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The geno-toxicological impacts of microplastic (MP) exposure on health: mechanistic pathways and research trends from a Chinese perspective

Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 2022 23 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Lihui Xuan, Liang Xiao, Ruixue Huang

Summary

This review examines the genotoxic effects of microplastics including DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation pathways that may contribute to carcinogenesis, while analyzing global research trends with a focus on contributions from China.

Body Systems

Due to their large-scale manufacture and widespread application, global concern regarding microplastics (MPs) has been increasing rapidly over the past decade, in particular their potential genotoxicity. The genome is constantly exposed to genotoxic insults that can lead to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, cell death, inflammation or genetic regulation which in turn can have consequences for health, such as the induction of carcinogenesis. In this review, we presented a comprehensive landscape of the effects of MPs on genotoxicity including the molecular mechanisms. Followed by the MP research trend analysis from a global viewpoint including the comparative research between China and USA and point out that scientists should continue to substantially contribute to the field of MPs through more extensive academic investigation, global cooperation, and the development of novel control methods. Challenges are also discussed. Overall, this review provides insights into the genotoxic effects of MPs on human health and related research trends in this field.

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