Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Exploring the prognostic implications of PET microplastic degradation products in colorectal cancer: insights from an integrated computational analysis on glucocorticoid pathway–mediated mechanisms

This computational study investigated how PET microplastic degradation products affect colorectal cancer prognosis, identifying 43 genes linking ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid exposure to cancer pathogenesis via chronic inflammation mediated through TNF/IL-17 and glucocorticoid metabolic pathways.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Exploring the prognostic implications of PET microplastic degradation products in colorectal cancer: insights from an integrated computational analysis on glucocorticoid pathway–mediated mechanisms

Researchers used network toxicology, machine learning, and molecular docking to investigate how PET degradation products—ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid—affect colorectal cancer prognosis through the glucocorticoid signaling pathway. The analysis identified 43 shared target genes, suggesting that PET breakdown products may worsen colorectal cancer outcomes by dysregulating glucocorticoid-mediated anti-inflammatory and cell survival signals.

2025 International Journal of Environmental Health Research
Article Tier 2

Exploring the prognostic implications of PET microplastic degradation products in colorectal cancer: insights from an integrated computational analysis on glucocorticoid pathway–mediated mechanisms

Combining network toxicology, machine learning, and molecular docking, this study found that PET plastic degradation products ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid may influence colorectal cancer prognosis through 43 shared genes linked to TNF/IL-17 signaling and glucocorticoid-mediated metabolic pathways.

2025 Figshare
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Exposure and Its Dual Impact on Metabolic Syndrome and Pathways of Colorectal Carcinogenesis: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological, Experimental, and Mechanistic Evidence

This systematic review examines evidence linking microplastic exposure to both metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer pathways. It found a biologically plausible connection between microplastic exposure and these conditions, though a direct clinical link to cancer has not yet been established.

2025 Journal of Toxicology
Article Tier 2

DEHP mediates drug resistance by metabolic reprogramming in colorectal cancer cells

Researchers found that the common plasticizer DEHP triggers metabolic reprogramming in colorectal cancer cells, shifting them from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation, which promotes tumor growth and decreases sensitivity to the chemotherapy drug fluorouracil.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation in endometrial cancer tissues and its metabolic impact

Researchers examined microplastic levels in endometrial cancer tissues compared to normal tissue and found that cancer tissues contained significantly higher concentrations of plastic particles. The most common plastics detected were polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. Metabolic analysis revealed that microplastic presence was associated with changes in cancer-related metabolic pathways, suggesting that microplastics may play a role in promoting tumor development through metabolic reprogramming.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on chemo-resistance and tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer

For the first time, researchers confirmed the presence of microplastics in human colorectal cancer tissue and showed in animal models that microplastics increased cancer rates and made tumors more resistant to chemotherapy drugs. The study found that microplastics trigger a cell survival mechanism called autophagy that helps cancer cells resist treatment, suggesting plastic pollution could complicate cancer outcomes.

2025 APOPTOSIS 18 citations
Article Tier 2

In-silico pharmacological insights into the therapeutic potential of microRNAs for microplastic-associated cancers

Researchers systematically screened published literature to identify cancer-related genes altered by microplastic exposure, then computationally evaluated microRNAs with anticancer activity that could target those genes, finding potential miRNA-based therapeutic candidates across breast, gastric, and other microplastic-associated tumor types.

2025 Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Microplastics in Human Gastric Cancer and Control Tissues and Analysis of Associated Genetic Features

Researchers detected and characterized microplastics in human gastric cancer tissue and adjacent healthy tissue, finding significantly higher microplastic concentrations in cancer tissue, and used transcriptome sequencing to explore potential molecular mechanisms linking microplastic exposure to gastric cancer development.

2025 Advanced Healthcare Materials
Article Tier 2

Integrative network toxicology and molecular docking preliminarily explore the potential role of polystyrene microplastics in childhood obesity

Researchers used computational methods including network toxicology, machine learning, and molecular docking to explore how polystyrene microplastics might contribute to childhood obesity. They identified 40 overlapping genes between obesity-related and microplastic-affected pathways, concentrated in lipid metabolism and insulin signaling. The study suggests that polystyrene microplastics may act as environmental triggers capable of disrupting metabolic balance by interacting with key regulatory genes.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene terephthalate microplastics exposure enhances the risk of ulcerative colitis: insights from multiomics integration, machine learning, and molecular docking reveal intestinal toxicity mechanisms

Using multiomics integration, machine learning, and molecular docking, this study identified mechanisms by which PET microplastic exposure may increase the risk of ulcerative colitis. Key pathways included intestinal barrier disruption, immune dysregulation, and oxidative stress triggered by PET-MP-protein interactions.

2025 International Journal of Surgery
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene terephthalate microplastics induce immune evasion and malignant remodeling in breast cancer through multi-omics-identified immune checkpoints

Researchers used computational and laboratory methods to investigate how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics may promote immune evasion in breast cancer cells. They identified four immune-related genes that appear to be affected by microplastic exposure, potentially allowing cancer cells to avoid immune detection. The study suggests that microplastic contamination could influence cancer progression through immune system disruption, though further research is needed.

2025 Food and Chemical Toxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics promote chemoresistance by mediating lipid metabolism and suppressing pyroptosis in colorectal cancer

This study found that microplastics can make colorectal cancer cells more resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Cancer cells absorb microplastics through a protein called clathrin, which triggers increased fat absorption and suppresses a cell death pathway that drugs normally rely on. These findings suggest that microplastic accumulation in the gut could potentially interfere with cancer treatment effectiveness.

2025 APOPTOSIS 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrative network toxicology and molecular docking preliminarily explore the potential role of polystyrene microplastics in childhood obesity

Researchers used an integrative computational approach combining cross-species transcriptomics, network toxicology, and molecular docking to investigate potential links between polystyrene microplastic exposure and childhood obesity. They identified shared gene targets involved in lipid metabolism and insulin signaling pathways, with molecular docking confirming stable binding between microplastic compounds and key metabolic proteins. The findings provide a preliminary molecular hypothesis suggesting microplastics could disrupt metabolic processes relevant to obesity.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: An emerging environmental risk factor for gut microbiota dysbiosis and cancer development?

This review examines how microplastics may disrupt the gut microbiome and immune system in ways that could promote cancer development. Evidence from recent studies suggests microplastics can cause chronic inflammation, alter the balance of gut bacteria, and trigger molecular pathways linked to several cancer types including lung, liver, breast, and colon cancer. While more human research is needed, the review highlights a concerning connection between microplastic exposure, gut health, and cancer risk.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

A metabolomics perspective on the effect of environmental micro and nanoplastics on living organisms: A review

This review examines how scientists use metabolomics, the study of small molecules produced by cellular processes, to understand the toxic effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms. The research shows that these plastic particles disrupt metabolism in consistent ways across species, affecting energy production, fat processing, and amino acid pathways. These shared metabolic disruptions across different organisms suggest that microplastics could cause similar metabolic problems in humans.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Why Is Colorectal Cancer Occurring Earlier? Metabolic Dysfunction, Underrecognized Carcinogens, and Emerging Controversies

Researchers reviewed the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer in people under 50, synthesizing epidemiological, molecular, and multi-omics evidence that implicates metabolic dysfunction, accelerated epigenetic aging, gut microbiome dysbiosis, and modern environmental exposures including micro- and nanoplastics as converging contributors to this trend.

2026 Current Obesity Reports
Systematic Review Tier 1

An updated systematic review about various effects of microplastics on cancer: A pharmacological and in-silico based analysis

This systematic review with in-silico analysis found that microplastics have both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing effects on cancer cells, affecting viability, migration, metastasis, and apoptosis. The study identified key proteins (AP2M1, ASGR2, BI-1, Ferritin Heavy Chain) involved in microplastic-mediated cancer progression and used computational modeling to identify existing drugs that might counteract these pathways.

2025 Molecular Aspects of Medicine 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics to Metabolomics: Understanding the environmental and health implications of plastic pollution

This review explores how metabolomics, a technique for analyzing small molecules in biological systems, is being used to understand how microplastic exposure affects living organisms at the biochemical level. The authors examine both targeted and untargeted metabolomics approaches that can reveal changes in metabolic pathways caused by microplastic pollution. The study suggests that metabolomics could become a powerful tool for identifying early biomarkers of microplastic-related health effects.

2025 Polymer Testing 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Oxidative stress and metabolic process responses of Chlorella pyrenoidosa to nanoplastic exposure: Insights from integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics

Researchers used integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics to reveal that the microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa responds to nanoplastic oxidative stress primarily through linoleic acid, glycine-serine-threonine, and arginine-proline metabolic pathways, identifying key driver genes that could be targeted through genetic engineering to reduce nanoplastic harm in aquatic ecosystems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the pathogenic mechanisms of polyethylene terephthalate-microplastic-driven osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: PTGS2 signaling hub-oriented toxicity profiling

Researchers used computational analysis to investigate how PET microplastics might contribute to joint diseases like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They identified the PTGS2 gene, involved in inflammation, as a central hub connecting microplastic exposure to joint disease pathways. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen joint inflammation through specific molecular mechanisms, though further laboratory and clinical research is needed to confirm these computational findings.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microbeads on cytotoxicity and transcriptomic profiles in human Caco‐2 cells

Polystyrene microbeads reduced viability of human intestinal Caco-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner and altered expression of 442 genes, including pathways related to metabolic processes and cellular stress. The transcriptomic findings reveal molecular mechanisms by which microplastics may harm human gut cells.

2019 Environmental Toxicology 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics-Based Insights Into the Toxicological Effects and Mechanisms of Microplastics: A Comprehensive Review.

This review of existing research shows that microplastics—tiny plastic particles found everywhere in our environment—can harm multiple body systems including the gut, brain, and reproductive organs. Scientists used a technique called metabolomics (studying how our body processes chemicals) to discover that microplastics disrupt normal metabolism, potentially affecting everything from digestion and brain function to fertility and child development. This research helps explain why microplastic pollution may be a serious health threat that requires urgent attention and solutions.

2026 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics Approach in Environmental Studies: Methodologies, Application and Challenges

This review examines how metabolomics, the study of small molecules in biological systems, is being applied to environmental research to understand how chemical pollutants including microplastics affect organism metabolism. The study highlights metabolomics as a valuable tool for assessing the biological effects of environmental exposures at the molecular level, helping researchers identify biomarkers of pollutant exposure in both wildlife and humans.

2025 Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry 1 citations