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Microplastics—The Microbiota Interactions: Mechanisms, Multi-Omics Insights and Health Implications
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics interact with gut and environmental microbiota through biofilm colonization, oxidative stress induction, antibiotic resistance gene enrichment, and disruption of short-chain fatty acid metabolism, synthesizing in vitro, in vivo, and environmental evidence and identifying key gaps where multi-omics approaches can clarify health consequences.
Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants detected in terrestrial, aquatic, and human systems. Emerging evidence indicates that MPs interact with microbiota through biofilm formation, induction of oxidative stress, enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and disruption of short-chain fatty acid metabolism, leading to dysbiosis and altered host immune responses. These interactions contribute to dysbiosis, altered immune responses, and increased dissemination of ARGs, which pose health risks. This review synthesizes current knowledge on mechanisms of microplastic–microbiota interactions, highlighting evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and environmental studies. We discuss methodological challenges, including variability in particle types, concentrations, aging, and analytical approaches. Recent advances in multi-omics techniques provide deeper mechanistic understanding and reveal functional consequences of MP exposure. We outline key knowledge gaps and propose future research directions to assess the impact of microplastic exposure on ecosystems and human health.
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Microplastics—The Microbiota Interactions: Mechanisms, Multi-Omics Insights and Health Implications
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics interact with microbial communities across terrestrial, aquatic, and gut environments, synthesizing evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and environmental studies showing that MP exposure drives dysbiosis, impairs immune function, and accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.
Microplastic exposure and obesity-related metabolic dysfunction: A proposed gut microbiota-metabolite framework.
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This review paper summarizes existing research on how microplastics eaten with food might affect gut bacteria, gut lining health, and body fat in animal studies and lab cell experiments. It suggests microplastics could disrupt gut microbes and cause inflammation linked to obesity-related problems, but notes gaps in long-term testing and uncertainty about applying findings across species.
Interaction between microplastics and microorganism as well as gut microbiota: A consideration on environmental animal and human health
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This review explores how microplastics interact with microorganisms in the environment and within the gut, examining implications for both animal and human health. Researchers found that microplastics can alter gut microbiota composition, promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants. The study suggests that the interaction between microplastics and gut microorganisms is an important emerging area for understanding health risks.
Interactions between microplastics and microbiota in a One Health perspective
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This review examines how microplastics interact with microbial communities across human, animal, and environmental settings using a One Health framework. Microplastics disrupt the normal balance of microbiota in the gut, soil, and water, and serve as surfaces where harmful bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes accumulate and spread. The authors argue that understanding these microplastic-microbe interactions across all domains of life is essential for protecting both ecosystem and human health.
Exploring Bacterial Interactions with Microplastics in the Human Gut Microbiome
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This review explored how microplastics interact with bacteria in the human gut microbiome, examining evidence that plastic particles can alter microbial community composition, enable colonization by pathogens, and facilitate horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. The gut microbiome appears to be a significant site of microplastic-microorganism interaction.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.