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Papers
54 resultsShowing papers from Université Paris Cité
ClearUltra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses
This umbrella review of epidemiological studies examines the health effects of ultra-processed foods, which are a significant source of human microplastic exposure due to plastic packaging. Ultra-processed foods have been linked to a wide range of adverse health outcomes in population studies. The connection between processed food packaging and microplastic contamination adds another dimension to why reducing ultra-processed food consumption may benefit health.
Exposure of the human placental primary cells to nanoplastics induces cytotoxic effects, an inflammatory response and endocrine disruption
Scientists exposed human placental cells to polystyrene nanoparticles at concentrations found in human blood and observed cell death, inflammation, and disrupted hormone production, with smaller 20-nanometer particles causing more damage than larger ones. This is significant because the placenta is the critical barrier protecting developing babies, and these findings suggest nanoplastics may interfere with pregnancy hormones and placental function at real-world exposure levels.
Pulmonary hazards of nanoplastic particles: a study using polystyrene in in vitro models of the alveolar and bronchial epithelium
Lab tests on human lung cell models found that polystyrene nanoplastics did not cause immediate cell death but did interfere with key lung functions like surfactant and mucus production and immune signaling. This means standard toxicity tests may underestimate the real danger of inhaling nanoplastics, and researchers need to look beyond simple cell survival to understand the true health effects on the lungs.
Stability and dispersibility of microplastics in experimental exposure medium and their dimensional characterization by SMLS, SAXS, Raman microscopy, and SEM
Scientists tested how microplastics behave when suspended in biological fluids containing proteins, which is closer to real-world conditions inside the body. They found that protein coatings on microplastic surfaces actually promoted the formation of even smaller nanoplastic debris over time. This matters for human health because these secondary nanoplastics may be small enough to cross biological barriers and enter cells more easily.
International consensus guidelines for the definition, detection, and interpretation of autophagy-dependent ferroptosis
This scientific review provides guidelines for understanding a specific type of cell death called autophagy-dependent ferroptosis, where cells essentially digest their own protective components and then die from iron-driven damage. While not directly about microplastics, this process is relevant because microplastics and nanoplastics have been shown to trigger oxidative stress and iron-related cell damage in tissues. Understanding these cell death pathways helps researchers assess how plastic particle exposure could harm organs like the liver, brain, and lungs.
Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait
Researchers argue that the strong and growing evidence linking ultra-processed foods to heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions justifies immediate public health action. Ultra-processed foods may cause harm through multiple pathways, including their plastic packaging, chemical additives, and poor nutritional quality. The authors stress that waiting for complete scientific understanding of every mechanism should not delay policies to reduce consumption of these foods.
Costs of molecular adaptation to the chemical exposome: a focus on xenobiotic metabolism pathways
This review examines how the human body processes foreign chemicals through specialized metabolic pathways, and how the sheer number of chemicals we are exposed to can overwhelm these defense systems. The pathways designed to detoxify harmful substances can generate toxic byproducts when they are overloaded or when multiple chemicals compete for the same enzymes. This is relevant to microplastics because they carry absorbed chemicals into the body, adding to the overall chemical burden that these metabolic pathways must handle.
The urgency of building soils for Middle Eastern and North African countries: Economic, environmental, and health solutions
This review examines soil degradation across the Middle East and North Africa and proposes using constructed soils made from waste materials as a restoration strategy. While focused on soil rehabilitation rather than microplastics specifically, the approach is relevant because waste materials used in soil construction may contain microplastics, and degraded soils are more vulnerable to microplastic contamination. The review highlights the interconnected challenges of waste management, soil health, and food security in arid regions.
Harnessing biomaterials for advanced biosensor and bioelectronic devices development: From natural chromophores to biodegradable substrates and peptide-based detection of nanoplastics
Researchers developed biosensors using natural materials like grape-derived pigments, cellulose-silk substrates, and enzyme-derived peptides to detect environmental pollutants including nanoplastics. The peptide-based sensor was able to detect polystyrene nanoplastics with high sensitivity. The work demonstrates that sustainable, biomaterial-based sensors could serve as practical tools for monitoring nanoplastic contamination in the environment.
The urgent need for microbiology literacy in society
This paper argues that society urgently needs better microbiology literacy to make informed decisions about issues ranging from public health to environmental management. Researchers highlight that microbes underpin critical functions in ecosystems, human health, and the biosphere, yet public understanding of microbiology remains extremely limited. The study calls for integrating microbiology education into broader scientific literacy efforts to help individuals and policymakers make better evidence-based decisions.
The environmental fate of nanoplastics: What we know and what we need to know about aggregation
Researchers systematically analyzed experimental studies on nanoplastic aggregation behavior, evaluating the environmental relevance of 377 solution chemistries and 163 particle models. The study found that commonly used polymer latex spheres do not accurately represent real-world nanoplastics, and suggests that incidentally produced nanoplastics may be more sensitive to heteroaggregation than previously expected.
In-flow single particle detection of sub-100 micron microplastics
Researchers developed an in-flow single particle detection method for identifying microplastics smaller than 100 microns. The study addresses the particular concern around sub-100 micron microplastics, which are more likely to be ingested by organisms and are harder to detect using conventional methods.
Legacy Plastics Release Toxic Metal(oid)s During Environmental Degradation
Scientists found that old plastic items on beaches contain toxic metals like lead and chromium that get released when the plastic breaks down from sunlight and wear. When these "legacy plastics" degrade, they create tiny cracks that allow dangerous metal particles to escape into the environment as separate pollutants. This matters because these toxic metals can end up in our food chain and water supply, potentially harming human health beyond the risks we already know about from microplastics alone.
Microplastic leachates inhibit small-scale self-organization in mussel beds
Researchers found that chemical leachates from plastic pellets collected in the intertidal zone disrupted the ability of mussels to form self-organized spatial patterns and produce byssal threads. The study suggests that plastic pollution may undermine the natural self-organization processes that help mussel beds maintain ecosystem resilience, representing a previously unrecognized threat to intertidal habitat stability.
Toxicity of polycaprolactone nanoplastics, pristine or weathered in environmental conditions, to human intestinal epithelial cells, in vitro
Researchers tested whether nanoplastics made from polycaprolactone — a biodegradable plastic — harmed human colon cells in lab conditions, including cells engineered to mimic genetic susceptibility to Crohn's disease, and found only mild toxicity even after the plastics were artificially aged to simulate environmental weathering. The results suggest that biodegradable nanoplastics may be less harmful to gut cells than conventional plastics, though longer-term and in vivo studies are still needed.
Toxicity assessment of environmental MPs and NPs and polystyrene NPs on the bivalve Corbicula fluminea using a multi-marker approach
Researchers compared the toxicity of commercial polystyrene nanoplastics with environmental micro- and nanoplastics collected from the Garonne River on freshwater bivalves, finding that real-world environmental particles induced distinct biological responses compared to laboratory standards.
ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Basic and Translational Science Assembly
This review highlights key findings from the 2022 European Respiratory Society Congress on how climate change, air pollution, microplastics, and early-life events affect respiratory health, alongside advances in the Human Lung Cell Atlas, cell death pathways in lung disease, and novel asthma therapies.
Mission Tara Microplastics: a holistic set of protocols and data resources for the field investigation of plastic pollution along the land-sea continuum in Europe
Researchers present a comprehensive set of sampling protocols from the Tara Microplastics mission, which investigated plastic pollution along nine major European rivers by measuring microplastic concentrations, microbial communities, and biophysicochemical parameters along salinity gradients.
Repeated exposure to polyethylene microplastic mixtures containing PFAS and bisphenols activates THP-1 macrophages with inflammatory features
Researchers exposed THP-1 macrophages repeatedly to polyethylene microplastics combined with PFAS and bisphenol additives to more accurately simulate real-world human contamination. The study found that repeated exposure activated macrophages with inflammatory features, suggesting that the combination of microplastics and their chemical additives may trigger immune responses in human cells.
Residues: Rethinking Chemical Environments
This conceptual paper argues for rethinking how we understand chemical environments, proposing that residues — persistent traces of chemicals in ecosystems — represent a fundamental but underappreciated lens for environmental science and policy.
Predicting effects of multiple interacting global change drivers across trophic levels
Researchers proposed a framework using reaction norms to predict how multiple interacting global change drivers simultaneously affect vital rates and population dynamics across trophic levels, addressing a key challenge in ecology and conservation.
Role of the Protein Corona in the Colloidal Behavior of Microplastics
Researchers investigated how protein coronas form on polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in biological media, finding that proteins act as surfactants that alter the colloidal behavior and stability of microplastics in aquatic environments.
The Potential Role of Marine Fungi in Plastic Degradation – A Review
This review examined the potential role of marine fungi in plastic degradation, highlighting that while terrestrial fungi can metabolize some plastic types, marine fungal-plastic interactions remain largely unexplored despite fungi's known ability to break down recalcitrant compounds.
Toxicity of environmental and polystyrene plastic particles on the bivalve Corbicula fluminea: focus on the molecular responses
Researchers exposed freshwater bivalves to environmental microplastics and nanoplastics collected from a river, as well as to laboratory polystyrene nanoparticles, and measured molecular-level responses. Gene expression analysis revealed that plastic particle exposure activated stress response and immune defense pathways in gill and visceral tissues. The study indicates that even environmentally relevant concentrations of plastic particles can trigger measurable biological stress in filter-feeding organisms.