Molecular Regulatory Networks of Microplastics and Cadmium Mediated Hepatotoxicity in the Progression from Nafld to Hcc Via Integrated Approaches

Molecular regulatory networks of microplastics and cadmium mediated hepatotoxicity from NAFLD to tumorigenesis via integrated approaches

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This study mapped out how microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium work together to damage the liver, tracing a progression from fatty liver disease to cirrhosis and eventually liver cancer. Cadmium activates genes linked to cell growth and tumor formation, while microplastics trigger cell death pathways related to inflammation. When combined, the two pollutants accelerate liver damage more than either one alone, raising concerns about real-world exposure where people encounter both simultaneously.

A SWATH-MS Based Analytical Workflow for Combined Proteomic and Metabolomic Profiling of Microplastics-Induced Hepatic Molecular Alterations

Co-exposure to Cadmium and Polystyrene Nanoplastics Intensifies Renal Damage in Mice via the Activation of the PANoptosis Pathway

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Researchers exposed mice to cadmium and polystyrene nanoplastics individually and together, finding that co-exposure synergistically worsened kidney damage by activating PANoptosis — a coordinated cell death cascade integrating pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis — with the scaffold protein ASC markedly upregulated as a central driver.

Mercury methylation network on microplastics: Multipathway coupling, regulatory mechanisms, and environmental risks

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Conceptual framework for microplastics-mercury methylation coupling: MPs drive methylmercury formation via adsorption dynamics, plastisphere microbes, and DOM-mediated abiotic pathways.

Molecular mechanisms of microplastics toxicity