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Are Ingested or Inhaled Microplastics Involved in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
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This review explored the potential connection between microplastic exposure through ingestion and inhalation and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which has become a leading cause of chronic liver injury. The study discusses how dietary and environmental microplastic exposure could potentially influence liver health through mechanisms including inflammation and endocrine disruption, though further research is needed to establish definitive links.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the predominant cause of chronic liver injury; however, the mechanisms underlying its progression have not been fully elucidated. Pathophysiological studies have stated that NAFLD is significantly influenced by dietary and environmental factors that could participate in the development of NAFLD through different mechanisms. Currently, “plastic pollution” is one of the most challenging environmental problems worldwide since several plastics have potential toxic or endocrine disputing properties. Specifically, the intake of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in water or diet and/or the inhalation from suspended particles is well established, and these particles have been found in human samples. Laboratory animals exposed to MPs develop inflammation, immunological responses, endocrine disruptions, and alterations in lipid and energy metabolism, among other disorders. MPs additives also demonstrated adverse reactions. There is evidence that MPs and their additives are potential “obesogens” and could participate in NAFLD pathogenesis by modifying gut microbiota composition or even worsen liver fibrosis. Although human exposure to MPs seems clear, their relationship with NAFLD requires further study, since its prevention could be a possible personalized therapeutic strategy. Adequate mitigation strategies worldwide, reducing environmental pollution and human exposure levels of MPs, could reduce the risk of NAFLD.
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Microplastics, nanoplastics and liver disease: an emerging health concern?
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Researchers reviewed emerging evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate in human liver tissue at increasing concentrations over the past decade, trigger oxidative stress, fibrogenesis, and inflammation in cell and animal models, and may carry microbial pathogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, introducing the concept of plastic-induced liver injury as a new focus for environmental hepatology.
Microplastics and nanoplastics: Emerging drivers of hepatic pathogenesis and metabolic dysfunction
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This review examines emerging evidence linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to liver disease, including metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Researchers found that these particles may contribute to liver damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of metabolic pathways. The study highlights the need for further research into how environmental plastic contamination may be influencing the rising rates of liver disease worldwide.
Microplastics in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: An emerging threat to liver health
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This review examined emerging evidence linking microplastic exposure to the development and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly NAFLD). The authors found that microplastics detected in liver tissue can exacerbate hepatic inflammation, lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress through multiple mechanisms, adding a novel environmental risk factor to MASLD pathogenesis.
Impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on liver health: Current understanding and future research directions
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This review summarizes what scientists know about how micro- and nanoplastics affect the liver, which is one of the first organs exposed because it processes everything absorbed from the gut. The particles trigger oxidative stress, disrupt energy metabolism, cause cell death, and promote inflammation, and may contribute to conditions like fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis. The paper also highlights how plastics can disturb the gut microbiome, which communicates with the liver through the gut-liver axis and may amplify liver damage.
Micro- and Nanoplastics as Emerging Drivers of Liver Injury: Exposure, Evidence, and Mechanisms
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This review pulls together current research on tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) that we ingest or breathe in, showing they can travel through the body and accumulate in the liver. Lab studies suggest these particles may trigger inflammation, stress cells out, and disrupt normal liver function in ways that could contribute to fatty liver disease and scarring over time. That said, most of this evidence comes from animal and cell studies so far—scientists still need more direct human data to know exactly how much this matters for our health, but it's a good reason to be mindful of plastic exposure in food and water.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.