Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Addressing Nanomaterial Immunosafety by Evaluating Innate Immunity across Living Species

This review examines how engineered nanomaterials — including nanoplastics — interact with the immune systems of organisms ranging from plants to mammals. Innate immunity consistently responds to nanomaterial exposure across all tested species, suggesting broad biological significance.

2020 Small 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics - A Potential Threat To Human Health?

This thesis examined the inflammatory properties of nanoplastics in the context of both nanomedicine development and understanding health risks from nanomaterial waste. It evaluated whether nanoplastics could trigger immune responses in human cells, which is a key concern given increasing exposure through food and air.

2019 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo)
Article Tier 2

Do Engineered Nanomaterials Affect Immune Responses by Interacting With Gut Microbiota?

This review examined evidence that engineered nanomaterials including nanoplastics can indirectly modulate immune responses by altering gut microbiota composition, finding that while direct immunotoxicity is often mild, microbiome disruption provides an indirect pathway through which nanomaterials may impair host immunity.

2021 Frontiers in Immunology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of micro- and nanoplastics as food contaminants on the immune system

This review synthesized research on how microplastic and nanoplastic exposure affects immune system function, finding evidence across multiple studies that these particles can modulate immune responses and trigger inflammatory pathways in exposed organisms. The authors highlight immune disruption as an emerging health concern from micro- and nanoplastic contamination.

2023 Problems of Nutrition 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The Immunotoxic Effects of Environmentally Relevant Micro- and Nanoplastics

Researchers characterized the immunotoxic effects of over 20 types of micro- and nanoplastic particles on macrophages and dendritic cells, finding that physicochemical properties such as size, shape, polymer type, and surface oxidation strongly influence immune cell responses.

2025
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Nanoparticles on Innate Immune Activation by Live Bacteria

This review examined how nanoparticles — now a routine environmental exposure due to modern technology — interact with innate immune cells including monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells that evolved to detect microbial threats. Findings indicate that engineered nanoparticles can trigger innate immune activation, with potential consequences for chronic inflammation.

2020 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Immunotoxicity of nanomaterials in health and disease: Current challenges and emerging approaches for identifying immune modifiers in susceptible populations

This review examines emerging approaches for assessing the immunotoxicity of nanomaterials, including nanoplastics, with a focus on vulnerable populations. Researchers describe the evolution from simple cell models to advanced systems that more realistically mimic how the body interacts with nanoparticles, including the role of protein corona formation. The study highlights the need to understand how nanomaterial exposure may shift the immune system toward either inflammatory or tolerant states, using integrated experimental and computational methods.

2022 Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanomaterials in Drug Delivery: Strengths and Opportunities in Medicine

This review covers how nanomaterials are being used to improve drug delivery for treating cancer and infections, offering better targeted therapy with fewer side effects. While not directly about microplastics, the research on how nanoparticles interact with human tissues provides insight into how similarly sized nanoplastics might behave once inside the body.

2024 Molecules 84 citations
Article Tier 2

The Emerging Threat of Micro- and Nanoplastics on the Maturation and Activity of Immune Cells

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics affect the immune system, focusing on their impact on immune cell development and function. Studies show that these tiny plastic particles can alter how immune cells mature and respond to threats, potentially weakening the body's defenses or triggering excessive inflammation. Since humans are constantly exposed to microplastics through food, water, and air, understanding these immune effects is critical for assessing long-term health risks.

2024 Biomolecules & Therapeutics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

NLRP3 inflammasome as a sensor of micro- and nanoplastics immunotoxicity

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics may trigger the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key part of the human immune system that activates inflammatory responses when it detects harmful particles. Evidence suggests that plastic particles can penetrate tissue barriers and set off inflammation cascades similar to those caused by other known toxic particulates. Understanding this immune pathway is important for assessing the potential health effects of microplastic exposure in people.

2023 Frontiers in Immunology 43 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Nanoplastics and Immune Disruption: A Systematic Review of Exposure Routes, Mechanisms, and Health Implications

This systematic review found that nanoplastics — extremely tiny plastic particles — can cross biological barriers and disrupt immune function in laboratory studies. The evidence suggests these particles may trigger inflammation and could potentially contribute to autoimmune conditions, though human studies are still limited.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Nanoplastics on Human Health: A Comprehensive Study

This comprehensive review examines the diverse health effects of nanoplastics, drawing on toxicology, environmental science, and epidemiology to document how these particles interact with human biological systems. The authors conclude that nanoplastics represent a growing public health concern requiring further investigation.

2024 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Cross-Species Comparisons of Nanoparticle Interactions with Innate Immune Systems: A Methodological Review

This methodological review compares nanoparticle interactions with innate immune systems across species from plants to humans, identifying conserved immune pathways that can serve as cross-species models for evaluating nanoparticle and nanoplastic toxicity.

2021 Nanomaterials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

In Vitro and In Vivo Models to Assess the Immune-Related Effects of Nanomaterials

This review examines in vitro and in vivo models used to assess the immune effects of nanomaterials, comparing cell line, primary cell, and animal model approaches used by regulatory bodies to evaluate immunosafety of drugs, nanomaterials, and environmental contaminants including nanoplastics.

2021 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics and the Immune System: Mechanistic Insights and Future Directions

This review synthesizes experimental evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt immune system function, documenting effects on macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and T and B cells across multiple organs including the placenta, lungs, blood, and brain. The authors identify key mechanistic pathways and call for standardized exposure studies to clarify real-world health risks.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Detrimental effects of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) on platelet and neutrophil immunity: Recent findings and emerging insights

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) harm the immune system, finding that tiny plastic particles can trigger dangerous inflammation in platelets and neutrophils — immune cells that control clotting and infection defense. These effects could disrupt normal blood vessel function and immune balance, though the exact mechanisms by which cells take up MNPs remain poorly understood.

2025 KOBRA Reports
Article Tier 2

The quest for nanoparticle-powered vaccines in cancer immunotherapy

This review explores how nanoparticles are being developed as cancer vaccine delivery systems to train the immune system to fight tumors more effectively. While focused on cancer immunotherapy rather than microplastics, the research highlights that understanding how nanoparticles interact with the immune system is crucial -- the same principles apply to understanding how nanoplastics may affect immune responses in the body.

2024 Journal of Nanobiotechnology 46 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of micro- and nanoplastics on immune system development and functions: Current knowledge and future directions

This review summarizes existing research on how micro- and nanoplastics affect the immune system, finding that exposure can disrupt blood cell development, alter immune cell behavior, and trigger inflammatory responses in lab and animal studies. While some studies show significant effects on organs like the spleen and intestines, others found minimal impact at environmentally realistic exposure levels, highlighting the need for more standardized research.

2025 Reproductive Toxicology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Immunotoxicity by Microplastics

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics, after entering the body through the gut, lungs, or skin, can disrupt the immune system by triggering inflammation, causing oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules), and impairing immune cell function, while highlighting major gaps in our understanding of these long-term health effects.

2025 International Journal of Zoological Investigations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics and Immunity: Investigating the Extracellular Matrix’s Influence on Macrophage Interaction with Polystyrene Nanoparticles

Researchers investigated how extracellular matrix components affect macrophage uptake of polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that the surrounding matrix modulates nanoplastic-immune cell interactions — with implications for understanding how nanoplastics evade or engage the innate immune response.

2025 Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale
Review Tier 2

Immunotoxicity and intestinal effects of nano- and microplastics: a review of the literature

This review examines the evidence on how nano- and microplastics affect the immune system and intestinal health. The findings suggest that exposure to these particles can disrupt the gut microbiome and impair critical intestinal barrier functions, potentially contributing to the development of chronic inflammatory and immune conditions.

2020 Particle and Fibre Toxicology 658 citations
Article Tier 2

The Micronanoplastics-immune axis across organ systems: towards a research agenda

This review synthesizes current evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the immune system across multiple organ systems in the human body. Researchers examined the primary routes of exposure through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, as well as the cellular mechanisms involved in immune response. The study highlights that microplastic-immune interactions may contribute to chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, pointing to a need for standardized research frameworks.

2025 Discover Medicine 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics: origin, sources of intake and impact on human health (literature review)

This literature review synthesizes mechanisms by which micro- and nanoplastics interact with living organisms, examining their physicochemical properties, routes of human exposure, and documented health effects across multiple organ systems.

2025 Hygiene and Sanitation
Article Tier 2

Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.

This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of primary microplastics with secondary microplastics derived from environmental plastic fragmentation, testing responses in macrophages. Results showed that the origin of microplastic particles influences the immune response they trigger.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)