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Decoding microplastic toxicity on human health: navigating translational challenges using organ-on-chip models.
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This review paper summarizes existing research on how microplastics may affect human health, including the limits of current lab and animal studies. It discusses "organ-on-a-chip" devices, small lab systems using human cells grown in 3D, as a possible better way to study how microplastics interact with the body.
Microplastic (MP) pollution is a serious environmental issue due to the rapid rise in plastic production and persistence of plastics in ecosystems. The inevitable exposure to MPs and reports of the presence of MPs in several tissues in our bodies are concerning amidst growing chronic illnesses. However, the precise effects of MPs on human health remain poorly understood, contributing to public apprehension in the absence of definitive mitigation strategies. Currently, in vitro two-dimensional models (2D) and in vivo animal models are used to study the adverse effects of MPs on human health. While these models have provided some insights, they suffer from various limitations such as short-term exposure, unrealistic high dosages and irrelevance to human physiology. Near-physiological in vitro models, such as organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platforms, built from three-dimensional (3D) structures with dynamic microfluidic flow, mechanical stimulation, and multicellular co-culture environments can enable the study of MP transport, cellular interactions, and organ-level toxicity more accurately. This review highlights the core concepts of MPs and NPs with respect to toxicological studies at the cellular and organ levels, the analytical challenges for detection in biological materials and their clinical interpretation. We discuss the various models developed so far and their limitations associated with human physiology and clinical impact. We explain the design considerations and principles for developing appropriate OoC models to study the effects of dose, duration and exposure pathways of MPs on human health. OoC models are promising systems that can accurately identify the impact of MPs on human health, aid in identifying the mechanisms of toxicity and serve as key platforms for testing and validating therapeutic interventions. Precise evaluation of the health effects of MPs with a mechanistic understanding is imperative for healthcare management and measured public communication.
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This review explores how human organoids, miniature lab-grown organ models, can be used to test the toxicity of environmental contaminants including microplastics. These 3D tissue models offer a more accurate picture of how pollutants affect human cells than traditional lab tests, though more work is needed to simulate the chronic, low-dose exposures people actually experience.
A comparative review of organ-on-a-chip technologies for micro- and nanoplastics versus other environmental toxicants
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This review compares how organ-on-a-chip technology, which recreates miniature human organs on microchips, has been used to study the health effects of micro and nanoplastics versus other environmental toxins. These devices can simulate how plastic particles affect the lungs, liver, kidneys, and even the blood-brain barrier in ways that traditional cell and animal studies cannot. The technology offers a promising path toward better understanding how microplastics harm human organs without relying solely on animal experiments.
Organoid-based platforms for investigating microplastic-induced human organ toxicity
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This review examines how lab-grown miniature organ models, called organoids, are being used to study the health effects of micro- and nanoplastic exposure on human tissues. Evidence from brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney, and intestinal organoid models shows that plastic particles can cause oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and impaired tissue development. The technology offers a more realistic way to study plastic toxicity compared to traditional cell culture or animal experiments.
Application of organoid technology in the human health risk assessment of microplastics: A review of progresses and challenges
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This review examines how organoid technology -- miniature lab-grown versions of human organs made from stem cells -- can be used to study the health effects of microplastics more accurately than traditional animal testing. Organoids of the gut, lung, brain, liver, and other organs can better predict how microplastics affect human tissues, potentially accelerating our understanding of the real health risks these particles pose.
Lab-on-a-chip systems for microplastic and nanoplastic sampling, detection, characterization and bioassessment.
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Tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics are everywhere in our environment, but scientists still struggle to detect them and understand exactly how they affect our health. This paper reviews a promising technology—credit-card-sized "lab-on-a-chip" devices—that could make it much easier and faster to capture, identify, and test how these particles impact human cells and tissues. While this research doesn't reveal new health risks itself, it points toward better tools that could soon give us clearer, more reliable answers about whether the plastics in our food, water, and air are actually harming us.
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