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Polystyrene microplastics and reproductive toxicity: mechanisms, cross-species impacts, and emerging mitigation strategies
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This review pulls together animal and lab studies showing that tiny plastic particles called polystyrene microplastics—found widely in our environment—may harm reproductive health by causing cell damage, hormone disruption, and inflammation. While some natural compounds like honey and probiotics show promise in reducing this damage in early studies, scientists still don't know exactly how these findings apply to real-world human exposure, since most research uses higher doses than what people typically encounter. More standardized research is needed before we can say for certain how much of a risk everyday microplastic exposure poses to human fertility.
Abstract Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) are widely distributed in the environment and may have lasting effects on the reproductive health of multiple species. Existing studies suggest that PS-MPs can affect the reproductive system through pathways such as oxidative stress, leading to DNA damage, hormonal imbalances, and inflammatory responses. Because standardized experimental exposure protocols are lacking, there are significant differences in the study results. In addition, there are significant differences between acute exposure in laboratory conditions and long-term low-dose exposure in real-world settings. Studies have confirmed that certain natural substances, such as Kelulut honey, probiotics, and pinostrobin, can play a potential mitigating role through antioxidant activity. But these findings are still in the preclinical stage and have not yet been translated into clinical applications. Future research should focus on the development of environment-related exposure models, strategies to clearly distinguish between particle-specific effects and environmentally relevant exposure models, and the establishment of biomarker systems for human threat and risk assessment.
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