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Polystyrene microplastics induce skeletal muscle atrophy through disruption of anabolic signaling and mitochondrial function

Toxicological Research 2026
Soo-Young Choi, Jiyoung Yeo, Yu-Jin Heo, Hae-In Lee, Min-Kyung Nam, Seung-Ah Yoo, Mi-Kyung Lee

Summary

Researchers exposed muscle cells to polystyrene microplastics and found dose-dependent muscle atrophy driven by suppressed IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR anabolic signaling, elevated oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction—effects comparable to the steroid dexamethasone—suggesting microplastics may be an unrecognized environmental contributor to muscle wasting.

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