Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37364870›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental science & technology2023

Role of Residual Monomers in the Manifestation of (Cyto)toxicity by Polystyrene Microplastic Model Particles.

Yuanhu Zhang, Tasmai Paul, Julian Brehm, Matthias Völkl, Valérie Jérôme, Ruth Freitag, Christian Laforsch, Andreas Greiner

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental science & technology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Oil-Coated Nanoplastics Induce Rapid Membrane Disruption and Severe Intestinal Injury.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Interaction of Polystyrene Nanoplastic with Lipid Membranes.The journal of physical chemistry. B · 2025
    Article
  7. Following the fate of polystyrene micro and nanobeads duringCurrent research in food science · 2025
    Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Yuanhu ZhangMacromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Tasmai PaulMacromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Julian BrehmAnimal Ecology I and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7397-3693
Matthias VölklProcess Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8750-8733
Valérie JérômeProcess Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6492-2168
Ruth FreitagProcess Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6569-9137
Christian LaforschAnimal Ecology I and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Andreas GreinerMacromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5310-3850
University of Bayreuth · DEBavarian Polymer Institute · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Polystyrene (PS) is an important model polymer for the investigation of effects of microplastic (MP) and nanoplastic (NP) particles on living systems. Aqueous dispersions of PS MP or NP contain residual monomers of styrene. In consequence, it is not clear if the effects observed in standard (cyto)toxicity studies are evoked by the polymer (MP/NP) particle or by residual monomers. We addressed that question by comparing standard PS model particle dispersions with in-house synthesized PS particle dispersions. We proposed a rapid purification method of PS particle dispersions by dialysis against mixed solvents and developed a simple method of UV-vis spectrometry to detect residual styrene in the dispersions. We found that standard PS model particle dispersions, which contain residual monomers, exerted a low but significant cytotoxicity on mammalian cells, while the in-house synthesized PS, after rigorous purification to reduce the styrene content, did not. However, the PS particles per se but not the residual styrene in both PS particle dispersions resulted in immobilization of Daphnia. Only by using freshly monomer-depleted particles, will it be possible in the future to assess the (cyto)toxicities of PS particles, avoiding an otherwise not controllable bias effect of the monomer.

Indexed as

MicroplasticsPolystyrenesAnimalsMammalsPlasticsPolymersSolventsMicroplasticsPlasticsPolymersPolystyrenesSolventsbiased conclusionscytotoxicityimmobilization testmicroplasticspolystyrene model particlesrapid purificationresidual monomer styrenesimple detection method

Identifiers

PMID37364870
PMCPMC10340104
OpenAlexW4382049458

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.