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Papers
1,763 resultsAn Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses Evaluating Associations between Human Health and Exposure to Major Classes of Plastic-Associated Chemicals
This umbrella review — a review of existing meta-analyses — assessed the health effects of chemicals found in plastics, including BPA, phthalates, and PFAS. The evidence links these plastic-associated chemicals to hormonal disruption, reproductive problems, metabolic issues, and increased cancer risk across many studies.
Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains
Researchers found microplastics in human brain, liver, and kidney tissue samples, with plastic levels significantly higher in samples from 2024 compared to 2016. The brain contained especially high levels of polyethylene, and brains from people with dementia had even more plastic accumulation. These findings suggest that microplastics are building up in human organs over time, raising urgent questions about potential health effects.
Assessing the Impact of Nanoplastics in Biological Systems: Systematic Review of In Vitro Animal Studies
This systematic review of lab studies found that nanoplastics can damage cells in the gut, lungs, liver, brain, and reproductive organs of animals. These ultra-small plastic particles appear capable of crossing biological barriers and causing inflammation and oxidative stress, raising concerns about similar effects in humans.
The micro(nano)plastics perspective: exploring cancer development and therapy
This review explores the emerging link between microplastics and cancer development. Microplastics can trigger chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormone disruption, all of which are known pathways that may promote cancer growth. Interestingly, researchers are also studying whether engineered microplastics could be used as drug carriers for cancer therapy, though long-term effects remain unclear.
Microplastic diagnostics in humans: “The 3Ps” Progress, problems, and prospects
Microplastics have now been detected in a wide range of human biological samples including blood, liver, lung, placenta, kidney, spleen, sputum, and feces using advanced analytical methods. This first systematic review of human microplastic diagnostics revealed that contamination control procedures remain inconsistent across studies, complicating cross-study comparison of exposure levels.
Microplastics predominantly affect gut microbiota by altering community structure rather than richness and diversity: A meta-analysis of aquatic animals
A phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis of 63 studies across 31 aquatic species found that microplastics significantly alter gut microbiota community structure — with between-group distances 87.75% higher than within-group distances — even at environmentally relevant concentrations. However, microplastics did not significantly affect species richness or Shannon diversity, indicating structural reorganization rather than diversity loss.
Hazards of microplastics exposure to liver function in fishes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This meta-analysis found that microplastic exposure significantly impairs fish liver function, elevating key liver enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, LDH) and triggering oxidative stress markers in liver tissue. The toxicological mechanisms include inflammation, apoptosis, and metabolic disruption, raising concerns about the health of fish populations in microplastic-contaminated waters and the safety of fish as a human food source.
A review of potential human health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics exposure
This systematic review summarized 133 studies on how micro- and nanoplastics affect human health based on mammalian research. The evidence points to cell damage, inflammation, gut disruption, and reproductive harm, though most studies focused on polystyrene particles and more research is needed on other common plastic types.
Effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the kidney and cardiovascular system
This review summarizes evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics found in human hearts, kidneys, blood, and urine can cause oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and metabolic disruption. Kidney dialysis patients may face especially high exposure, and clinical evidence suggests particulate plastic exposure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Polystyrene microplastics induce hepatic lipid metabolism and energy disorder by upregulating the NR4A1-AMPK signaling pathway
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics accumulate in the liver and disrupt fat and energy metabolism by activating a specific molecular pathway called NR4A1-AMPK. This activation triggers a self-cleaning process called autophagy that reduces fat production in liver cells, while also increasing harmful reactive oxygen species. The findings suggest that long-term microplastic exposure could lead to ongoing liver damage through this metabolic disruption.
Exploring the ecotoxicological impacts of microplastics on freshwater fish: A critical review
This review examines how microplastics affect freshwater fish, which often mistake the tiny particles for food. Once ingested, microplastics do not stay in the gut -- they enter the bloodstream and spread to the gills, liver, brain, heart, and reproductive organs, causing hormonal, immune, neurological, and reproductive problems. Because microplastics build up in the food chain, the contamination of fish has broader implications for other animals and for people who eat freshwater fish.
Microplastics in our diet: A growing concern for human health
Microplastics smaller than 5 millimeters are entering our food through drinking water, salt, seafood, packaged food, and even alcoholic beverages. Once consumed, these particles have been detected in human blood, feces, breast milk, liver, and other tissues, showing they can accumulate throughout the body. Emerging evidence links microplastic exposure to inflammation, oxidative stress, gut problems, brain effects, reproductive harm, and cardiovascular risks.
A systematic review of the effects of nanoplastics on fish
This systematic review examines how nanoplastics (extremely small plastic particles) affect fish, including their ability to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues. The findings are relevant to human health because fish are a major dietary protein source, and understanding how plastics move through aquatic food chains helps us assess our own exposure risks.
A Systematic Review of the Toxicokinetics of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals Following Digestive Exposure
This systematic review summarizes existing research on what happens to micro and nanoplastics after mammals ingest them through food and water. The evidence shows these particles can survive digestion and potentially cross into tissues and organs, raising important questions about long-term health effects from the microplastics we unknowingly consume every day.
Hazard assessment of airborne and foodborne biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates microplastics and non-biodegradable polypropylene microplastics
A mouse study compared biodegradable PHA plastic particles to conventional polypropylene microplastics and found both types caused harm to the lungs, liver, and gut when inhaled or eaten. However, the biodegradable PHA particles caused notably less damage than polypropylene, suggesting that while biodegradable plastics are not harmless, they may pose lower health risks than traditional plastics.
Mechanisms of microplastics on gastrointestinal injury and liver metabolism disorder (Review)
This review summarizes how microplastics and nanoplastics can damage the gastrointestinal tract and disrupt liver metabolism when they enter the human body. The particles trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death in gut tissues, and can interfere with how the liver processes glucose and fats. As plastics continue to break down into ever-smaller particles, the potential for harm increases because nanoplastics can penetrate cells more easily.
Combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and perfluorobutane sulfonate on mouse liver: Impact on lipid metabolism and gut-liver axis disruption
This study examined what happens when mice are exposed to both polystyrene microplastics and PFBS (a type of "forever chemical") at the same time. The combination caused significantly worse liver damage than either pollutant alone, disrupting fat metabolism and triggering gut bacteria imbalances that further harmed the liver through the gut-liver connection. These findings are concerning because microplastics can absorb PFAS chemicals in the environment, meaning people may often be exposed to both together.
Inhalation of Microplastics Induces Inflammatory Injuries in Multiple Murine Organs via the Toll-like Receptor Pathway
After mice inhaled polystyrene microplastics, the particles spread to the brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, and other organs within days, triggering widespread inflammation through a specific immune signaling pathway called TLR/NF-kB. These findings suggest that breathing in microplastics could cause inflammatory damage across multiple organ systems in the body.
Oligomer nanoparticle release from polylactic acid plastics catalysed by gut enzymes triggers acute inflammation
Researchers found that polylactic acid (PLA), a popular 'eco-friendly' biodegradable plastic, releases nanoplastic particles when broken down by gut enzymes during digestion. In mice, these PLA fragments accumulated in the liver, intestine, and brain, causing intestinal damage and acute inflammation by interfering with a key immune enzyme, raising important questions about whether biodegradable plastics are truly safer for human health.
Microplastics bioaccumulation in fish: Its potential toxic effects on hematology, immune response, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, growth, and reproductive dysfunction
This review finds that microplastics accumulate primarily in the guts and gills of fish before spreading to other tissues through the bloodstream, causing a cascade of harmful effects including blood changes, immune suppression, nerve damage, and reproductive problems. The severity of harm depends on the size and dose of particles and how long the fish are exposed, with implications for the safety of fish consumed by humans.
Microplastic-mediated new mechanism of liver damage: From the perspective of the gut-liver axis
This review describes how microplastics can damage the liver through the gut-liver axis: they first disrupt the gut's protective barrier and beneficial bacteria, allowing harmful substances to leak through the weakened intestinal wall into the bloodstream and travel to the liver. Once there, these substances cause inflammation, metabolic problems, and oxidative stress, offering a new explanation for how microplastic exposure could lead to liver disease.
Potential toxicity of microplastics on vertebrate liver: A systematic review and meta–analysis
This meta-analysis of 118 studies found that microplastics damage vertebrate livers by inducing oxidative stress and intracellular toxicity, altering biotransformation processes, and disrupting lipid metabolism. Organisms at earlier life stages, exposed to smaller particles, and for longer durations showed the greatest liver damage, with catalase, GST, reactive oxygen species, and alkaline phosphatase levels progressively increasing with microplastic concentration.
Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Researchers analyzed autopsy samples and found that human brains contained significantly higher concentrations of microplastics than livers or kidneys, with polyethylene being the dominant type. Strikingly, microplastic levels in brain tissue increased substantially between samples collected in 2016 and 2024, suggesting that human brain exposure to microplastics is rising over time.
Polystyrene microplastics promote liver inflammation by inducing the formation of macrophages extracellular traps
Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics trigger liver inflammation by causing immune cells called macrophages to release web-like structures (extracellular traps) that damage surrounding liver cells. The mechanism involves microplastics generating harmful reactive oxygen species inside macrophages, disrupting their internal recycling systems and ultimately causing them to burst, which highlights how microplastics may drive organ inflammation in the body.