Microplastics and CKD: Are we overlooking the role of ecotoxins

Sabri, Sabri; Clinic of Nephrology, St. Marina University Hospital, Varna
TS Nephrology, Hemodialysis, and Toxicology, Second Department of Internal Diseases, 
Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna; Petrov, Petar; Clinic of Nephrology, St. Marina University Hospital, Varna
TS Nephrology, Hemodialysis, and Toxicology, Second Department of Internal Diseases, 
Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna; Staykova, Svetla; Clinic of Nephrology, St. Marina University Hospital, Varna 

TS Nephrology, Hemodialysis, and Toxicology, Second Department of Internal Diseases, 
Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna

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Microplastics and CKD: Are we overlooking the role of ecotoxins

Bulgarian Portal for Open Science 2025

Sabri, Sabri; Clinic of Nephrology, St. Marina University Hospital, Varna TS Nephrology, Hemodialysis, and Toxicology, Second Department of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna, Petrov, Petar; Clinic of Nephrology, St. Marina University Hospital, Varna TS Nephrology, Hemodialysis, and Toxicology, Second Department of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna, Staykova, Svetla; Clinic of Nephrology, St. Marina University Hospital, Varna TS Nephrology, Hemodialysis, and Toxicology, Second Department of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Varna

Summary

This review argues that microplastics deserve greater consideration as a contributing factor to chronic kidney disease, synthesizing evidence that MPs can accumulate in renal tissue, trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, and may represent an underappreciated environmental driver of CKD.

Body Systems

Immune Renal

Study Type In vivo

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a major global health burden with complex and multifactorial etiology. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward environmental pollutants, including microplastics (MPs), as potential contributors to renal injury. Microplastics, defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, are omnipresent in the environment and have been detected in food, water, and even human biological samples. This review explores the physicochemical characteristics, toxicokinetics, and nephrotoxic potential of MPs, with a particular focus on data from in vivo studies. Evidence suggests that MPs, especially in nanoscale, can penetrate biological barriers, accumulate in renal tissue, and induce glomerular and tubular damage through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic dysregulation. MPs should be considered emerging nephrotoxicants with possible relevance in the prevention and management of CKD.

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