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Microplastics: unraveling the signaling pathways involved in reproductive health
Summary
This review examines the effects of microplastics on male and female reproductive health, focusing on the metabolic pathways involved in compromised gamete quality, toxicity, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Evidence indicates that microplastics can increase oxidative stress leading to developmental abnormalities, epigenetic changes, and reduced gamete quality, though research on mammalian and human reproductive effects remains limited compared to studies in aquatic organisms.
Microplastics (MPs) are biologically active environmental pollutants having significant impact on the ecosystem and human health. MPs have been reported to increase oxidative stress, resulting in tissue damage, developmental abnormalities, metabolic disorders, epigenetic changes, abnormal reproduction, and reduced gamete quality. At present, most of the existing literature has focused on the effects of MPs on the reproduction of various aquatic organisms; however, the effects of MPs on mammalian reproduction specifically humans are least studied except a few ones fragmentally discussing the effects of MPs on gametogenesis in human. This review discusses effects of MPs on male and female reproduction with a focus on different metabolic pathways involved in compromised gamete quality, gamete toxicity, apoptosis, and DNA damage.