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Micro- and nanoplastics: Emerging environmental threats to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastic exposure may contribute to chronic health conditions through the lens of developmental origins of health and disease. Evidence suggests that microplastics accumulate in human metabolic and reproductive tissues and may induce physiological and epigenetic changes that could potentially be inherited by future generations, though research into these mechanisms is still in early stages.
Environmental exposure to micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) can have significant impacts on the development of chronic health conditions in children and adults. MNPs are byproducts generated from the ubiquitous and daily use of plastics. A growing body of literature points to MNPs' affecting human metabolic and reproductive health, yet research into their potential impacts is still in its infancy. Due to recent evidence demonstrating accumulation of MNPs within human metabolic and reproductive tissues, their potential for inducing physiological and epigenetic dysregulations is postulated. This is especially critical for future generations as epigenetic disturbances within individuals can be inherited. Currently, the mechanisms for how MNPs exert their effects are still under investigation. In this scenario, the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) offers insight on the influence of environmental exposures in the periconceptual, fetal, and early phases of life towards the development of noncommunicable diseases later in life. DOHaD investigates these interactions through an epigenetic lens as epigenetics bridges environmental exposures and changes in gene expression outside of the DNA sequence itself. In this review, we provide an overview on current research that describes MNPs' contribution towards the development of metabolic and reproductive dysfunction as well as their potential to impact future generations through the DOHaD paradigm possibly mediated by epigenetic modifications.
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Beyond genetics: can micro and nanoplastics induce epigenetic and gene-expression modifications?
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This review gathers existing research on whether micro and nanoplastics can cause epigenetic changes, which are modifications that alter how genes work without changing the DNA itself. Although studies are still limited, the evidence so far shows that both short-term and long-term plastic particle exposure can trigger these gene-level changes in various organisms. This is concerning because epigenetic changes can potentially be passed to future generations and may contribute to disease.
Review: Microplastics: A threat for developing and repairing organs? — R1/PR8
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This review synthesizes evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) affect organ development and repair processes in humans and laboratory rodents, noting that MNPs have been detected in virtually every human tissue including the placenta. Early developmental windows are particularly vulnerable because MNPs and their chemical additives can disrupt genome programming and hormonal signaling during critical growth phases. The review concludes that MNPs and their leached chemicals can impair both normal development and the healing processes that reuse developmental pathways after injury.
Reproductive and developmental implications of micro- and nanoplastic internalization: Recent advances and perspectives
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This systematic review documented the detection of micro- and nanoplastics in human semen, placenta, and ovarian follicular fluid, and found evidence linking exposure to impaired sperm quality, disrupted ovarian function, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. In animal models, MNPs caused developmental toxicity and transgenerational effects, with oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic modification identified as key mechanisms.
Microplastics: A threat for developing and repairing organs?
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics may affect organ development and repair in humans and animals. Researchers found evidence that these particles and their chemical additives can disrupt critical developmental processes in multiple organs, including during fetal development via placental exposure. The study suggests that micro- and nanoplastics pose particular risks during early developmental windows and when the body is attempting to regenerate damaged tissue.
Unveiling micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) induced developmental toxicity, transgenerational transport and associated signaling pathways
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Tiny plastic particles from our environment can pass from a mother to her baby through the placenta and breast milk, and this review of existing animal research shows these particles can build up in offspring and potentially disrupt healthy development, causing issues like inflammation, cell damage, and hormone problems. While most of this evidence comes from animal studies so far, it's a wake-up call that plastic pollution may affect not just the people exposed to it, but their children too, making it worth pushing for both more research in humans and stronger policies to cut down plastic exposure.
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