Papers

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Article Tier 2

Long-Term Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Impairs the Liver Health of Medaka

Researchers found that three months of exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused significant liver damage in medaka fish, including oxidative stress, immune disruption, and altered gene expression related to lipid metabolism and detoxification pathways.

2022 Water 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic Exposure on Liver Cell Damage, Oxidative Stress, and Gene Expression in Juvenile Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus)

Researchers exposed young crucian carp to polystyrene microplastics at different concentrations and found dose-dependent liver damage, with higher concentrations causing more severe tissue injury and weaker antioxidant defenses. The microplastics disrupted genes involved in detoxification and stress response in liver cells. Since crucian carp is a commonly consumed freshwater fish, these findings raise questions about whether microplastic-contaminated fish could affect the health of people who eat them.

2025 Toxics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics exposure in freshwater fish, Labeo rohita: evaluation of physiology and histopathology

Researchers fed freshwater fish varying levels of polystyrene microplastics for 90 days and found dose-dependent damage to blood health, growth, and organ tissues. Higher microplastic concentrations caused more severe harm to the liver, kidneys, gills, and intestines. The study highlights that microplastics in freshwater systems can accumulate in fish and cause significant health problems, raising concerns about food safety for communities that rely on freshwater fish.

2025 Scientific Reports 7 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in focus: a silent disruptor of liver health- a systematic review

This systematic review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect liver health, based on 25 experimental and observational studies. The evidence shows that polystyrene particles can cause liver inflammation, oxidative stress, fat buildup, and disruption of metabolic pathways. These findings are concerning because the liver is the body's primary detoxification organ, and plastic-related damage could impair its ability to process other toxins.

2025 Frontiers in Pharmacology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics (Polystyrene) Exposure Induces Metabolic Changes in the Liver of Rare Minnow (Gobiocypris rarus)

Researchers exposed rare minnow fish to polystyrene microplastics and observed significant metabolic changes in the liver after four weeks. The microplastics caused cellular and tissue alterations along with shifts in metabolic pathways related to energy production and lipid metabolism. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure can disrupt normal liver function in freshwater fish even at sublethal concentrations.

2022 Molecules 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Hepatic and metabolic outcomes induced by sub-chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastics in mice

Researchers studied the effects of sub-chronic polystyrene microplastic exposure on mouse livers using multiple analytical approaches. They found that microplastics accumulated in liver tissue and caused inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of normal metabolic processes including lipid and amino acid metabolism. The study suggests that prolonged microplastic ingestion may pose significant risks to liver health.

2024 Archives of Toxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Subchronic oral exposure to polystyrene microplastics affects hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative balance in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

Gilthead seabream fed polystyrene microplastics for 21 days developed signs of liver damage including fat buildup, inflammation, and oxidative stress -- changes similar to early-stage fatty liver disease. Since fish liver responds to microplastics in ways comparable to mammalian livers, these findings raise concerns about what chronic microplastic exposure might do to liver health in humans and other animals.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce hepatotoxicity and disrupt lipid metabolism in the liver organoids

Using lab-grown human liver organoids, researchers showed that polystyrene microplastics caused liver cell damage even at concentrations found in the environment. The microplastics disrupted fat metabolism, increased harmful reactive oxygen species, and triggered inflammation in the liver tissue. This study provides early evidence that microplastic exposure could contribute to liver problems like fatty liver disease in humans.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 279 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanospheres-induced hepatotoxicity in swamp eel (Monopterus albus): From biochemical, pathological and transcriptomic perspectives

Researchers exposed swamp eels to polystyrene nanoplastics for 28 days and found significant liver damage including oxidative stress, tissue abnormalities, and disrupted gene expression related to immune response and metabolism. Higher concentrations caused more severe liver injury, with changes detectable at both the biochemical and genetic levels. This study adds evidence that nanoplastic exposure can harm liver function in freshwater species important to aquaculture and local food supplies.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic contamination: Impact on zebrafish liver metabolism and implications for aquatic environmental health

Zebrafish exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles for 28 days showed significant disruptions in liver metabolism, including altered fat processing, signs of inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. Notably, at lower doses the liver's detox enzymes appeared to break down the nanoplastics themselves, while higher doses overwhelmed these defenses and caused more severe injury.

2024 Environment International 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging microplastic and nanoplastic threats: Decoding winter survival mechanisms in hybrid groupers through hepatic metabolic disruption

Researchers explored how microplastics and nanoplastics of varying sizes affect hepatic lipid metabolism in hybrid grouper fish during winter overwintering periods. The study found that polystyrene particles disrupted lipid metabolism, caused oxidative stress, and altered gene expression in liver tissue, suggesting these pollutants may compromise fish survival during metabolically demanding cold seasons.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 1 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Potential toxicity of microplastics on vertebrate liver: A systematic review and meta–analysis

This meta-analysis of 118 studies found that microplastics damage vertebrate livers by inducing oxidative stress and intracellular toxicity, altering biotransformation processes, and disrupting lipid metabolism. Organisms at earlier life stages, exposed to smaller particles, and for longer durations showed the greatest liver damage, with catalase, GST, reactive oxygen species, and alkaline phosphatase levels progressively increasing with microplastic concentration.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the detrimental effects of microplastics on Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) fingerlings survival and health

Researchers exposed Asian seabass fingerlings to different concentrations of polyethylene microplastics in their diet and observed significant increases in mortality. Tissue analysis revealed serious liver damage including hepatocyte degeneration and inflammation in fish fed microplastic-contaminated diets. The study provides evidence that dietary microplastic exposure poses a direct threat to the survival and health of farmed fish species.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Effects of Polystyrene Particles on Cyprinus carpio: A Laboratory Assessment

Researchers exposed common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to polystyrene particles in a controlled laboratory setting, measuring survival, growth, histological damage, and oxidative stress markers over a 30-day period. Exposed fish showed liver and gill tissue damage alongside elevated oxidative stress enzymes, demonstrating that polystyrene microplastics are harmful to freshwater fish at tested concentrations.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Dietary polystyrene nanoplastics exposure alters hepatic glycolipid metabolism, triggering inflammatory responses and apoptosis in Monopterus albus

Researchers fed swamp eels different concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics and found dose-dependent liver damage, including disrupted fat and sugar metabolism, inflammation, and cell death. Higher nanoplastic doses caused more severe oxidative stress and activated harmful signaling pathways in liver tissue. The study adds to growing evidence that nanoplastic ingestion can significantly impair liver function in aquatic species.

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

Polystyrene microparticles can affect the health status of freshwater fish – Threat of oral microplastics intake

Researchers fed juvenile rainbow trout polystyrene microplastics at three dietary concentrations for six weeks and assessed multiple health parameters. They found that the highest concentration triggered immune responses, liver and gill damage, disrupted antioxidant balance, and reduced plasma proteins. The study demonstrates that oral microplastic intake can negatively affect the health of freshwater fish across multiple organ systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

The presence of polystyrene nanoplastics enhances the MCLR uptake in zebrafish leading to the exacerbation of oxidative liver damage

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics enhanced the uptake of the toxin microcystin-LR in zebrafish liver over three months of co-exposure, exacerbating oxidative damage and cellular swelling compared to microcystin exposure alone.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of the Biochemical and Histopathological Impact of Polystyrene Microplastic on Channa Punctata (Bloch, 1793) Fish.

Researchers exposed snakehead fish (Channa punctata) to polystyrene microplastics at three doses for 28 days, finding dose-dependent liver and kidney damage, elevated stress enzymes, and histopathological changes — indicating significant biochemical toxicity in freshwater fish.

2023 Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences
Article Tier 2

Histopathological Alterations in Gills, Liver and Kidneys of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Exposed to Polystyrene Microplastics

Goldfish chronically exposed to 1 μm polystyrene microplastics at 1.53 mg/L for 28 days developed histopathological damage in gills, kidneys, and liver, including epithelial lifting, glomerular atrophy, and hepatocellular necrosis, demonstrating organ-level toxicity from chronic PS-MP exposure.

2025 UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Hazards of microplastics exposure to liver function in fishes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastic exposure significantly impairs fish liver function, elevating key liver enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, LDH) and triggering oxidative stress markers in liver tissue. The toxicological mechanisms include inflammation, apoptosis, and metabolic disruption, raising concerns about the health of fish populations in microplastic-contaminated waters and the safety of fish as a human food source.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging threat of environmental microplastics: A comprehensive analysis of hepatic metabolic dysregulation and hepatocellular damage (Review)

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics damage the liver, which is a key organ for filtering toxins from the body. Studies show that microplastics can cause liver tissue damage, trigger cell death, and disrupt fat metabolism, with smaller particles and longer exposure causing worse effects. The findings highlight the liver as a particularly vulnerable organ because it accumulates microplastics that enter the body through food and water.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Medicine 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Sub-chronic exposure of Oreochromis niloticus to environmentally relevant concentrations of smaller microplastics: Accumulation and toxico-physiological responses

Researchers exposed Nile tilapia to low, environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics for 14 days and found the particles accumulated in multiple organs including the brain, liver, and reproductive tissues. The fish showed changes in blood chemistry, increased stress hormones, and signs of liver and kidney dysfunction. These results suggest that even realistic levels of microplastic pollution can cause measurable physiological harm in fish.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and Accumulation of Polystyrene Microplastics in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Toxic Effects in Liver

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics of two different sizes and tracked where the particles accumulated in the body. They found that smaller particles (5 micrometers) built up in the gills, liver, and gut, while larger particles (20 micrometers) mainly stayed in the gills and gut. The microplastics caused liver inflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted fat metabolism, suggesting that ingested microplastics can damage internal organs in fish.

2016 Environmental Science & Technology 1980 citations
Article Tier 2

Histological and Histochemical Effects of Microplastics Administration in Oreochromis niloticus Fingerlings

Researchers exposed Nile tilapia to two types of microplastics and examined histological and histochemical changes in gills, liver, and kidneys, finding tissue-level damage that demonstrates the harmful effects of microplastic ingestion on vital fish organs.

2023 Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. D, Histology and Histochemistry 3 citations