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The Gut Microbiome in Foodborne Microplastic Toxicity: Mechanistic Insights and Human Health Risk Assessment
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This review pulls together existing research on how microplastics we eat, tiny plastic particles found in food and water, may disrupt the trillions of bacteria living in our gut, weakening the gut's protective barrier and triggering inflammation and stress throughout the body. It also points out that plastics can act like tiny rafts, carrying other harmful chemicals into our system and making the damage worse. While scientists don't yet have the full picture, this matters because it suggests the microplastics in our daily diet could be quietly affecting digestive and overall health, making this an area worth watching closely.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging foodborne contaminants with increasing implications for gastrointestinal health. However, the mechanistic basis linking dietary MP exposure to gut dysbiosis and intestinal dysfunction remains poorly resolved, limiting robust human health risk assessment. This review critically synthesizes current evidence on foodborne MPs, dietary exposure, and the physicochemical determinants of gastrointestinal fate, bioavailability, and toxicity. We examine the molecular and microbiome-mediated mechanisms linking MPs exposure to intestinal dysbiosis, barrier dysfunction, oxidative stress, immune activation, and metabolic reprogramming. Particular attention is given to the role of MPs as vectors for co-contaminants, which can amplify toxicity through synergistic interactions and reshape host-microbiome responses. We highlight advances in dynamic colon simulation and integrated multi-omics that unravels the mechanism underlying MP-induced intestinal toxicity. Current evidence indicates that gut microbiome dysregulation is a key mechanism driving foodborne MP-induced intestinal dysfunction and systemic toxicity. This review integrates multidisciplinary evidence to identify critical knowledge gaps and guide future research on the mechanisms, exposure, and health risks of foodborne microplastics.
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Micro- and Nanoplastics as Environmental Stressors: Mechanistic Links Among Gut Dysbiosis, Inflammation, and Systemic Health Effects
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This review pulls together existing research on how the tiny plastic particles we're constantly exposed to (in food, water, and air) might harm our health, not just by directly damaging cells, but by disrupting our gut bacteria and triggering chronic inflammation throughout the body. Scientists think this chain reaction could play a role in heart, liver, kidney, lung, and even brain diseases, though the evidence in humans is still early and more research is needed to confirm how serious the risk really is. The takeaway: microplastics may affect health through your gut, not just wherever they physically end up in the body.
Microplastics disrupt intestinal physiology: From microbiota composition to intestinal barrier integrity
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This review pulls together existing research on how the tiny plastic particles we swallow through food and water may mess with our gut health. The evidence suggests microplastics can shift our gut bacteria toward less beneficial types while reducing helpful bacteria that support digestion, and this may weaken the gut's protective lining—potentially allowing harmful substances to pass into the body more easily. While more research is needed to fully understand the risks, this adds to growing concerns about how everyday plastic exposure might affect our long-term health.
Microplastic Toxicity and Intestinal Homeostasis: Insights from Microbiome and Gut Barrier Dysfunction
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This review pulls together animal, lab, and human studies suggesting that microplastics we eat, drink, and breathe can disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria in our gut, weaken the gut's protective lining, and trigger inflammation—effects that may ripple out to metabolism, hormones, and even brain function. While most of this evidence comes from animal and lab studies using higher doses than humans typically encounter, it's an early warning sign that everyday plastic exposure could quietly affect long-term gut health, and researchers say we need bigger, more consistent human studies to know how worried to be.
Micro‐ and nanoplastics in gastrointestinal disorders: Mapping the translational gap between exposure, biomonitoring, and pathogenic mechanisms
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Tiny plastic particles from our food, air, and water may be doing more than just passing through our bodies, this review of existing research suggests they can irritate the gut lining, trigger inflammation, and throw off the balance of healthy gut bacteria. While scientists haven't yet nailed down exactly how much exposure causes harm or the precise mechanisms involved, the evidence so far suggests these ever-present plastic particles could be a hidden contributor to digestive health problems, making it a research area worth watching.
Defensive remodeling of gut microbiota under microplastic stress and its pathogenic mechanism
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This review pulls together existing animal research on how tiny plastic particles called microplastics—found in food, water, and air—can throw off the balance of good and bad bacteria living in our gut. This imbalance may weaken the gut's protective barrier, trigger inflammation, and mess with metabolism, which over time could contribute to disease. While the gut microbiota does have some natural defenses against this stress, the findings are a reminder that everyday plastic exposure may have hidden effects on our internal health, not just the environment.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.