Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39862279›Full record

ArticleAnalytical and bioanalytical chemistry2025

Approaches for the preparation and evaluation of hydrophilic polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastic particles suited for toxicological effect studies.

John Seghers, Claudia Cella, Emmy Pequeur, Rita La Spina, Francesco Roncari, Andrea Valsesia, Dora Mehn, Douglas Gilliland, Stefanie Trapmann, Håkan Emteborg

Abstract read
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Article in Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

John SeghersEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Geel, Belgium.
Claudia CellaEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Emmy PequeurLaboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, (GhEnToxlab), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Rita La SpinaEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Geel, Belgium.
Francesco RoncariEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Andrea ValsesiaEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Dora MehnEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Douglas GillilandEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
Stefanie TrapmannEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Geel, Belgium.
Håkan EmteborgEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Geel, Belgium. Hakan.EMTEBORG@ec.europa.eu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2549-7255

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

When performing effect studies to investigate the impact of microplastic (MP) on cell lines, algae, or daphnia, it is advantageous if such experiments can be performed without the use of surfactants. The need for surfactants arises from the fact that finely milled pristine MP particles generally are hydrophobic. Methods for the preparation of larger amounts of hydrophilic and hence artificially aged MP particles and approaches for their characterization are of high importance. Here we present methods to artificially age polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and low-density polyethylene (PE) using alkaline and acidic treatments that reproducibly result in large quantities of particles below 5 µm with considerably increased hydrophilicity. The artificially aged MP particles were characterized using particle counting by single-particle extinction and scattering (SPES), particle size by laser diffraction measurements, zeta potential using electrophoretic light scattering, hydrophobicity index (Hy) through dark-field (DF) microscopy, chemical composition by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy, and Raman microscopy. The hydrophobicity index values obtained should allow the aged MP particles to be characterized as qualitative reference materials (RMs) with an ordinal property. Evidence for the maintained integrity and hydrophilicity of the artificially aged MP particles (in powder form) over time was obtained by measurements of zeta potential with a 33-month interval. Uniformity of subsampling with respect to particle number concentration in suspensions within a 10-day period was also investigated. It provided evidence for the possibility of reproducible spiking of a specific number of hydrophilic MP particles with relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 6.2 to 13.6%. For the development of future reference materials of artificially aged microplastics, they should be characterized for an ordinal property (artificial age as Hy-index) and nominal property (identity of PET or PE based on spectral matching).

Indexed as

Artificial ageingBio-availabilityEffect studiesHydrophilicityHydrophobicity indexMicroplasticOrdinal propertyQualitative reference materialsSurfactantsToxicity

Identifiers

PMID39862279
PMCPMC12003597

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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.