Investigation of Biological Corona Formation on Polystyrene Nanoplastics of Different Sizes (200 nm, 600 nm, and 1 µm) under Human Plasma-Mimicking Conditions.

Nanoplastics can interact with biological systems by forming a protein–lipid corona on their surface. This corona affects their stability, how they move, and how they interact biologically. In this study, we created protein–lipid corona-coated polystyrene nanoplastics. We used a protein mixture designed to mimic the conditions of diluted blood plasma. This mixture included albumin, IgG, and fibrinogen, along with lipid components, all in phosphate-buffered saline. After the nanoplastics of different sizes were incubated with the protein–lipid mixture to encourage corona formation, the samples were centrifuged and then resuspended for further analysis. This study contributes to our understanding of how nanoplastics interact with biological environments, specifically clarifying the importance of protein–lipid corona formation in determining their behavior.