We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Network toxicology deciphers micro- and nanoplastics-mediated mixture hazard, predictive risk assessment, and regulatory translation
AI summary Read the abstract
Tiny plastic particles in our environment don't just pollute on their own—they act like "Trojan horses," latching onto heavy metals, chemicals, and antibiotics and smuggling them deeper into our cells and organs than these toxins could reach alone. This review pulls together existing research showing that this combo effect can trigger cell damage, inflammation, and metabolic problems in ways single pollutants don't, and it proposes better computer-modeling tools to predict these risks—important groundwork for future safety regulations, though most evidence so far comes from lab studies using higher doses than typical real-world exposure.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants and efficient carriers of coexisting pollutants, including heavy metals, organic chemicals, and antibiotics. Their capacity to adsorb, transport, and release contaminants has raised growing concern over mixture toxicity under realistic exposure scenarios. This review systematically examines the mechanistic basis of MNPs-mediated combined toxicity and evaluates the emerging role of network toxicology as a systems-based tool for hazard assessment. MNPs alter the bioavailability, environmental fate, tissue distribution, and intracellular delivery of associated pollutants through hydrophobic, electrostatic, and other intermolecular interactions. Carrier-mediated uptake, particularly the "Trojan horse" effect, appears to be a major driver of non-additive toxicity in co-exposure systems. We then outline the core workflow of network toxicology, encompassing target identification, network construction, pathway enrichment, and experimental validation, and discuss its application in decoding mixture toxicity. Oxidative stress, inflammatory signaling, metabolic disturbance, barrier dysfunction, and programmed cell death emerge as conserved and interconnected pathways underlying synergistic multi-organ injury. These findings indicate that toxicity in complex exposure systems is governed not only by the intrinsic properties of particles or chemicals, but also by their dynamic physicochemical and biological interactions. We further assess current advances and limitations in network toxicology and propose a next-generation risk assessment (NGRA)-oriented framework to support mechanism-based risk assessment and regulatory decision-making. Although current evidence is dominated by binary, high-dose laboratory studies, network toxicology offers strong potential as a new approach methodology (NAM) for predictive evaluation of environmentally relevant mixtures. Future priorities include standardized multi-omics integration, dose-time-response modeling, human-relevant validation, and regulatory translation.
More Papers Like This
Combined toxicity of micro/nanoplastics loaded with environmental pollutants to organisms and cells: Role, effects, and mechanism
AI summary Read the abstract
This review of 162 articles found that micro/nanoplastics act as vectors transporting heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, drugs, bacteria, and viruses into organisms, with combined exposure often increasing toxicity beyond individual pollutant effects. Nanoplastics' 'Trojan horse' effect specifically increased the bioaccessibility of environmental pollutants, elevating carcinogenic risk to humans.
Potential Health Risks of Micro-Nanoplastics and Persistent Organic Pollutants: A Review of Exposure Pathways and Toxic Effects
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics can enhance the bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants through a Trojan horse effect, leading to combined inflammatory, cellular, and metabolic toxic effects that threaten human health beyond what either contaminant causes alone.
Microplastics and nanoplastics with co-contaminants: A comprehensive review of neurotoxic effects
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics act as vectors for heavy metals, phthalates, pharmaceuticals, and flame retardants, with combined exposures triggering oxidative stress, neurotransmitter disruption, and blood-brain barrier damage in fish and rodent models — calling for integrated toxicological assessments that account for synergistic effects at realistic environmental concentrations.
Microplastics and human health: unraveling the toxicological pathways and implications for public health
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together recent research on how microplastics enter the human body and cause cellular damage through inflammation, oxidative stress, and direct cell injury. The authors highlight that microplastics can also amplify the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants they carry, creating combined health risks that are greater than either threat alone.
Hazard assessment of small-size plastic particles: is the conceptual framework of particle toxicology useful?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the toxicological evidence for micro- and nanoplastic hazards using a particle toxicology framework, finding that most cell culture studies show effects only at high concentrations and that animal studies have not demonstrated overt toxicity — while concluding that realistic low-dose studies using tissue models that mimic mammalian architecture are urgently needed to properly assess human health risk.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.