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Environmental toxicants and nephrotoxicity: Implications on mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
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This review examines how environmental toxicants, including microplastics, phthalates, and bisphenol A, can damage the kidneys. These substances can accumulate in kidney tissue after being swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, triggering inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. The findings highlight that the kidneys, which filter about 200 liters of fluid daily, are particularly vulnerable to harm from the growing levels of plastic-related pollutants in our environment.
Kidneys are one of the most important organs in the human body. In addition to filtering 200 liters of fluid every 24 hours, the kidney also regulates acid-base balance, maintains electrolyte balance, and removes waste and toxicants from the body. Nephrotoxicity is the term used to describe the deterioration of kidney function caused by the harmful effects of medications and various types of environmental toxicants. Exposure to environmental toxicants is an inevitable side effect in the world's increasing industrialization and even more prevalent in underdeveloped nations. Growing data over the past few years has illuminated the probable connection between environmental toxicants and nephrotoxicity. Phthalates, microplastics, acrylamide and bisphenol A are environmental toxicants of particular concern, which are known to have nephrotoxic effects. Such toxicants may accumulate in the kidneys of humans after being consumed, inhaled, or come into contact with the skin. They can enter cells through endocytosis and accumulate in the cytoplasm. Small-sized nephrotoxicants can cause a variety of ailments including inflammation with increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and apoptosis. This study uncovers the potential for new insights concerning the relationship between various environmental toxicants and kidney health. The objectives of this review is to establish information gaps, assess and identify the toxicity mechanisms of different nephrotoxicants, identify innovative pharmacological therapies that demonstrate promising therapeutic benefits/ relevance, and discuss the predictions for the future based on the analysis of the literature.
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Environmental Nephrotoxicity Across the Life Course: Oxidative Stress Mechanisms and Opportunities for Early Intervention
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This review examines how environmental pollutants, including microplastics, nanoplastics, bisphenol A, and phthalates, can damage kidneys across a person's lifetime, with early-life exposure being particularly concerning. Researchers found that these pollutants promote oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic changes that can program lifelong susceptibility to kidney problems. The study highlights antioxidant-based interventions as a potential strategy for protecting kidney health from environmental contaminant exposure.
Micro- and nanoplastics and the kidney: exposure pathways, toxicokinetics, and pathophysiological insights
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Tiny plastic particles from our air, water, and food—called micro- and nanoplastics—can enter our bodies and travel to the kidneys, where studies show they may cause cell damage, inflammation, and scarring over time. This review pulls together existing research on how these plastics get into our system and harm kidney tissue, suggesting that everyday plastic exposure could be an overlooked risk factor for kidney disease. More research is needed, but this is an early signal that reducing plastic exposure might matter for long-term kidney health.
Bisphenol A-Induced Nephrotoxicity: Mechanistic Insights Into Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Cellular Dysfunction.
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This review pulls together existing research showing that BPA, a chemical found in plastics, food packaging, and resins, can damage kidney cells by triggering harmful inflammation and oxidative stress, essentially causing tiny cells to malfunction and die off. Concerningly, common "BPA-free" substitutes like bisphenol F and S appear to cause similar kidney harm, suggesting swapping one plastic chemical for another may not actually be safer. While these findings come mainly from lab and animal studies, they raise real questions about how everyday plastic exposure might affect kidney health over time.
Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Human Exposome: Environmental Pathways, Kidney Toxicity, and Implications for Public Health Risk Assessment
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This review pulls together existing research on tiny plastic particles that enter our bodies through food, water, and air, showing they can build up in organs, especially the kidneys, and potentially cause cell damage and inflammation in lab studies. While these particles have been found in human blood, tissue, and urine, scientists still don't know exactly how much risk this poses to human health, so more research is needed before drawing firm conclusions.
Microplastics and Kidneys: An Update on the Evidence for Deposition of Plastic Microparticles in Human Organs, Tissues and Fluids and Renal Toxicity Concern
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This review summarizes the growing evidence that microplastics are found throughout the human body, including in the placenta, lungs, liver, heart, blood, and breast milk. While direct evidence for kidney damage in humans is still lacking, animal studies show that microplastics can cause kidney inflammation, cell death, and oxidative stress. The findings highlight that microplastics are accumulating in virtually every human organ, though the long-term health consequences remain unclear.
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