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Transgenerational impacts of micro(nano)plastics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment
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This review summarizes research on the transgenerational impacts of micro- and nanoplastics, showing that exposure can harm not only the directly exposed organisms but also their unexposed offspring. Researchers found that the most commonly reported effects across generations include tissue bioaccumulation, impaired growth and reproduction, oxidative stress, and genetic damage. The study highlights that particle characteristics such as size, polymer type, and degree of aging significantly influence the severity of these transgenerational effects.
Plastic particles of diameters ranging from 1 to 1000 nm and > 1 µm to 5 mm are respectively known as nanoplastics and microplastics, and are collectively termed micro(nano)plastics (MNPs). They are ubiquitously present in aquatic and terrestrial environments, posing adverse multifaceted ecological impacts. Recent transgenerational studies have demonstrated that MNPs negatively impact both the exposed parents and their unexposed generations. Therefore, this review summarizes the available research on the transgenerational impacts of MNPs in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, induced by exposure to MNPs alone or in combination with other organic and inorganic chemicals. The most commonly reported transgenerational effects of MNPs include tissue bioaccumulation and transfer, affecting organisms' survival, growth, reproduction, and energy metabolism; inducing oxidative stress; enzyme and genetic responses; and causing tissue damage. Similarly, co-exposure to MNPs and chemicals (organic and inorganic pollutants) significantly impacts survival, growth, and reproduction and induces oxidative stress, thyroid disruption, and genetic toxicity in organisms. The characteristics of MNPs (degree of aging, size, shape, polymer type, and concentration), exposure type and duration (parental exposure vs. multigenerational exposure and acute exposure vs. chronic exposure), and MNP-chemical interactions are the main factors affecting transgenerational impacts. Selecting MNP properties based on their realistic environmental behavior, employing more diverse animal models, and considering chronic exposure and MNP-chemical mixture exposure are salient research prospects for an in-depth understanding of the transgenerational impacts of MNPs.
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Adverse multigeneration combined impacts of micro(nano)plastics and emerging pollutants in the aquatic environment
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This review examines how micro and nanoplastics combined with other pollutants can cause harm not just to exposed organisms but also to their offspring across multiple generations. The transgenerational effects include changes in growth, reproduction, and gene expression that persist even without continued exposure. This suggests that microplastic pollution could have long-lasting impacts on wildlife populations beyond what single-generation studies reveal.
Vertebrate response to microplastics, nanoplastics and co-exposed contaminants: Assessing accumulation, toxicity, behaviour, physiology, and molecular changes
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This review summarizes research on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect vertebrate animals, finding that these particles can cross biological barriers, accumulate in organs including the brain, and cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and behavioral changes. A major concern highlighted is transgenerational harm, where toxic effects appear in offspring that were never directly exposed. The review underscores the need for more research on long-term, low-dose exposure that mirrors real-world human conditions.
Paternal Inheritance Is an Important, but Overlooked, Factor Affecting the Adverse Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Subsequent Generations
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This review highlights that paternal exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics can transmit adverse effects to offspring through epigenetic inheritance, a pathway largely overlooked in multigenerational toxicity research. The authors call for greater focus on paternal transmission mechanisms to fully understand intergenerational risks.
Transgenerational Transfer and Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in the Floating Macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) can pass from a parent aquatic plant to its "grandchildren" generations, even when those younger plants were never directly exposed to the plastic. This inherited exposure stunted plant growth and disrupted key biological processes—suggesting plastic pollution's harm can echo across generations, not just affect the individual exposed. While this study was done in a water plant, it raises important questions about whether similar long-term, multi-generational effects could occur in other organisms—something worth watching as we learn more about how nanoplastics move through the food chain and potentially affect human health.
Multigenerational effects of selected environmental contaminants in fishes: A comprehensive review
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This review examined how environmental contaminants, including microplastics, affect fish across multiple generations rather than just a single life stage. Researchers found that long-term exposure can cause developmental, behavioral, and reproductive problems that may carry over to future generations through epigenetic changes like DNA methylation. The findings suggest that studying only one generation of exposure may significantly underestimate the true ecological impact of these pollutants.
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