparticles: a fluorescence-based study on the adsorption kinetics. Soft Matter, 17 (32): 7487–7497. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sm00892g

Sindram J, Krüsmann M, Otten M, Pauly T, Nagel-Steger L, Karg M. (2021) Versatile Route toward Hydrophobically Polymer-Grafted Gold Nanoparticles from Aqueous Dispersions. J Phys Chem B. 125(29):8225-8237. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03772.

Stauch, C., Ballweg, T., Haas, K.-H., Jaeger, R., Stiller, S., Shmeliov, A., Nicolosi, V., Malebennur, S., Wötzel, J., Beiner, M., Luxenhofer, R., Mandel, K. (2019) Silanization of Silica Nanoparticles and Their Processing as Nanostructured Micro-Raspberry Powders—A Route to Control the Mechanical Properties of Isoprene Rubber Composites. Polym. Compos., 40: E732-E743. https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.24980

Steiner, J., Alaneed, R., Kressler, J., Mäder, K. (2021) Fatty acid-modified poly(glycerol adipate) microparticles for controlled drug delivery,
Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 61: 102206, ISSN 1773-2247, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2020.102206.

Thümmler, J.F. and Binder, W.H. (2024) Compartmentalised single-chain nanoparticles and their function. Chem. Commun. 60 (97): 14332–14345. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4cc04387a

Thümmler, J.F., Golmohamadi, F.G., Schöffmann, D., Laufer, J., Lucas, H., Kollan, J., Mäder, K., Binder, W.H. (2025) Photo-thermoresponsive polypyrrole-crosslinked single-chain nanoparticles for photothermal therapy. Commun Chem, 8: 124. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01518-x

Visileanu, E., Altmann, K., Stepa, R., Haiducu, M., Miclea, P. T., Vladu, A., Dondea, F., Grosu, M. C., & Scarlat, R. (2025). Comparative Analysis of Airborne Particle Concentrations in Textile Industry Environments Throughout the Workday. Microplastics, 4(2), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/microplastics4020034

Weiss, V. M. Lucas, H., Mueller, T., Chytil, P., Etrych, T., Naolou, T., Kressler, J., Mäder, K. (2018) Intended and Unintended Targeting of Polymeric Nanocarriers: The Case of Modified Poly(glycerol adipate) Nanoparticles, Macromol. Biosci., 18, 1700240. https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.201700240

Weissenborn, M.J., Castangia, R., Wehner, J.W., Šardzík, R., Lindhorst, T.K., Flitsch, S.L. (2012) Oxo-ester mediated native chemical ligation on microarrays: an efficient and chemoselective coupling methodology. Chem. Commun. 48 (37): 4444–46. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2cc30844d

Wischke, C., Krüger, A., Roch, T., Pierce, B.F., Li, W., Jung, F., Lendlein, A. (2013) Endothelial cell response to (co)polymer nanoparticles depending on the inflammatory environment and comonomer ratio, European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 84(2). 288-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2013.01.025.

Wu, S., Zhu, M., Lian, Q., Lu, D., Spencer, B., Adlam, D.J., Hoyland, J.A., Volk, K., Karg, M., Saunders, B.R. (2018) Plasmonic and colloidal stability behaviours of Au-acrylic core–shell nanoparticles with thin pH-responsive shells. Nanoscale 10 (39): 18565–18575. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8nr07440b

Zyuzin, M.V., Honold, T., Carregal-Romero, S., Kantner, K., Karg, M. and Parak, W.J. (2016), Influence of Temperature on the Colloidal Stability of Polymer-Coated Gold Nanoparticles in Cell Culture Media. Small, 12: 1723-1731. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201503232

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