Papers

5 results
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Article Tier 2

Dietary exposure to polystyrene microplastics exacerbates liver damage in fulminant hepatic failure via ROS production and neutrophil extracellular trap formation

In mice with acute liver failure, prior exposure to polystyrene microplastics made the liver damage significantly worse and increased mortality. The microplastics boosted harmful reactive oxygen species and triggered immune cells to form structures called neutrophil extracellular traps, which amplified inflammation in the liver. This study suggests that people with existing liver conditions could be especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of microplastic exposure.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

The freeze-thaw cycle exacerbates the ecotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to Secale cereale L. seedlings

Researchers exposed rye seedlings to polystyrene nanoplastics followed by repeated freeze-thaw cycles (simulating cold climate conditions), finding that temperature cycling significantly increased nanoplastic accumulation within plant tissues, damaged chloroplasts, inhibited photosynthesis, and amplified oxidative stress beyond the effects of nanoplastics or freeze-thaw stress alone.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-omics reveals that Bifidobacterium breve M-16V may alleviate the immune dysregulation caused by nanopolystyrene

Researchers used multi-omics analysis to examine the effects of nanopolystyrene exposure on mice and whether Bifidobacterium breve M-16V could alleviate those effects. The study found that nanopolystyrene caused microbial alterations, metabolic disorders, and immune disturbances after 28 days of exposure. Evidence suggests that supplementation with Bifidobacterium breve M-16V may help alleviate the immune dysregulation caused by nanoplastic exposure.

2022 Environment International 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular Trojan Effect of Microplastic Diethyl Phthalate Drives Multiscale Stress Vortex through Interfacial Engineering in Cold Agroecosystems during Freeze–Thaw Cycles

In a 120-day full-lifecycle soil cultivation experiment, researchers combined microplastic diethyl phthalate with freeze-thaw cycles to simulate cold agroecosystem conditions, and used molecular dynamics and multi-omics to characterize the resulting plant and soil stress. The plastic additive caused compounding oxidative and hormonal stress in plants that was amplified under freeze-thaw conditions, revealing a novel "Trojan effect" in cold-climate agricultural soils.

2025 ACS Nano
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influence nutrient content and quality of salt-affected agricultural soil under plastic mulch

Microplastics were found in salt-affected agricultural soils in northeast China at abundances ranging across mulched and unmulched fields, with MPs affecting soil nutrient content and quality in ways that could influence food production in this important agricultural region.

2024 Environmental Research 7 citations