Assessment of Cancer - Related Signaling Pathways in Responses to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Via a Kidney-Testis Microfluidic Platform (KTP)

Assessment of cancer-related signaling pathways in responses to polystyrene nanoplastics via a kidney-testis microfluidic platform (KTP)

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Researchers developed a kidney-testis microfluidic platform to assess cancer-related signaling pathway responses to polystyrene nanoplastics. The study found that nanoplastic exposure activated cancer-associated signaling pathways in both kidney and testis tissue models, providing new insights into the potential molecular mechanisms through which nanoplastics may affect organ health.

Evaluation of intestinal toxicity of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics using intestinal organoids

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.

Polystyrene Microplastics Disrupt Anticancer Proteins: An In Silico and In Vitro Study

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Molecular docking and cell culture experiments showed that polystyrene microplastics act as competitive inhibitors of melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2 — proteins central to anticancer signaling — and bind strongly to complement immune regulators Factor H and Factor I, while also inducing cytotoxicity and apoptosis in colon and breast cancer cell lines. These findings suggest microplastic exposure may interfere with the body's own cancer-suppression and immune regulatory mechanisms at the molecular level.

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.