Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics differ in particle-mucus interactions: The sight on rheological properties, barrier dysfunction and microbiota dysbiosis

Researchers compared how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the protective mucus layer lining the intestines and found that nanoplastics were wrapped in mucus while microplastics were not. Both particle sizes disrupted the gut barrier and altered the gut microbiome in mice at environmentally relevant doses, but through different mechanisms. The study suggests that the mucus layer, a key line of defense in the gut, responds differently depending on plastic particle size, with implications for understanding how ingested plastics may affect digestive health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastics in human digestive in vitro environment and study of the dialogue between epithelium, microbiota and mucus

Researchers used an in vitro human digestive model to track the fate of microplastics through simulated gastrointestinal conditions, investigating how MPs interact with digestive physico-chemical parameters, the epithelium, gut microbiota, and mucus layer, with particular attention to the vulnerable infant population.

2022 theses.fr (ABES)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics (MPs): Fate in in vitro human digestive environment and study of the dialogue between epithelium, microbiota and mucus

This study examined what happens to microplastics as they pass through the human digestive system in vitro, studying interactions between plastic particles, gut microbiota, and intestinal mucus. Understanding how the gut processes microplastics is a key step in evaluating their potential health effects.

2021 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

An inverted in vitro triple culture model of the healthy and inflamed intestine: Adverse effects of polyethylene particles.

Using a laboratory model of the human intestinal lining, researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics affect intestinal cells and found they disrupted the barrier function of the gut wall. A compromised intestinal barrier allows larger molecules and particles to pass into the body, which could amplify the health effects of microplastic ingestion.

2021 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Fate and impact of microplastics in in vitro human digestive environment and dialogue between epithelium, gut microbiota and mucus

This study used laboratory models of the human digestive system to track what happens to microplastics as they pass through the gut, and how they interact with gut bacteria and the mucus lining. The findings provide insight into how microplastics may disrupt the gut environment and potentially affect human health.

2021 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic: A potential threat to human and animal health by interfering with the intestinal barrier function and changing the intestinal microenvironment

This review summarizes current research on how microplastics disrupt the gut environment in both animals and humans, focusing on damage to the intestinal barrier. Studies show that microplastic exposure can cause oxidative damage, inflammation, destruction of the gut lining, thinning of the protective mucus layer, and disruption of beneficial gut bacteria. While direct human evidence is still limited, the growing body of animal research suggests that microplastics could pose a meaningful threat to intestinal health.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 225 citations
Article Tier 2

The microplastic-crisis: Role of bacteria in fighting microplastic-effects in the digestive system

This review examines how microplastics affect the human digestive system and explores whether certain bacteria could help counteract the damage. Microplastics disrupt the gut by altering microbial communities, interfering with digestive enzymes, and damaging the protective mucus lining. The authors highlight the potential for probiotic bacteria to bind to microplastics, reduce inflammation, and help repair the gut environment, offering a possible protective strategy against microplastic-related digestive harm.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics in gastrointestinal tract on gut health: A systematic review.

This systematic review provides the first comprehensive look at how microplastics and nanoplastics affect the human gut using laboratory models. The findings help explain how these tiny particles may damage the digestive tract lining and trigger inflammation, which is important for understanding the health risks of swallowing microplastics in food and water.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Perturbation of gut microbiota plays an important role in micro/nanoplastics-induced gut barrier dysfunction

Researchers investigated how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt gut barrier function in mice, finding that different surface chemistries caused varying levels of damage. The study suggests that these plastic particles harm the gut by altering the gut microbiome, which then leads to inflammation and weakening of the intestinal barrier that normally keeps harmful substances out of the body.

2021 Nanoscale 198 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics in food system: potential health impacts on human intestinal system.

This review assessed how micro(nano)plastics in the human food system reach the intestine and accumulate in the gut, summarizing evidence that they can alter intestinal barrier function, trigger inflammation, and disrupt the gut microbiome, with implications for long-term digestive health.

2024 Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
Article Tier 2

Potential effects of MPs and their co-pollutants on human intestinal tract

This review examines how microplastics and their co-pollutants enter and damage the human intestinal tract, summarizing evidence for microplastic-induced gut barrier disruption, microbiota alteration, and systemic translocation to other organs.

2025 Reviews on Environmental Health
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in our diet: complementary in vitro gut and epithelium models to understand their fate in the human digestive tract.

Researchers used complementary in vitro gut models to study how microplastics behave during human digestion, finding that digestive conditions alter microplastic surface properties and their interactions with gut cells. The work advances understanding of how ingested microplastics may affect the human digestive system.

2021 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

Impact of polyethylene nanoplastics on human intestinal cells

Researchers tested the effects of polyethylene nanoplastics on human intestinal cell lines and found that particles prepared with cationic chemical initiators caused significant cell damage, oxidative stress, and DNA damage over time. Cells that produce a protective mucus layer were largely unaffected, suggesting that mucus may serve as a natural defense. The findings indicate that the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, not just their size, plays a critical role in determining their toxicity to gut tissue.

2024 Nanotoxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel 3D intestine barrier model to study the immune response upon exposure to microplastics

Scientists developed a three-dimensional in vitro intestinal model using human epithelial cell lines (Caco-2 and HT-29) to study the immune response to ingested microplastics, finding that microplastics induced inflammatory cytokine release and altered barrier integrity in a dose-dependent manner.

2020 Archives of Toxicology 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells.

Researchers exposed human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models with and without M cells to polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics, finding that nano-plastics caused greater disruption of barrier integrity and uptake than micro-plastics, and that M cell-containing models showed enhanced particle translocation compared to standard epithelial models.

2023 Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics in gastrointestinal tract on gut health: A systematic review.

This systematic review of 30 in vitro studies found that microplastics and nanoplastics cause size- and concentration-dependent damage to human gastrointestinal cells, including increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and apoptosis. Smaller particles consistently showed greater cellular uptake and biological effects, though chronic low-dose exposure generally produced minimal impacts.

2025 The Malaysian journal of pathology
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics for six weeks and found that the particles accumulated in the gut, reduced protective mucus secretion, and damaged the intestinal barrier. The microplastics also significantly altered the composition of gut bacteria, decreasing beneficial species and increasing harmful ones. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion could disrupt gut health in mammals by simultaneously impairing the physical barrier and reshaping the microbiome.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 986 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics and Their Potential Impact on Human Gut Health: A Narrative Review

This review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics affect the gut, finding that they can damage the intestinal lining, trigger immune responses, and disrupt the balance of beneficial gut bacteria in both cell studies and animal models. Since humans are primarily exposed to microplastics through food and food packaging, understanding these gut effects is essential for assessing the true health risks of plastic pollution.

2024 Current Issues in Molecular Biology 62 citations
Article Tier 2

The infiltration of microplastics in human systems: Gastrointestinal accumulation and pathogenic impacts

This review focuses on how microplastics accumulate in the human digestive system and what health problems they might cause. The authors explain that people ingest microplastics through food, water, and air, and these particles may trigger inflammation, disrupt gut bacteria, and potentially contribute to gastrointestinal diseases.

2025 Heliyon 10 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of microand nanoplastics on the gastrointestinal mucosa and intestinal microbiome].

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics entering through the food chain affect the gastrointestinal tract, finding evidence of disruption to gut mucosal integrity and intestinal microbiome composition, with implications for digestive health and systemic immune function.

2023 PubMed 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and health hazards: gastrointestinal risk assessment across a multi-species perspective

This review assesses the gastrointestinal health risks of micro- and nanoplastics across multiple species, from aquatic organisms to mammals, examining how these particles interact with the digestive system. Researchers found that microplastics can cause gut inflammation, alter the microbiome, and potentially cross the intestinal barrier into other tissues. The study highlights that understanding effects across species can help predict potential risks to human digestive health.

2025 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The Intestinal Barrier—Shielding the Body from Nano- and Microparticles in Our Diet

This review examined how the intestinal barrier protects the body from nano- and microparticles present in the human diet, including food additives and environmental pollutants. Researchers discussed how epithelial barrier function relates to particle uptake and the potential role of nano- and microparticles in inflammatory bowel conditions. The study suggests that while the intestinal barrier provides significant protection, its breakdown could increase vulnerability to dietary particle exposure.

2022 Metabolites 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Elucidating the Size‐Dependency of In Vitro Digested Polystyrene Microplastics on Human Intestinal Cells Health and Function

Polystyrene microplastics of different sizes were subjected to simulated in vitro digestion and then applied to human intestinal cells, with smaller particles causing greater disruption to cell health and barrier function than larger ones. The results suggest that the smallest microplastics reaching the human gut pose the greatest risk to intestinal integrity.

2022 Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: What happens in the human digestive tract? First evidences in adults using in vitro gut models

Researchers used an advanced artificial gut model to study what happens when polyethylene microplastics pass through the human digestive tract under conditions mimicking repeated exposure. They found that microplastics altered the composition of gut bacteria and affected the intestinal barrier without causing overt toxicity. This is among the first studies to simulate realistic human digestive exposure to microplastics, suggesting subtle but meaningful effects on gut health.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 114 citations