Cellular internalization pathways of environmentally exposed microplastic particles

Microplastic particles that occur in the environment are coated with different biomolecules forming an eco-corona on the particles' surface, which could consequently lead to a specific interaction of the constituents of the eco-corona with membrane receptors. To date, it is not fully understood how strong microplastic particles with and without an eco-corona bind to cellular membranes and which underlying mechanisms are responsible for cellular internalization. Here we analyzed the protein composition of two different eco-coronas (freshwater and saltwater) by LC-MS/MS.