Papers

Unraveling the complexities of microplastics and PFAS synergy to foster sustainable environmental remediation and ecosystem protection: A critical review with novel insights

This review examines how microplastics and PFAS (sometimes called 'forever chemicals') interact in the environment, since both often come from the same everyday products. The authors found that microplastics can carry PFAS on their surface, and when organisms are exposed to both together, the combined toxic effects including oxidative stress and reproductive harm can be worse than either pollutant alone.

Impact of maternal microplastic exposure on offspring lung structure and function: Insights into transcriptional misregulation and the TGF-β/α-SMA pathway

Pregnant rats exposed to polystyrene microplastics in their drinking water produced offspring with lung damage visible just 7 days after birth, including plastic deposits and collapsed air sacs. By 120 days, the offspring developed lung changes resembling emphysema, even though they were never directly exposed to microplastics after birth. This study provides evidence that a mother's microplastic exposure during pregnancy can cause lasting lung damage in her children.

Micro‐Nano Plastics and 6‐ <scp>PPD</scp> ‐Q in Cardio‐Pulmonary Health: Environmental Sources, Systemic Exposure, and Mechanistic Insights

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics along with 6-PPD-Quinone, a toxic chemical from tire wear, affect heart and lung health. These pollutants cause oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial damage, and blood vessel injury in cardiovascular and respiratory tissues. The detection of these particles in human tissues underscores the urgency of understanding how everyday exposure to tire and plastic pollution may contribute to heart and lung disease.

Marine Natural Products: A Source of Novel Anticancer Drugs

This review explores marine natural products as potential sources for new anticancer drugs, highlighting compounds derived from marine plants, algae, bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. Researchers found that marine organisms produce diverse bioactive metabolites with unique chemical structures that show promise against cancer cells. The study underscores the ocean as a largely untapped reservoir of compounds that could lead to novel therapeutic approaches.

Influence of polyvinyl chloride microplastic on chromium uptake and toxicity in sweet potato

Researchers studied how polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect the uptake and toxicity of hexavalent chromium in sweet potato plants grown in hydroponic conditions. They found that while the combination of microplastics and chromium impacted plant growth, the microplastics actually reduced chromium accumulation in the plants by adsorbing the metal. The study suggests microplastics can alter how heavy metals interact with food crops, with complex implications for agricultural safety.

Environmental Nephrotoxicity Across the Life Course: Oxidative Stress Mechanisms and Opportunities for Early Intervention

This review examines how environmental pollutants, including microplastics, nanoplastics, bisphenol A, and phthalates, can damage kidneys across a person's lifetime, with early-life exposure being particularly concerning. Researchers found that these pollutants promote oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic changes that can program lifelong susceptibility to kidney problems. The study highlights antioxidant-based interventions as a potential strategy for protecting kidney health from environmental contaminant exposure.

Levels of Phthalates, Bisphenol-A, Nonylphenol, and Microplastics in Fish in the Estuaries of Northern Taiwan and the Impact on Human Health

Researchers analyzed 600 fish from five river estuaries in northern Taiwan for endocrine-disrupting chemicals and microplastics. They found phthalates, bisphenol-A, nonylphenol, and microplastics across all sampling sites, with contamination levels varying by location and fish species, and estimated the potential human health implications from consuming these fish.

Resveratrol Butyrate Esters Reduce Hypertension in a Juvenile Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Disease Exacerbated by Microplastics

Researchers found that resveratrol butyrate esters reduced high blood pressure in young rats that had both chronic kidney disease and microplastic exposure. The protective effects worked by improving nitric oxide levels, regulating the body's blood pressure control system, and positively shifting gut bacteria composition. The study suggests that certain natural compounds may help counteract the cardiovascular harm associated with microplastic exposure.

Protective Effect of Resveratrol on Kidney Disease and Hypertension Against Microplastics Exposure in Male Juvenile Rats

Researchers investigated whether resveratrol, a natural plant compound, could protect young rats from kidney damage and high blood pressure caused by microplastic exposure. They found that microplastics elevated blood pressure and creatinine levels through oxidative stress, and that resveratrol treatment effectively prevented these effects. The study suggests resveratrol may offer protective benefits against organ damage linked to microplastic exposure, partly by improving gut microbiota balance.

Exploring Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Dysregulation in Lung Tissues of Offspring Rats Exposed to Prenatal Polystyrene Microplastics: Effects of Melatonin Treatment

Researchers found that rat pups exposed to polystyrene microplastics before birth showed significant oxidative stress and metabolic disruption in their lung tissues. The prenatal exposure altered nucleic acid metabolism and amino acid profiles in the lungs of newborn pups. Encouragingly, treatment with melatonin significantly improved lung function and reduced tissue damage in the affected offspring.

Evaluation of antibiofilm activity of metal oxides nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes coated styrofoam on the bacterium Jeotgalicoccus huakuii

Researchers tested whether coating styrofoam microplastics with metal oxide nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes could prevent bacterial biofilm formation on plastic surfaces. They found that these coatings significantly reduced biofilm growth by the bacterium Jeotgalicoccus huakuii, especially under light exposure. The findings suggest that nanomaterial coatings could potentially be used to limit harmful bacterial colonization on microplastic debris in the environment.

The Impact of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor on Antenatal Chemical Exposure-Induced Cardiovascular–Kidney–Metabolic Programming

This review examines how exposure to environmental chemicals during pregnancy can program offspring for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health problems later in life, focusing on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a key biological pathway. Evidence from both human and animal studies indicates that activating this receptor through chemical exposure is linked to increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney disease. The study explores potential ways to modulate this receptor pathway to help prevent these health outcomes.

Increased di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure poses a differential risk for adult asthma clusters

Researchers analyzed data linking urinary metabolites of DEHP — a phthalate plasticizer (a chemical added to plastics to make them flexible) found in food packaging, medical devices, and household products — to asthma risk, finding that certain asthma subtypes showed heightened vulnerability to these exposures. The results suggest DEHP metabolites may affect immune pathways in asthma through mechanisms distinct from classic inflammatory responses.

Prenatal melatonin reprograms liver injury in male pups caused by maternal exposure to a high-fat diet and microplastics

Researchers investigated whether prenatal melatonin could protect against liver injury in rat pups caused by maternal exposure to both a high-fat diet and microplastics. The study found that combined high-fat diet and microplastic exposure increased liver fat accumulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress in offspring, but melatonin treatment significantly reduced these effects, suggesting its potential as a protective agent against microplastic-related liver damage during early development.

Microplastic Pollution in Aquaculture: Challenges and Mitigation

This review addressed microplastic contamination in aquaculture systems, where plastic materials like netting and equipment contribute to environmental pollution. The study found that microplastics are absorbed into aquatic organisms' cells, tissues, and organs, disrupting physiological processes, and highlighted the need for urgent management strategies given the expected increase of microplastics in aquatic environments.

Atomically Layered Bronze Nanoalloy Featuring Perpetual Aureolin Fluorescence Adept Microplastic Identification Less than 1 μm in Water

Researchers synthesized a novel 2D layered bronze nanoalloy that exhibits persistent fluorescence and can detect melamine-based microplastics smaller than 1 micrometer in drinking water and seawater. The nanoalloy shows a highly specific fluorescence color change in the presence of melamine-based microplastics, achieving a record low detection limit of 0.03 parts per million. The study presents a promising new nanomaterial tool for identifying sub-micrometer microplastic contamination in water supplies.

Maternal Exposure to Microplastics and High-Fructose Diet Induces Offspring Hypertension via Disruption of H2S Signaling, Gut Microbiota, and Metabolic Networks

Researchers found that maternal exposure to both microplastics and a high-fructose diet during pregnancy and lactation raised blood pressure in rat offspring, with additive effects when the two exposures were combined. Microplastic exposure suppressed hydrogen sulfide signaling enzymes in the kidneys and altered gut microbial communities linked to blood pressure regulation. The study suggests that prenatal microplastic exposure may program long-term cardiovascular and kidney risks in offspring through disrupted metabolic pathways.

Biological Approaches Integrating Algae and Bacteria for the Degradation of Wastewater Contaminants—A Review

This review examined integrated algae-bacteria approaches for wastewater treatment, highlighting how these biological systems can degrade organic contaminants more sustainably than conventional methods while producing less sludge and requiring less energy.

Postbiotic Sodium Butyrate Mitigates Hypertension and Kidney Dysfunction in Juvenile Rats Exposed to Microplastics

This study reports that sodium butyrate, a postbiotic compound, mitigated microplastic-induced hypertension and kidney dysfunction in juvenile rats by reducing oxidative stress, modulating the gut microbiota, and elevating butyric acid levels.

Combined effects of copper oxide and nickel oxide coated chitosan nanoparticles adsorbed to styrofoam resin beads on hydrothermal vent bacteria

This study tested the combined toxicity of metal-oxide nanoparticles (copper oxide and nickel oxide) adsorbed onto styrofoam microplastic beads on hydrothermal vent bacteria. Results showed that microplastics act as carriers that enhance nanoparticle toxicity to bacteria, with chitosan-coated nanoparticle composites showing distinct toxicity profiles.

Oxidative Stress and AKT-Associated Angiogenesis in a Zebrafish Model and Its Potential Application for Withanolides

Oxidative stress and AKT signaling pathway interactions were examined in a zebrafish model to evaluate the potential of withanolides, a class of plant compounds from the Solanaceae family, as modulators of angiogenesis. The study identifies several withanolides as candidates for anti-angiogenic applications based on their ability to suppress oxidative stress and AKT-associated vascular signaling.

An Ultrastable Porous Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane/Tetraphenylthiophene Hybrid as a High-Performance Electrode for Supercapacitors

Researchers synthesized three porous organic-inorganic polymer hybrids based on polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, finding that the tetraphenylthiophene-containing variant achieved the highest specific capacitance at 354 F/g, making it a promising electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors.

Laboratory Measurements of Pyrene and Acenaphthene Partition into Microplastics

Laboratory experiments measured how quickly and extensively three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — pyrene, phenanthrene, and acenaphthene — sorb onto pellets of five common plastic types. PAH uptake had half-lives of around 10 hours, with polypropylene absorbing the most and PVC absorbing the least. The results confirm that microplastics act as concentration vectors for toxic organic pollutants in the environment, and that weathering and oxidation of plastic surfaces increases their capacity to carry these chemicals into aquatic food chains.

Microplastics alter crystal growth in coral skeleton structures