Ameliorative effects of Panax notoginseng water extract on polystyrene nanoplastics-induced inflammation and immunotoxicity in RAW 264.7 and Litopenaeus vannamei

Biochemical, Histological and Molecular Docking into the Impact of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Antioxidant Enzymes and Testicular Health in Rats

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Tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics, found widely in our environment, may harm male fertility, according to a new rat study. Rats exposed to higher doses of these plastics showed weakened antioxidant defenses and physical damage to testicular tissue, including fewer developing sperm cells. While this research was done in rats, not humans, it adds to growing concerns that the microplastics and nanoplastics we're routinely exposed to through food, water, and air could pose risks to reproductive health.

Nanoplastic-Induced Biological Effects In Vivo and In Vitro: An Overview

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Researchers reviewed how nanoplastics accumulate in and harm living organisms, finding that particle size, surface charge, exposure dose, and duration all influence toxicity — with smaller, charged particles penetrating cells more readily and chemical additives amplifying harm beyond the plastics themselves.

Polystyrene nanoparticles affect the innate immune system of the Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri

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Researchers exposed Antarctic sea urchins to polystyrene nanoparticles and found that both positively and negatively charged particles disrupted the animals' immune cells, raising concern that even remote polar ecosystems are vulnerable to the biological effects of plastic nanoparticle pollution.

Cellular Uptake and Nuclear Accumulation of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in 3T3 Fibroblasts and Hepatocytes of Rattus norvegicus

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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can get inside liver and connective tissue cells from rats, and even sneak into the cell's nucleus, where DNA is stored. Cells exposed to these plastics showed signs of stress and damage, including swelling and higher rates of cell death, suggesting these ultra-small plastic particles may be more harmful than previously thought. While this study used animal cells rather than human cells, it raises important questions about what everyday exposure to nanoplastics (found in food packaging, water, and other sources) might mean for our own cellular health.

Gauging the effects of a chronic exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics in the liver and intestine of Carassius auratus