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Papers
89 resultsShowing papers from Hong Kong Baptist University
ClearSize-Dependent Pulmonary Toxicity and Whole-Body Distribution of Inhaled Micro/Nanoplastic Particles in Male Mice from Chronic Exposure
Researchers exposed mice to airborne micro- and nanoplastic particles through normal breathing over an extended period and found the highest accumulation in the lungs, followed by the blood and spleen. Surprisingly, the larger 1-micrometer microplastics caused more severe lung damage than the smaller 80-nanometer particles, triggering inflammation, cell death, and scarring. These findings highlight that breathing in airborne plastic particles poses real health risks, with particle size playing an important role in the type of damage caused.
The potential toxicity of microplastics on human health
This review summarizes the latest evidence on how microplastics enter the human body and cause toxic effects, with growing concern since the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased exposure through disposable masks. Microplastics have now been detected in human blood, lungs, placenta, and feces, and research suggests they may cause harm through inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of normal cell function.
Tire-additive chemicals and their derivatives in urban road dust: Spatial distributions, exposures, and associations with tire and road wear particles
Researchers measured tire-related chemicals and tire wear particles in road dust from Hong Kong and Berlin, finding that highway dust contained up to five times more contamination than other road types. Several of these tire-derived chemicals are linked to health risks including hormone disruption and cardiovascular problems, and the study found that people living near busy roads face higher exposure through accidental dust ingestion.
Bioeffects of Nanoplastics: DNA Damage and Mechanism
This review examines how nanoplastics, plastic particles smaller than one micrometer, can damage DNA in cells. The authors explain that nanoplastics may cause genetic damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and direct interference with cellular processes, which raises concerns about potential long-term health effects including cancer risk.
Adolescent exposure to micro/nanoplastics induces cognitive impairments in mice with neuronal morphological damage and multi-omic alterations
Adolescent mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics showed significant memory and learning problems, along with neuron loss and reduced new brain cell growth in the hippocampus. The nanoplastics also disrupted gut bacteria and brain chemistry, with strong links found between gut microbiome changes and brain metabolic disruption, suggesting that plastic exposure during youth may impair brain development through the gut-brain connection.
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity of microplastics in the human body and health implications
This review traces how microplastics move through the human body after being swallowed or inhaled, covering absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. An adult may consume tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year through table salt and drinking water alone, and once inside, smaller particles can spread to different organs. The findings highlight that both the plastics themselves and the chemicals attached to them could pose health risks, though more research is needed to understand the full impact.
Co-exposure of polystyrene nanoplastics and copper induces development toxicity and intestinal mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo and in vitro
When nanoplastics and copper were combined, they caused significantly worse intestinal damage in zebrafish and human gut cells than either pollutant alone. The nanoplastics carried extra copper into the digestive tract, triggering inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, and harmful shifts in gut bacteria -- showing how microplastics can act as vehicles that amplify heavy metal toxicity in the gut.
A comprehensive review of microplastic aging: Laboratory simulations, physicochemical properties, adsorption mechanisms, and environmental impacts
This review examines how microplastics change as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight, water, and chemicals, becoming rougher and more chemically reactive over time. Aged microplastics absorb more pollutants than fresh ones and release harmful additives and free radicals, meaning the microplastics people encounter in the real world may be more dangerous than the pristine particles typically used in lab studies.
Sorption of representative organic contaminants on microplastics: Effects of chemical physicochemical properties, particle size, and biofilm presence
This study examined how organic pollutants like flame retardants and industrial chemicals attach to microplastics in saltwater conditions. Smaller microplastic particles absorbed more contaminants per unit weight, and natural biofilms growing on the plastic surfaces changed how much pollution they could carry. The findings help explain how microplastics act as carriers of toxic chemicals through the environment and potentially into the food chain.
Environmental health impacts of microplastics exposure on structural organization levels in the human body
This review examines how microplastic exposure could affect the human body at every level, from chemical interactions to cells, tissues, organs, and whole-body systems. People are exposed to microplastics through food, air, and skin contact, and the particles can cause harm through their toxic chemical components, the pollutants they carry, and physical damage to tissues. The authors emphasize that standardized research methods and stronger pollution regulations are urgently needed to protect public health.
Gender-specific effects of polystyrene nanoplastic exposure on triclosan-induced reproductive toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
When zebrafish were exposed to both nanoplastics and triclosan (an antimicrobial chemical common in personal care products), the effects on reproduction differed between sexes. In males, nanoplastics increased triclosan levels in the testes and worsened sperm production problems, while in females, nanoplastics actually reduced triclosan in the ovaries and lessened some reproductive harm -- showing that nanoplastics can alter how the body absorbs and responds to other environmental chemicals.
Toxic effects and mechanisms of nanoplastics on embryonic brain development using brain organoids model
Using lab-grown brain organoids (miniature brain models), researchers found that nanoplastics exposure damaged developing brain cells, reduced the number of neural precursor cells, and disrupted connections between neurons. The damage appeared to work through the Wnt signaling pathway, which is critical for normal brain development. These findings raise concerns that nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy could potentially harm fetal brain development.
Airborne Nanoplastics Exposure Inducing Irreversible Glucose Increase and Complete Hepatic Insulin Resistance
Mice exposed to airborne nanoplastics developed irreversible increases in blood sugar and complete insulin resistance in the liver, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. The nanoplastics triggered widespread inflammation and disrupted key metabolic pathways at concentrations similar to what people might actually breathe in polluted areas. This is one of the first studies to show that inhaling tiny plastic particles could directly contribute to metabolic diseases like diabetes.
Polystyrene microplastics induce size-dependent multi-organ damage in mice: Insights into gut microbiota and fecal metabolites
A mouse study found that microplastics of different sizes cause damage to multiple organs, but in different ways. Smaller particles (0.5 micrometers) spread more widely through the body and caused more inflammation in the spleen, kidneys, heart, lungs, and liver, while larger particles (5 micrometers) caused worse gut damage and disrupted gut bacteria linked to brain inflammation. This suggests that the size of microplastics we are exposed to matters for which organs are most affected.
Metabolomics Reveal Nanoplastic-Induced Mitochondrial Damage in Human Liver and Lung Cells
Researchers exposed normal human liver and lung cells to 80-nanometer plastic particles and found that the nanoplastics damaged mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells, without causing widespread cell death. Using metabolomics analysis, they identified specific disruptions to energy metabolism and lipid processing pathways in both cell types. This study reveals a subtle but important way that nanoplastics could impair organ function in humans by disrupting cellular energy production.
Simultaneous exposure to nanoplastics and cadmium mitigates microalgae cellular toxicity: Insights from molecular simulation and metabolomics
In a surprising finding, researchers discovered that when nanoplastics and cadmium (a toxic metal) were present together at high concentrations, their combined effect on microalgae was actually less toxic than either pollutant alone. The nanoplastics appeared to bind with the cadmium, reducing its ability to enter and damage cells. While this suggests some pollutant interactions may be unexpectedly complex, it does not mean nanoplastics are protective -- the study highlights how much we still need to learn about how plastic pollution interacts with other contaminants.
Human Airway Organoids and Multimodal Imaging-Based Toxicity Evaluation of 1-Nitropyrene
Researchers developed a new lab model using human airway organoids (miniature organ-like structures) to test how air pollutants damage respiratory cells. Using the pollutant 1-nitropyrene as a test case, they found it caused oxidative stress and disrupted fat metabolism in airway cells. While focused on a specific pollutant, this testing platform could be used to evaluate the respiratory effects of inhaled microplastics and nanoplastics on human airways.
Getting Health Hazards of Inhaled Nano/Microplastics into Focus: Expectations and Challenges
This viewpoint article discusses the health risks of breathing in nano- and microplastic particles, an area of growing scientific concern. Researchers highlight that inhaled plastic particles may pose unique hazards due to their tiny size, which allows them to penetrate deep into the lungs. The piece outlines key challenges and expectations for future research into airborne plastic exposure and its potential health effects.
Aspartame Causes Developmental Defects and Teratogenicity in Zebra Fish Embryo: Role of Impaired SIRT1/FOXO3a Axis in Neuron Cells
This study found that aspartame, a common artificial sweetener, caused developmental defects in zebrafish embryos by disrupting key proteins involved in brain development. While not about microplastics, the research is relevant because zebrafish are a standard model for studying how environmental contaminants, including microplastics, affect development. The same biological pathways disrupted by aspartame, such as autophagy and cell survival, are also affected by microplastic exposure.
A review on mechanistic understanding of microplastic pollution on the performance of anaerobic digestion
This review examines how microplastic contamination affects anaerobic digestion, a process used to convert organic waste into biogas. Researchers found that microplastics can harm the microbial communities essential to this process through direct contact, leaching of toxic chemicals, and generating harmful reactive oxygen species. The findings raise concerns that microplastic pollution could reduce the efficiency of waste treatment systems and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.
Microplastics in dust from different indoor environments
Researchers measured microplastic levels in indoor dust across different types of buildings, finding that residential apartments had the highest concentrations at over 1,100 particles per gram of dust. Polyester fibers were the most common type in homes and hotels, while offices and classrooms had more polyethylene and polypropylene. The study estimated that infants face the highest daily microplastic intake from breathing indoor dust, roughly 30 times more per body weight than adults.
A Novel Strategy to Directly Quantify Polyethylene Microplastics in PM<sub>2.5</sub> Based on Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Researchers developed a new method using pyrolysis gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to directly measure polyethylene microplastics in fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5). This technique overcomes limitations of visual and spectroscopic methods that struggle to detect very small plastic particles in air samples. The study provides one of the first tools for accurately quantifying microplastics in PM2.5, helping researchers better understand the extent of airborne plastic pollution.
Macrophage‐Mediated Transport of Insoluble Indirubin Induces Hepatic Injury During Intestinal Inflammation
Researchers discovered that immune cells called macrophages can pick up and transport insoluble plant compounds from the gut to the liver, causing liver damage during intestinal inflammation. In mice with chronic colitis, macrophages carried indirubin particles from gut immune patches through the bloodstream to the liver, triggering an inflammatory response. While this study focuses on a plant-derived compound rather than microplastics, the mechanism it describes, where immune cells shuttle insoluble particles from the gut to distant organs, is relevant to understanding how the body might distribute microplastic particles internally.
Microplastic Accumulation in Hong Kong’s Marine Sediment: Spatial Pattern and Potential Sources
Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of microplastics in marine sediments across Hong Kong's waters. They found microplastics at every sampling site, with fibers and fragments being the most common forms and polypropylene and polyethylene the dominant plastics. The spatial patterns suggest that coastal urbanization and water circulation are key factors driving where microplastics accumulate in sediments.