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A metabolomics perspective on the effect of environmental micro and nanoplastics on living organisms: A review
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This review examines how scientists use metabolomics, the study of small molecules produced by cellular processes, to understand the toxic effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms. The research shows that these plastic particles disrupt metabolism in consistent ways across species, affecting energy production, fat processing, and amino acid pathways. These shared metabolic disruptions across different organisms suggest that microplastics could cause similar metabolic problems in humans.
The increasing trend regarding the use of plastics has arisen an exponential concern on the fate of their derived products to the environment. Among these derivatives, microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) have been featured for their associated environmental impact due to their low molecular size and high surface area, which has prompted their ubiquitous transference among all environmental interfaces. Due to the heterogenous chemical composition of MNPs, the study of these particles has focused a high number of studies, as a result of the myriad of associated physicochemical properties that contribute to the co-transference of a wide range of contaminants, thus becoming a major challenge for the scientific community. In this sense, both primary and secondary MNPs are well-known to be adscribed to industrial and urbanized areas, from which they are massively released to the environment through a multiscale level, involving the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Consequently, much research has been conducted on the understanding of the interconnection between those interfaces, that motivate the spread of these contaminants to biological systems, being mostly represented by the biosphere, especially phytosphere and, finally, the anthroposphere. These findings have highlighted the potential hazardous risk for human health through different mechanisms from the environment, requiring a much deeper approach to define the real risk of MNPs exposure. As a result, there is a gap of knowledge regarding the environmental impact of MNPs from a high-throughput perspective. In this review, a metabolomics-based overview on the impact of MNPs to all environmental interfaces was proposed, considering this technology a highly valuable tool to decipher the real impact of MNPs on biological systems, thus opening a novel perspective on the study of these contaminants.
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This review of existing research shows that microplastics—tiny plastic particles found everywhere in our environment—can harm multiple body systems including the gut, brain, and reproductive organs. Scientists used a technique called metabolomics (studying how our body processes chemicals) to discover that microplastics disrupt normal metabolism, potentially affecting everything from digestion and brain function to fertility and child development. This research helps explain why microplastic pollution may be a serious health threat that requires urgent attention and solutions.
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