Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Polystyrene micro- and nanoparticles exposure induced anxiety-like behaviors, gut microbiota dysbiosis and metabolism disorder in adult mice

A mouse study found that exposure to both micro- and nano-sized polystyrene particles caused anxiety-like behavior, disrupted gut bacteria, and altered metabolism. The nanoplastics caused more severe effects than the larger microplastics, and longer exposure periods made the damage worse. These findings support the idea that plastic particles can affect brain function and behavior through the gut-brain connection.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 82 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effects of exposure to micro/nanoplastics of polystyrene on neuronal oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and anxiety-like behavior in mice: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examined 24 studies on how polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics affect the brains of mice. The findings consistently showed that exposure led to increased oxidative stress, brain inflammation, and anxiety-like behavior. Maternal exposure also caused brain-related harm in offspring, suggesting these tiny plastic particles could pose real risks to the nervous system.

2024 Emerging contaminants 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano polystyrene induced changes in anxiety and learning behaviour are mediated through oxidative stress and gene disturbance in mouse brain regions

Researchers orally exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics for eight weeks and documented impaired learning, spatial memory deficits, and heightened anxiety, linked to oxidative stress, reduced neurotransmitter gene expression, and altered acetylcholinesterase activity across three brain regions including the cortex and hippocampus.

2023 NeuroToxicology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces an anxiolytic-like effect, changes in antipredator defensive response, and DNA damage in Swiss mice

Researchers exposed male Swiss mice to polystyrene nanoplastics at two doses over 20 days and assessed behavioral, neurological, and genetic effects. The study found that nanoplastic exposure induced anxiolytic-like behavior, altered antipredator defensive responses, and caused DNA damage in erythrocytes, suggesting that nanoplastics can affect mammalian brain function and genomic integrity.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Manifestation of polystyrene microplastic accumulation in brain with emphasis on morphometric and histopathological changes in limbic areas of Swiss albino mice

Mice exposed to polystyrene microplastics showed cognitive impairment, anxiety-like behavior, and measurable brain damage, particularly in the limbic system regions responsible for memory and emotion. The microplastics accumulated in the brain and caused neuron loss in the hippocampus, along with structural damage to the cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus. This study provides direct evidence that microplastics can reach the brain and cause physical changes that affect behavior and mental function.

2024 NeuroToxicology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

To what extent are orally ingested nanoplastics toxic to the hippocampus in young adult rats?

Researchers investigated polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity to the hippocampus in young adult rats, finding that oral exposure caused oxidative stress, inflammation, and histopathological changes in brain tissue with potential implications for cognitive function.

2023 Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Neurotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on memory and microglial activation: Insights from in vivo and in vitro studies

In a mouse study, tiny nanoplastics (30-50 nanometers) that were swallowed reached the brain and caused memory problems by activating the brain's immune cells, called microglia, which triggered inflammation. This is concerning because it shows that nanoplastics small enough to be found in everyday products like cosmetics could cross into the brain and impair cognitive function.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy and lactation on neurodevelopment of rat offspring

When pregnant and nursing rats were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics, their offspring showed thinner brain cortexes, disrupted neurotransmitter levels, damaged connections between brain cells, and problems with anxiety and spatial memory. This study suggests that maternal exposure to nanoplastics during pregnancy and breastfeeding could affect brain development in offspring.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Revealing the underlying mechanisms of nanoplastics induces neuroinflammation: From transcriptomic analysis to in vivo and in vitro validation

This study investigated how nanoplastics cause brain inflammation in mice. Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics accumulated in the brain, triggered anxiety-like behavior and cognitive problems, and activated inflammatory pathways involving NF-kappaB signaling. The evidence indicates that nanoplastics can cross into the brain and activate immune cells there, pointing to specific molecular mechanisms that may underlie the neurological effects of plastic particle exposure.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Neurobehavioral assessment of rats exposed to pristine polystyrene nanoplastics upon oral exposure

Researchers orally dosed male rats with polystyrene nanoparticles at four doses for five weeks and found no statistically significant neurobehavioral effects across a battery of tests, though subtle trends such as increased open-arm exploration in the elevated plus maze suggest that even pristine nanoplastics may produce low-level behavioral signals warranting further investigation.

2017 Chemosphere 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Neurotoxic potential of polystyrene nanoplastics in primary cells originating from mouse brain

Researchers exposed three types of primary mouse brain cells to 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics and found that neurons underwent apoptosis while astrocytes survived but developed reactive astrocytosis with elevated inflammatory markers, suggesting that neuronal vulnerability to nanoplastic accumulation may be amplified by astrocyte-driven neuroinflammation.

2020 NeuroToxicology 118 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo impact assessment of orally administered polystyrene nanoplastics: biodistribution, toxicity, and inflammatory response in mice

Researchers orally administered polystyrene nanoplastics to mice for two weeks and tracked their distribution and biological effects. The nanoplastics accumulated primarily in the intestine, kidneys, and liver, triggering significant inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in these organs despite no visible tissue damage. The study provides evidence that even short-term oral exposure to nanoplastics can cause meaningful inflammatory changes in multiple organ systems.

2021 Nanotoxicology 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics causes anxiety and depressive-like behavior and down-regulates EAAT2 expression in mice

Mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics for two months developed anxiety and depression-like behaviors linked to reduced brain cell communication in the prefrontal cortex, caused by overactive support cells blocking a key brain chemical recycling system. When researchers activated the blocked recycling protein (EAAT2), the anxiety and depression symptoms were reversed, suggesting a potential treatment approach for nanoplastic-related mental health effects.

2025 Archives of Toxicology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Orally administered fluorescent nanosized polystyrene particles affect cell viability, hormonal and inflammatory profile, and behavior in treated mice

Researchers found that orally administered fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles passed through the mouse digestive system and accumulated in multiple organs. The study observed changes in cell viability, hormonal and inflammatory profiles, and behavior in treated mice, providing evidence that ingested nanoplastics can cross biological barriers and affect multiple body systems.

2022 Environmental Pollution 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to different surface-modified polystyrene nanoparticles caused anxiety, depression, and social deficit in mice via damaging mitochondria in neurons

Mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface coatings all developed anxiety, depression, and impaired social behavior after the particles accumulated in their brains. The nanoplastics crossed the blood-brain barrier by disrupting the connections between blood vessel cells, then damaged the mitochondria (energy producers) inside brain neurons, reducing their energy output and likely driving the behavioral changes.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Perinatal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics alters socioemotional behaviors via the microbiota–gut–brain axis in adult offspring mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics during the perinatal period and found that the offspring developed depression-like behaviors, reduced social interactions, and diminished social dominance as adults. The nanoplastics caused structural damage to hippocampal neurons and disrupted gut microbiota composition, particularly in male offspring. The study suggests that early-life nanoplastic exposure may affect brain development and behavior through the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

2025 Brain Behavior and Immunity 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Cerebral to SystemicRepresentations of Alzheimer’sPathogenesis Stimulated by Polystyrene Nanoplastics

Researchers exposed both wild-type and APP/PS1 Alzheimer's model mice to environmental levels of polystyrene nanoplastics and measured Alzheimer's-like pathology progression. Nanoplastics exacerbated cognitive decline, microglial activation, and hippocampal neuronal death, particularly in the Alzheimer's model, with systemic inflammatory effects suggesting plastic particles may accelerate neurodegeneration.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Teratological, neurochemical and histomorphic changes in the limbic areas of F1 mice progeny due to co-parental polystyrene nanoplastic exposure

Researchers exposed parent mice to polystyrene nanoplastics before and during pregnancy and found that offspring exhibited skeletal and visceral malformations, impaired neonatal reflexes, learning deficits, and structural brain changes — including reduced hippocampal neurons — demonstrating transgenerational neurodevelopmental harm from nanoplastic exposure.

2024 Toxicology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Short-term PS-NP exposure in early adulthood induces neuronal damage in middle-aged mice via microglia-mediated neuroinflammation

Researchers orally dosed young mice with polystyrene nanoplastics for one week and observed, ten months later, that particles persisted in brain tissue and drove microglial-mediated neuroinflammation, synapse loss, and cognitive impairment — with minocycline treatment confirming that microglial activation was the key driver of long-term neuronal damage.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological stress response of the Wistar albino rats orally exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles

Rats given oral doses of polystyrene nanoparticles for five weeks showed dose-dependent increases in oxidative stress markers and changes in liver and kidney enzyme levels. The findings suggest that ingested nanoplastics can cause biochemical stress in mammals, providing data relevant to assessing human health risks.

2020 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations