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Significance The effects of plastic pollution on living organisms is a highly debated subject. There is no direct evidence of high toxicity of microplastic abundantly present in the environment. Nevertheless, microplastic particles can cross many biological barriers and come in direct contact with lipid membranes, which is the last cell protective barrier from the environment. This study demonstrates that microplastic beads ranging from 1 to 10 μm attach to lipid membranes. This attachment leads to significant stretching of the lipid bilayer without requiring any oxidative, or biological, e.g., inflammatory, reactions. This mechanical stretching can potentially lead to serious dysfunction of the cell machinery.

Microplastics destabilize lipid membranes by mechanical stretching