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Assessing the Impact of Nanoplastics in Biological Systems: Systematic Review of In Vitro Animal Studies
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This systematic review of lab studies found that nanoplastics can damage cells in the gut, lungs, liver, brain, and reproductive organs of animals. These ultra-small plastic particles appear capable of crossing biological barriers and causing inflammation and oxidative stress, raising concerns about similar effects in humans.
Nanoplastic (NP) pollution has emerged as a growing concern due to its potential impact on human health, although its adverse effects on different organ systems are not yet fully understood. This systematic scoping review, conducted in accordance with international guidelines, aimed to map the current evidence on the biological effects of NPs. In vitro animal studies assessing cellular damage caused by exposure to any type of NP were searched on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Data on primary outcomes related to genotoxicity and cytotoxicity (cell viability, oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA and cytoplasmic damage, apoptosis) were extracted from the included studies, and overall reporting quality was assessed. A total of 108 articles published between 2018 and 2024, mostly by China (54%), Spain (14%), and Italy (9%), were included. Polystyrene (PS) was the most frequently studied polymer (85%). NP sizes in solution ranged from 15 to 531 nm, with a higher prevalence in the 40-100 nm range (38%). The overall quality of studies was rated as moderate (60%), with many lacking essential details about cell culture conditions (e.g., pH of the medium, passage number, substances used). A higher frequency of negative effects from NP exposure was observed in respiratory cell lines, while immune, digestive, and hepatic cell lines showed greater resistance. Nervous, urinary, and connective tissue systems were impacted by NPs. Positively charged and smaller PS particles were consistently associated with higher toxicity across all systems. In summary, this review highlights the multifactorial nature of NP toxicity, influenced by size, surface charge, and polymer type. It also reveals a significant knowledge gap, stemming from the predominant use of immortalized monocultures exposed to commercially available PS NPs, the limited use of environmentally relevant particles, and the underutilization of advanced experimental models (e.g., organ-on-chip systems) that better mimic physiological conditions.
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This review examines how nanoplastics affect multiple biological systems — including digestive, reproductive, nervous, and immune systems — synthesizing evidence that nanoplastics cross biological barriers and cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and physiological dysfunction across species.
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This systematic review of studies from 2010 to 2025 found that nanoplastics can penetrate biological barriers and accumulate in tissues across many organisms. Their tiny size makes them especially concerning because they can enter cells, cause oxidative stress and inflammation, and potentially affect organ function in ways that larger plastic particles cannot.
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This review pulls together animal studies showing that nanoplastics — tiny plastic particles smaller than 1/100th the width of a human hair — can slip past the body's natural barriers and cause real damage to organs like the brain, lungs, gut, liver, kidneys, and reproductive system, triggering inflammation, cell death, and scarring. The concerning part is that these particles seem to affect multiple organs at once, with damage in one organ (like the gut) potentially worsening problems in another (like the liver). While this research is currently based on animal studies rather than humans, it suggests nanoplastics may pose broader health risks than previ
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This review examines what animal and cell studies have revealed about how microplastics and nanoplastics cause harm at the molecular level, including promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. Most research has focused on reproductive toxicity and polystyrene particles, while effects on the gut, brain, and heart remain understudied. The authors note that many experiments use unrealistic concentrations and synthetic particles, making it difficult to apply the results to real-world human exposure.
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