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Micro- and nano-plastics in skeletal tissues: detection, biological effects, and proposed mechanisms
Summary
Scientists have found tiny plastic particles—called microplastics and nanoplastics—inside human bones, bone marrow, and joints, and this review pulls together what we currently know about what that might mean for our health. Early animal and lab studies suggest these particles could interfere with how bones rebuild themselves, worsen arthritis, and even affect blood cell production, likely by triggering inflammation and cellular stress. That said, this is a summary of early-stage research, not final proof—scientists still need better tools to measure these particles and confirm whether they actually cause bone problems in people.
Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants increasingly recognized as potential health hazards, yet their impacts on the skeletal system remain unclear. This narrative review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of MNP accumulation in the skeletal system and its potential impacts. The presence of microplastics (MPs) in human bone, bone marrow, and joints has been reported by clinical studies, highlighting their presence and potential association with skeletal health. Pre-clinical investigations suggest that MNP exposure can disrupt bone homeostasis, induce hematotoxicity, aggravate arthritis, and cause intervertebral disc abnormalities. Mechanistic insights indicate that oxidative stress, inflammatory signaling cascades, and energy metabolism dysfunction as central pathways driving osteotoxicity, with downstream effects on osteoblast differentiation, osteoclast activation, and marrow stem cell fate. Despite these advances, critical gaps persist in nanoparticle detection, exposure quantification, and causal inference in clinical settings. Future research should prioritize standardized analytical protocols, multi-organ interaction models, and mechanistic studies using environmentally relevant particle mixtures. Development of mitigation strategies, such as antioxidants or anti-inflammatory interventions, also warrant exploration as potential future research directions. Collectively, MNP exposure represents an emerging potential risk for skeletal health, underscoring the need for integrated environmental and biomedical research in future explorations.