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Innovative mechanisms of micro- and nanoplastic-induced brain injury: Emphasis on the microbiota-gut-brain axis
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This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics may damage the brain through the gut-brain axis, a communication pathway between the digestive system and the nervous system. Nanoplastics can disrupt gut bacteria and weaken the intestinal barrier, potentially sending inflammatory signals to the brain. The authors suggest that targeting gut health could be a way to reduce brain damage caused by nanoplastic exposure.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), emerging environmental pollutants, infiltrate marine, terrestrial, and freshwater systems via diverse pathways, culminating in their accumulation in the human body through food chain transmission, posing potential health risks. Researches have demonstrated that MNPs disrupt gut microbiota equilibrium and compromise intestinal barrier integrity, as well as traverse the blood-brain barrier, leading to brain damage. Moreover, the complex interaction between the gut and the nervous system, facilitated by the "gut-brain axis," indicates an additional pathway for MNPs-induced brain damage. This has intensified scientific interest in the intercommunication between MNPs and the gut-brain axis. While existing studies have documented microbial imbalances and metabolic disruptions subsequent to MNPs exposure, the precise mechanisms by which the microbiota-gut-brain axis contributes to MNPs-induced central nervous system damage remain unclear. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, elucidating the pathogenesis of MNPs-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and its consequent brain injury. It emphasizes the complex interrelation between MNPs and the microbiota-gut-brain axis, advocating for the gut microbiota as a novel therapeutic target to alleviate MNP-induced brain harm.
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Nanoplastic Impact on the Gut-Brain Axis: Current Knowledge and Future Directions
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Researchers reviewed the emerging evidence on how nanoplastics may affect the gut-brain axis, the communication pathway between the digestive and nervous systems. Studies indicate that nanoplastic exposure can alter gut microbiota, increase intestinal permeability, trigger oxidative stress and inflammation, and produce neurotoxic and behavioral effects. The review calls for more research given the ubiquitous presence of plastics in the human environment and the potential for nanoplastics to disrupt this critical biological communication pathway.
Micro- and nanoplastics and potential perturbation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastics and nanoplastics and their possible effects on the gut, its microbes, and the brain. Animal studies found changes in gut bacteria, gut barrier function, inflammation, and behavior, but human evidence remains limited and cannot yet show these particles cause brain disease.
Health risk analysis of micro-and nanoplastic exposure via the microbiota-gut-brain axis
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics that accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract may disrupt the microbiota-gut-brain axis through neural, immune, and endocrine pathways. The study suggests that these particles can interfere with normal gut microbiota function after entering the body through diet, inhalation, and skin contact, potentially inducing or worsening health effects.
Microplastics and the gut-brain axis: Unraveling neurotoxic mechanisms and health implications
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This review examines how microplastics interact with the gut-brain axis, a communication network linking the digestive system to the central nervous system. Researchers found that microplastics can disrupt intestinal barrier integrity, alter gut microbiota composition, and trigger systemic inflammation that may affect neurotransmitter balance and brain function. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure through the diet could contribute to neurological effects through inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways.
Microplastics and nano-plastics as emerging gut–brain axis disruptors: mechanistic insights, health implications, and future direction
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This review pulls together existing research showing that the tiny plastic bits we eat and breathe in (microplastics and nanoplastics) can disrupt the healthy bacteria in your gut, weaken your intestinal lining, and trigger inflammation, problems that don't stay put in your stomach. Once this damage occurs, plastic particles and inflammatory signals can travel through the bloodstream and even cross into the brain, potentially contributing to brain inflammation and disrupted brain chemistry. While more research is needed to confirm exact risks in humans, this matters because it suggests everyday plastic exposure could affect not just
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