A decade ago, environmental issues, such as air pollution and the contamination of the oceans with microplastic, were prominently communicated in the media. However, these days, political topics, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have clearly taken over. In spite of this shift in focus regarding media representation, researchers have made progress in evaluating the possible health risks associated with particulate contaminations present in water and air. In this review article, we summarize recent efforts that establish a clear link between the increasing occurrence of certain pathological conditions and the exposure of humans (or animals) to airborne or waterborne particulate matter. First, we give an overview of the physiological functions mucus has to fulfill in humans and animals, and we discuss different sources of particulate matter. We then highlight parameters that govern particle toxicity and summarize our current knowledge of how an exposure to particulate matter can be related to dysfunctions of mucosal systems. Last, we outline how biophysical tools and methods can help researchers to obtain a better understanding of how particulate matter may affect human health. As we discuss here, recent research has made it quite clear that the structure and functions of those mucosal systems are sensitive toward particulate contaminations. Yet, our mechanistic understanding of how (and which) nano- and microparticles can compromise human health via interacting with mucosal barriers is far from complete.
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September 2021
Review Article|
August 10 2021
Forgotten but not gone: Particulate matter as contaminations of mucosal systems
Matthias Marczynski
;
Matthias Marczynski
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Munich School of Bioengineering, Technical University of Munich
, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany
2
Center for Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich
, Ernst-Otto-Fischer Straße 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Oliver Lieleg
Oliver Lieleg
a)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Munich School of Bioengineering, Technical University of Munich
, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany
2
Center for Protein Assemblies, Technical University of Munich
, Ernst-Otto-Fischer Straße 8, 85748 Garching, Germany
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: oliver.lieleg@tum.de
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: oliver.lieleg@tum.de
Biophysics Rev. 2, 031302 (2021)
Article history
Received:
April 14 2021
Accepted:
July 14 2021
Citation
Matthias Marczynski, Oliver Lieleg; Forgotten but not gone: Particulate matter as contaminations of mucosal systems. Biophysics Rev. 1 September 2021; 2 (3): 031302. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0054075
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