Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to polystyrene microplastics and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate aggravates allergic asthma through the TRPA1-p38 MAPK pathway

This mouse study found that polystyrene microplastics combined with DEHP, a common plastic additive, worsened allergic asthma symptoms more than either pollutant alone. The combination activated an inflammatory pathway called TRPA1-p38 MAPK in lung tissue, increasing airway inflammation and mucus production. The findings suggest that real-world exposure to microplastics carrying chemical additives could aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma.

2023 Toxicology Letters 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic Exposure on Airway Inflammation in an Acute Asthma Murine Model

Mouse experiments found that microplastic exposure worsened inflammatory responses in healthy lungs but did not further aggravate airway inflammation in mice with pre-existing asthma, suggesting the lung's response to microplastics depends on baseline immune state.

2025 Tuberculosis & respiratory diseases
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics aggravate house dust mite induced allergic airway inflammation through EGFR/ERK-dependent lung epithelial barrier dysfunction

In mice with allergic asthma triggered by house dust mites, exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics significantly worsened airway inflammation and lung damage. The nanoplastics disrupted the protective barrier of lung cells by activating a specific signaling pathway (EGFR/ERK), allowing more allergens and immune cells to penetrate lung tissue. This finding suggests that airborne nanoplastics could make asthma and allergies worse for the millions of people who already suffer from these conditions.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Detrimental effects of microplastic exposure on normal and asthmatic pulmonary physiology

Researchers exposed both healthy and asthmatic mice to airborne microplastics and found significant lung inflammation, immune activation, and increased mucus production in both groups. Microplastic particles were taken up by immune cells called macrophages, and gene analysis revealed changes in immune response, cellular stress, and cell death pathways. The study suggests that inhaling microplastics may worsen respiratory health in both normal and vulnerable populations.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 207 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on allergic airways and potential pathogenesis: a review

This review examines how microplastics, which can enter the body through breathing, eating, and skin contact, may affect allergic airway conditions. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can damage airway lining cells, disrupt the protective barrier of the respiratory tract, and trigger heightened airway reactivity. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure may worsen allergic airway inflammation, though more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to microplastics enhances the allergenic potentials of house dust mite allergen Der p 1

This study found that polystyrene microplastics can make common house dust mite allergens more potent, increasing allergic reactions. The microplastics changed the shape of the allergen protein, boosting its ability to trigger immune responses and worsening airway inflammation in mice. This research suggests that indoor microplastic pollution could be contributing to the rising rates of allergies and asthma by making existing allergens more harmful.

2025 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular and molecular mechanisms of allergic asthma

Researchers reviewed the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind allergic asthma, finding that rising exposure to environmental pollutants — including microplastics — likely contributes to the disease's increasing prevalence, as pollutants disrupt airway barrier integrity and trigger immune responses that lead to chronic airway inflammation.

2021 Molecular Aspects of Medicine 243 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics drives ILC2s function and fatty acid metabolism in allergic airway inflammation via PPARγ signaling

Researchers found that microplastics exacerbate allergic airway inflammation in house dust mite-sensitized mice by promoting epithelial barrier disruption and type 2 immune activation. The study revealed that microplastics drive the function of innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) and alter fatty acid metabolism through the PPARgamma signaling pathway, providing mechanistic insight into how airborne microplastics may worsen respiratory allergies.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Airway exposure to microplastics: Potential mechanisms from epithelial barrier damage to the development of allergic rhinitis

This review summarized the mechanisms by which airborne microplastic exposure triggers allergic rhinitis, identifying pathways including physical and chemical disruption of the airway epithelial barrier, oxidative stress from adsorbed pollutants, and induction of Th2 immune responses and IgE class-switching. The findings support airborne MPs as a novel trigger for upper respiratory allergic disease.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Microplastics on Allergy: Current Status and Future Research Directions

This study reviews current evidence on how microplastics may influence allergic responses, noting that microplastics can compromise epithelial barriers and promote type 2 inflammation associated with allergies. The authors emphasize an urgent need for research into dose-dependent immunotoxicological mechanisms to better understand the relationship between microplastic exposure and allergy development. The study calls for evidence-based policies to reduce microplastic exposure and its potential contribution to the growing allergy burden.

2025 International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure to microplastics and particulate matter induced intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction

Researchers established a mouse model combining daily microplastic ingestion and particulate matter inhalation to simulate combined water and air pollution exposure. They found that combined exposure induced greater intestinal inflammation, barrier dysfunction, and gut dysbiosis than either pollutant alone.

2025 Physiology
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of polystyrene nanoplastics and ozone synergistically induced airway inflammation: Evidence and biomarkers screening

Researchers discovered that co-exposure to airborne polystyrene nanoplastics and ozone in mice caused significantly worse airway inflammation than either pollutant alone, with the two acting synergistically. They identified specific metabolic pathways and genes involved in the inflammatory response, providing potential biomarkers for monitoring this type of combined exposure. The findings suggest that breathing in nanoplastics alongside common air pollutants like ozone may pose amplified respiratory health risks.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut-lung axis: a novel mechanism involving microbiota dysbiosis-coordinated PLA2-TRPV1 neuroimmune crosstalk in nanoplastic-induced asthma exacerbation

Researchers found that inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics worsen asthma in mice by triggering a chain reaction involving gut bacteria disruption, nerve-immune signaling, and airway inflammation, revealing a gut-lung connection where plastic particles in the body can amplify respiratory disease through multiple biological pathways at once.

2026 Environment International
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of exacerbation of Th2-mediated eosinophilic allergic asthma induced by plastic pollution derivatives (PPD): A molecular toxicological study involving lung cell ferroptosis and metabolomics

Researchers found that mice exposed to polystyrene microplastics combined with a common plastic additive (dibutyl phthalate) developed significantly worse allergic asthma symptoms, including increased airway inflammation driven by a specific type of immune response. The microplastics triggered a form of cell death called ferroptosis in lung cells, which amplified the allergic reaction. Treatment with an iron-binding drug provided relief, suggesting potential therapeutic approaches for people with asthma who are exposed to plastic pollution.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Progress in understanding the impact of microplastics on respiratory allergic diseases

This review synthesized evidence on how airborne microplastics may affect respiratory allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. Researchers found that inhaled microplastics can compromise airway barriers by disrupting tight junctions, impairing mucus clearance, and weakening mucosal defenses. The study suggests that microplastic characteristics like polymer type, particle size, and surface chemistry influence how they initiate or worsen respiratory allergic responses.

2026 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version)
Article Tier 2

Evidence that microplastics aggravate the toxicity of organophosphorus flame retardants in mice (Mus musculus)

Researchers co-exposed mice to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics along with organophosphorus flame retardants for 90 days and found that microplastics aggravated the toxicity of the flame retardants. Evidence from biochemical markers and metabolomics indicated increased oxidative stress and metabolic disruption in co-exposed animals, suggesting microplastics may worsen the health effects of chemical pollutants they encounter in the environment.

2018 Journal of Hazardous Materials 229 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Allergic Rhinitis: Multimechanistic Drivers of Barrier Disruption and Immune Dysregulation

This review examines the multimechanistic pathways by which microplastics drive barrier disruption and immune dysregulation in allergic rhinitis, considering how physical and chemical properties of microplastic particles interact with nasal epithelial and immune function. The paper synthesizes emerging evidence on microplastics as a novel contributor to upper airway allergic disease.

2025 Immunology
Article Tier 2

Effects of secondary microplastic on the respiratory system of BALB/c mice

Researchers exposed BALB/c mice to secondary microplastics derived from environmentally weathered plastic and assessed respiratory system effects. Secondary MPs caused greater pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress than virgin particles, suggesting that real-world aged plastics carry higher respiratory toxicity risks than pristine particles used in most laboratory studies.

2025
Article Tier 2

Lung microbiota participated in fibrous microplastics (MPs) aggravating OVA-induced asthma disease in mice

In a mouse study, inhaling fiber-shaped microplastics significantly worsened asthma symptoms, including airway inflammation, mucus buildup, and lung tissue scarring. The microplastic fibers also disrupted the balance of bacteria living in the lungs and activated inflammatory pathways. Since fibrous microplastics are the most common airborne shape and have been found in human lungs, this research suggests they could worsen respiratory conditions like asthma in people.

2024 Food and Chemical Toxicology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of nanoplastics in sputum of patients with severe asthma: a novel environmental perspective

Researchers analyzed sputum from severe asthma patients and detected nanoplastics in samples for the first time, comparing concentrations and immune profiles across asthma phenotypes. Nanoplastic presence in sputum was associated with more severe disease and distinct immune dysregulation patterns, identifying environmental nanoplastic exposure as a potential modifier of asthma severity.

2025
Article Tier 2

In vivo toxicity assessment of microplastics in Balb/C mice : study of inhalation exposure and its inflammatory effects

Researchers examined the in vivo toxicity of inhaled microplastics in Balb/C mice, studying pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and systemic effects following repeated inhalation exposure. The study found dose-dependent lung inflammation and evidence of particle translocation to other organs.

2024 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Synergistic pulmonary toxicity of resorcinol bis(diphenylphosphate) and microplastics: Integrated proteomics and metabolomics approach reveals oxidative stress-inflammatory crosstalk

Researchers exposed mice to the flame retardant resorcinol bis(diphenylphosphate) alone and in combination with polystyrene nanoplastics through inhalation. Using proteomics and metabolomics analysis, they found that co-exposure produced significantly worse lung damage than the flame retardant alone, through amplified oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling. The study reveals that nanoplastics can intensify the pulmonary toxicity of co-occurring environmental chemicals through synergistic mechanisms.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Detection of microplastics in patients with allergic rhinitis

In a study of 66 patients, researchers found significantly more microplastic particles in nasal wash samples from people with allergic rhinitis compared to healthy volunteers. The microplastics found were mostly fibers and fragments small enough to deposit in nasal passages during normal breathing. This is among the first studies to link airborne microplastic exposure in the nose to an allergic condition, suggesting inhaled microplastics may contribute to nasal inflammation.

2023 European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene particles induces asthma-like Th2-mediated lung injury through IL-33 secretion

Researchers found that inhaled polystyrene microplastic particles triggered asthma-like inflammation in the lungs of mice, with smaller particles causing more severe responses. The particles stimulated the release of IL-33, a signaling molecule that activates a specific type of immune response associated with allergic airway disease. The study identifies a potential mechanism by which airborne microplastics could contribute to respiratory inflammation.

2025 Environment International 3 citations