Table 2 Chemical–physical characteristics of nanoparticles for drug delivery compared to environmental and virgin nanoplastics
| Â | Nanoparticles for drug delivery | Virgin nanoplastics | Environmental nanoplastics |
|---|---|---|---|
Size | Established during production with optimal size < 250 nm | Laboratory established, 10 nm to 10 μm, most frequent range 20–500 nm | Wide range (1 nm to 10 μm), relevant aggregation phenomena |
Shape | Spherical shape | Mainly spherical shape | Heterogeneous, resulting from the environmental fragmentation of larger plastic objects |
Surface | Mainly in PLGA, hydrophilic, biodegradable, surface charge optimized by surface functionalization | Mainly polystyrene with chemical surface modifications by functionalization | Uncontrolled, with presence of organic/inorganic species |
Interactions with the mucus layer | Designed to cross the mucus layer | Assumption of absorption mechanisms | Poorly investigated mechanisms |
Intestinal epithelium crossing | Capacity to exploit multiple endocytic mechanisms at the expense of intestinal enterocytes | Assumption of absorption mechanisms | The role of intestinal macrophages in protein crown formation is hypothesized |
