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Nanoplastics, Liver Injury, and Oxidative Mechanisms: Translating Animal Models Into Human Risk Assessment
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This scoping review synthesized evidence from animal studies on how micro- and nanoplastics cause liver injury, focusing on the underlying mechanisms of toxicity. Researchers found that oxidative stress is a principal pathway by which these particles damage liver tissue, and the study evaluates what these preclinical findings may mean for assessing human health risks from plastic particle exposure.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) have emerged as environmental contaminants of increasing concern due to their potential to disrupt biological systems. The liver, as a key organ in detoxification and metabolism, is particularly susceptible to MNP-induced injury. This scoping review aimed to synthesize experimental evidence from preclinical animal models to identify the principal hepatotoxic mechanisms induced by MNP exposure and evaluate the implications for human health. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and OpenAlex databases. Eligible studies included original research assessing hepatic outcomes in animal models exposed to MNPs. Data were charted for polymer type, particle size, exposure route, exposure duration, and toxicological endpoints. The review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines and included 34 studies. Consistent hepatotoxic signatures were identified, including oxidative stress, inflammation, lipid dysregulation, and apoptosis. Polystyrene, polyethylene, and polylactic acid were the most studied polymers, with exposure via oral gavage or aquatic immersion. Mitochondrial dysfunction and genotoxic markers were also reported. The mechanistic convergence suggests shared injury pathways across particle types and models. MNPs induce liver injury through oxidative, inflammatory, and metabolic mechanisms, supporting their classification as emerging hepatotoxicants. While translational gaps persist, these findings highlight urgent research needs and inform environmental health risk frameworks.
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Hepatotoxic Mechanisms of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Animal Models: A Scoping Review with Human Health Implications
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This scoping review examines hepatotoxic mechanisms of micro- and nanoplastics in animal models, identifying oxidative stress, inflammation, lipid peroxidation, and epigenetic alterations as the primary pathways through which plastic particles damage liver tissue.
Micro- and Nanoplastics as Emerging Drivers of Liver Injury: Exposure, Evidence, and Mechanisms
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This review pulls together current research on tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) that we ingest or breathe in, showing they can travel through the body and accumulate in the liver. Lab studies suggest these particles may trigger inflammation, stress cells out, and disrupt normal liver function in ways that could contribute to fatty liver disease and scarring over time. That said, most of this evidence comes from animal and cell studies so far—scientists still need more direct human data to know exactly how much this matters for our health, but it's a good reason to be mindful of plastic exposure in food and water.
Nanoplastics and Microplastics May Be Damaging Our Livers
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This systematic review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics may damage the liver. Since the liver is the body's main detoxification organ, it plays a key role in processing plastic particles that enter the body through food, water, and air, and the evidence suggests these particles can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and other liver problems.
Environmental microplastics and liver health: Brief review on human exposure and accumulation, hepatotoxicity mechanism, and intervention strategies
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This review links human exposure to microplastics, their accumulation in the liver and proposed mechanisms of liver toxicity, including oxidative stress, inflammation and cell death. Most of the evidence comes from cell, animal and organoid studies. It also discusses candidate interventions that are still at the research stage.
Microplastics, nanoplastics and liver disease: an emerging health concern?
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Researchers reviewed emerging evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate in human liver tissue at increasing concentrations over the past decade, trigger oxidative stress, fibrogenesis, and inflammation in cell and animal models, and may carry microbial pathogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, introducing the concept of plastic-induced liver injury as a new focus for environmental hepatology.
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