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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of Orally Ingested Microplastics on the Structure and Function of the Kidneys
ClearEffects of microplastics on the kidneys: a narrative review
This review summarizes growing evidence that microplastics can accumulate in the kidneys, where they may trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular damage that could worsen kidney function. People with chronic kidney disease may be especially vulnerable because impaired kidney filtration could allow microplastics to build up more readily in their bodies.
Microplastic exposure and its consequences for renal and urinary health: systematic review of in vivo studies
This systematic review examines animal studies on how microplastic exposure affects the kidneys and urinary system. The evidence suggests that microplastics can accumulate in kidney tissue and may cause inflammation and oxidative stress, raising concerns about potential long-term effects on human kidney health as our exposure to these particles continues to grow.
Microplastics and Kidneys: An Update on the Evidence for Deposition of Plastic Microparticles in Human Organs, Tissues and Fluids and Renal Toxicity Concern
This review summarizes the growing evidence that microplastics are found throughout the human body, including in the placenta, lungs, liver, heart, blood, and breast milk. While direct evidence for kidney damage in humans is still lacking, animal studies show that microplastics can cause kidney inflammation, cell death, and oxidative stress. The findings highlight that microplastics are accumulating in virtually every human organ, though the long-term health consequences remain unclear.
Effects of nano- and microplastics on kidney: Physicochemical properties, bioaccumulation, oxidative stress and immunoreaction
Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nano- and microplastics of varying sizes and tracked their accumulation and effects in the kidneys. They found that the particles changed their physical properties during digestion, accumulated in kidney tissue, and caused oxidative stress and immune responses. The study suggests that plastic particle size plays an important role in determining the extent of kidney-related harm.
The detrimental effects of microplastic exposure on kidney function
This review explores the two-way relationship between kidney function and microplastic exposure, asking whether MPs can be cleared renally and whether kidney disease impairs their clearance. Evidence suggests MPs accumulate in kidney tissue and may contribute to disease progression, though clinical data remain limited.
Kidney and Liver Disorders Due to Microplastic Exposure: Chronic in Vivo Study in Male White Rats
Male white rats were chronically exposed to microplastics (particles 5 mm or smaller) to assess kidney and liver toxicity, with exposure resulting from environmental weathering and ultraviolet irradiation of plastic materials. The study found measurable histopathological and biochemical damage in both organs, confirming that long-term microplastic exposure causes organ-level injury in mammals.
Micro/nano plastics in the urinary system: Pathways, mechanisms, and health risks.
This review synthesizes emerging evidence on how micro- and nano-plastics reach the urinary system, accumulate in kidney and bladder tissue, and cause damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of cellular function. The authors conclude that the urinary system is a primary site of microplastic accumulation and call for more research on long-term health impacts.
Polyethylene microplastics disrupt renal function, mitochondrial bioenergetics, redox homeostasis, and histoarchitecture in Wistar rats
Researchers gave rats polyethylene microplastics orally for 28 days and found dose-dependent kidney damage, including impaired filtration, electrolyte imbalances, and tissue inflammation. The microplastics depleted antioxidant defenses, increased oxidative stress markers, and disrupted mitochondrial energy production in kidney cells, identifying the kidneys as a critical target of microplastic toxicity.
Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on the Kidneys
This review of existing research finds that tiny plastic particles from everyday items can reach your kidneys through your bloodstream and cause damage. The plastic pieces trigger inflammation and create harmful chemical reactions that can harm kidney function and may worsen chronic kidney disease. This matters because we're all exposed to these microscopic plastics daily through food, water, and air, but we're still learning how much damage they might cause to our health.
Review of microplastics fate in humans with a focus on the urinary system
This review synthesized current knowledge on microplastic fate in the human body, with a particular focus on the urinary system as an excretion pathway. Evidence suggests microplastics can reach the kidneys and urinary tract, raising questions about chronic exposure effects on urinary function.
Toxicological effects of microplastics in renal ischemia–reperfusion injury
Researchers studied how microplastic exposure affects kidney injury and recovery in a mouse model of reduced blood flow to the kidneys. They found that microplastics worsened kidney damage by triggering inflammatory responses and disrupting cellular repair processes. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation in the body may increase vulnerability to kidney complications.
Micro- and nanoplastics: origin, sources of intake and impact on human health (literature review)
This literature review synthesizes mechanisms by which micro- and nanoplastics interact with living organisms, examining their physicochemical properties, routes of human exposure, and documented health effects across multiple organ systems.
Review of microplastics fate in humans with a focus on the urinary system
This review examined the evidence for microplastic accumulation and effects in the human urinary system, compiling studies on renal and bladder tissue detection. The authors identified the urinary tract as a poorly studied route for microplastic excretion and a potential site of chronic low-level injury.
Environmental toxicants and nephrotoxicity: Implications on mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
This review examines how environmental toxicants, including microplastics, phthalates, and bisphenol A, can damage the kidneys. These substances can accumulate in kidney tissue after being swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, triggering inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. The findings highlight that the kidneys, which filter about 200 liters of fluid daily, are particularly vulnerable to harm from the growing levels of plastic-related pollutants in our environment.
Effects of Microplastic (MP) Exposure at Environmentally Relevant Doses on the Structure, Function, and Transcriptome of the Kidney in Mice
Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics at doses matching levels found in the environment and examined the effects on kidney structure and function. While the microplastics did not cause obvious physical damage to the kidneys, they altered blood markers of kidney function and changed gene expression patterns related to immune response and metabolism. The study suggests that even low-level microplastic exposure may subtly affect kidney biology at the molecular level.
Micro- and nanoplastic in the human digestive and urinary system
This review summarized scientific evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics ingested through food reach the digestive and urinary systems, examining what is known about their behavior in the stomach, intestines, liver, and kidneys and the associated health risks.
The threat of microplastics to human kidney health: Mechanisms of nephrotoxicity and future research directions
This review examines the growing evidence that microplastics can reach and damage human kidneys, where they were first detected in 2023. Short-term exposure triggers oxidative stress and inflammation, while long-term exposure may lead to kidney scarring through a process called ferroptosis, a type of cell death linked to iron buildup. The authors propose that microplastics may also activate the immune system in kidneys through a gut-kidney connection, highlighting that kidney health is an important but overlooked concern in microplastic research.
MicroRaman spectroscopy detects the presence of microplastics in human urine and kidney tissue
Scientists confirmed for the first time that microplastics accumulate in human kidney tissue, finding 26 plastic particles in kidney and urine samples using advanced spectroscopy. The most common plastics found were polyethylene and polystyrene, with particles ranging from 1 to 29 micrometers in kidneys, providing the first direct evidence that microplastics can deposit in human kidneys.
Microplastics and CKD: Are we overlooking the role of ecotoxins
This review argues that microplastics deserve greater consideration as a contributing factor to chronic kidney disease, synthesizing evidence that MPs can accumulate in renal tissue, trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, and may represent an underappreciated environmental driver of CKD.
#6111 First Identification and Characterization of Microplastics in Human Kidney and Urine
Researchers report the first identification of microplastics in human kidney tissue and urine samples. Using microscopy and spectroscopy, they detected plastic particles in all kidney and urine samples examined, with polyethylene and polypropylene among the most common types found. The study adds kidneys and urine to the growing list of human organs and body fluids where microplastics have been documented, raising questions about potential effects on kidney function.
Effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the kidney and cardiovascular system
This review summarizes evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics found in human hearts, kidneys, blood, and urine can cause oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and metabolic disruption. Kidney dialysis patients may face especially high exposure, and clinical evidence suggests particulate plastic exposure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The nephrotoxic potential of polystyrene microplastics at realistic environmental concentrations
Researchers tested polystyrene microplastics on human kidney cells at concentrations reflecting real-world environmental levels. They found that the particles attached to and were engulfed by the cells, triggering oxidative stress and inflammatory responses that reduced cell survival. The findings suggest that even realistic low-level microplastic exposure may pose risks to kidney health.
In vivo test of acute exposure of polyethylene microplastics on kidney and liver of Rattus norvegicus Wistar strain rats
Researchers exposed male rats to a single dose of polyethylene microplastics and monitored them for 14 days, finding significant changes in body weight, elevated markers of kidney and liver stress in blood tests, and visible tissue abnormalities under microscopy. The results indicate that even short-term, high-dose microplastic exposure can cause measurable organ damage in mammals.
Plasticopathology: Multi-Organ Damage and One Health Implications of Micro- and Nanoplastics
This review synthesizes findings from animal studies conducted between 2019 and 2025 on tissue damage caused by micro- and nanoplastics across multiple organ systems. Researchers found consistent patterns of tissue injury including inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular degeneration in the gut, liver, kidneys, reproductive organs, and nervous system, with severity often depending on particle size, exposure route, and duration.