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Size-dependent toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics: insights from the Drosophila melanogaster model
Summary
This review of fruit fly studies reveals a clear pattern: the smaller the plastic particle, the more dangerous it is to living organisms. While large plastic pieces mostly get stuck in the gut causing local irritation, the tiniest nanoplastics can slip into cells and even DNA, triggering inflammation, organ damage, and effects that may pass on to offspring—and they can team up with heavy metal pollutants to cause even more harm. Since fruit flies share many genes with humans, these findings suggest we should pay special attention to the smallest, often invisible plastic particles in our environment, as they may pose the greatest
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that enter organisms and induce multi-system damage. Particle size is a critical determinant of MNPs’ bioavailability, biodistribution, and toxic intensity, with smaller particles exhibiting stronger biopermeability and toxic hazards. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) has emerged as an ideal model organism for investigating MNPs’ toxic mechanisms due to its short life cycle, clear genetic background, and high genetic homology with humans.This review systematically summarizes research on the toxicity of MNPs with different sizes based on the Drosophila model, clarifying the size-dependent toxicity pattern. Large microplastics (1–5 mm) remain in the digestive tract, causing local physical damage and dysbiosis. Small microplastics (1 μm–1 mm) induce intestinal damage, oxidative stress, as well as abnormalities in behavior and reproduction. Submicroplastics (100 nm–1 μm) can penetrate the intestinal barrier, triggering systemic inflammation and cardiac dysfunction. Nanoplastics (<100 nm) possess the strongest biopermeability, invading cells and organelles to cause DNA damage, immune disorders, and transgenerational toxicity, while also exacerbating synergistic toxicity with heavy metals via “carrier effects”.This review provides a theoretical basis for MNP risk assessment and highlights the unique value of the Drosophila model in this field.