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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Links between fecal microplastics and parameters related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in humans: An exploratory study
ClearMicroplastics in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: An emerging threat to liver health
This review examined emerging evidence linking microplastic exposure to the development and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly NAFLD). The authors found that microplastics detected in liver tissue can exacerbate hepatic inflammation, lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress through multiple mechanisms, adding a novel environmental risk factor to MASLD pathogenesis.
Chronic PET‐Microplastic Exposure: Disruption of Gut–Liver Homeostasis and Risk of Hepatic Steatosis
Researchers exposed mice to PET microplastics ground from plastic bottles over 29 weeks and found that the particles caused obesity, liver enlargement, fatty liver disease, and early-stage scarring of liver tissue. The microplastics also disrupted gut bacteria and bile acid metabolism, pointing to damage along the gut-liver connection. The findings raise concerns about the long-term health effects of chronic exposure to the type of microplastics commonly found in food and beverages.
Microplastics detected in cirrhotic liver tissue
In a proof-of-concept study, researchers detected microplastics in liver tissue from patients with cirrhosis (severe liver scarring) in Germany. Microplastic concentrations were higher in cirrhotic livers compared to healthy control tissue, suggesting that a damaged liver may accumulate more plastic particles. This is one of the first studies to find microplastics in human liver tissue, raising questions about whether they could worsen liver disease.
Chronic Nanoplastic Exposure as a Novel Risk Amplifier for MASLD Progression
This study examines the potential for chronic nanoplastic exposure to amplify the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. The research explores how persistent nanoplastic exposure may act as a novel risk factor that worsens liver disease outcomes. The findings highlight growing concern about the intersection of plastic pollution and metabolic health conditions.
Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics of adult male mice fed a normal or western-style diet: impact on gut and gut-liver axis homeostasis
Researchers exposed adult male mice to polyethylene microplastics on normal or Western diet for 90 days, examining synergistic effects between plastic and dietary stress on gut and liver health. Microplastic exposure disrupted gut barrier integrity, altered the microbiome, and affected liver homeostasis, with some effects differing between normal and Western diet groups.
Microplastics and nanoplastics: Emerging drivers of hepatic pathogenesis and metabolic dysfunction
This review examines emerging evidence linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to liver disease, including metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Researchers found that these particles may contribute to liver damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of metabolic pathways. The study highlights the need for further research into how environmental plastic contamination may be influencing the rising rates of liver disease worldwide.
Impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on liver health: Current understanding and future research directions
This review summarizes what scientists know about how micro- and nanoplastics affect the liver, which is one of the first organs exposed because it processes everything absorbed from the gut. The particles trigger oxidative stress, disrupt energy metabolism, cause cell death, and promote inflammation, and may contribute to conditions like fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis. The paper also highlights how plastics can disturb the gut microbiome, which communicates with the liver through the gut-liver axis and may amplify liver damage.
Nanoplastics and MASLD : Unveiling Interorgan Crosstalk and Environmental Modulators
This brief editorial discusses the emerging connection between nanoplastic exposure and metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition involving fat buildup in the liver. It highlights how nanoplastics may act as environmental triggers that affect the liver through interactions with the gut and other organs. As MASLD rates rise globally, understanding whether plastic pollution contributes to liver disease is an important emerging area of research.
Microplastic-mediated new mechanism of liver damage: From the perspective of the gut-liver axis
This review describes how microplastics can damage the liver through the gut-liver axis: they first disrupt the gut's protective barrier and beneficial bacteria, allowing harmful substances to leak through the weakened intestinal wall into the bloodstream and travel to the liver. Once there, these substances cause inflammation, metabolic problems, and oxidative stress, offering a new explanation for how microplastic exposure could lead to liver disease.
Chronic Nanoplastic Exposure Promotes the Development and Progression of Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
This study found that chronic exposure to nanoplastics promotes the development and worsening of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (formerly known as fatty liver disease). Nanoplastics appear to increase vulnerability to liver disease progression. The finding is concerning because fatty liver disease is already widespread, and everyday nanoplastic exposure through food and water could be making it worse.
Are Ingested or Inhaled Microplastics Involved in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
This review explored the potential connection between microplastic exposure through ingestion and inhalation and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which has become a leading cause of chronic liver injury. The study discusses how dietary and environmental microplastic exposure could potentially influence liver health through mechanisms including inflammation and endocrine disruption, though further research is needed to establish definitive links.
Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Microplastic Exposure Cause Cholestasis and Bile Acid Metabolism Dysregulation through a Gut-Liver Loop in Mice
Mice exposed to environmentally realistic levels of polystyrene microplastics for 30 days developed damaged intestinal barriers, liver injury, and disrupted bile acid metabolism. The study revealed a gut-liver feedback loop where microplastics alter gut bacteria, which changes bile acid production, which in turn causes further liver damage, suggesting a mechanism by which everyday microplastic exposure could harm digestive health.
Polyethylene microplastics induced gut microbiota dysbiosis leading to liver injury via the TLR2/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in mice
Mice exposed to polyethylene microplastics developed liver damage that was traced back to disrupted gut bacteria -- the microplastics increased harmful bacteria while decreasing beneficial ones, triggering inflammation through the TLR2/NF-kB/NLRP3 immune pathway. This study provides new evidence that microplastics may harm the liver not just through direct contact, but indirectly by first throwing off the balance of gut bacteria.
Examining the Pathogenesis of MAFLD and the Medicinal Properties of Natural Products from a Metabolic Perspective
This review examines the causes and potential treatments for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), which affects about two-fifths of the global population. While focused on natural product remedies rather than microplastics, the metabolic pathways discussed, including lipid metabolism disruption and oxidative stress, are the same mechanisms through which microplastics have been shown to damage liver cells. Understanding these pathways helps explain how microplastic exposure could contribute to liver disease.
Dysbiosis of gut microbiota in C57BL/6-Lepem1hwl/Korl mice during microplastics-caused hepatic metabolism disruption
Researchers administered polypropylene microplastics orally to obese mice for 9 weeks and found disruption of hepatic lipid, glucose, and amino acid metabolism alongside structural changes in gut microbiota, with microplastic-treated mice showing decreased hepatic lipid accumulation and altered abundance of specific bacterial genera.
Low-dose polystyrene microplastics exposure increases susceptibility to obesity-induced MASLD via disrupting intestinal barrier integrity and gut microbiota homeostasis
A mouse study found that even low doses of polystyrene microplastics made fatty liver disease significantly worse when combined with a high-fat diet, creating a "double hit" effect. The microplastics damaged the gut lining, disrupted beneficial gut bacteria, and triggered inflammation that spread to the liver, and these harmful effects were difficult to reverse even after two weeks of stopping exposure.
Oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics alters the intestinal environment and metabolic outcomes in mice
In a mouse study, oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics caused fatty liver disease and abnormal blood lipid levels even without prior gut leakiness. The microplastics triggered intestinal inflammation through immune cells, disrupted gut bacteria, and altered how the body processes nutrients. These results suggest that swallowing microplastics could contribute to metabolic problems and liver disease in humans.
Comparative Analysisof Metabolic Dysfunctions Associatedwith Pristine and Aged Polyethylene Microplastic Exposure via theLiver-Gut Axis in Mice
Researchers fed mice low doses of pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics for several weeks and analyzed changes in blood metabolites, liver proteins, and gut bacteria. Both forms caused lipid metabolism disruptions and reduced beneficial gut bacteria, with aged microplastics showing greater toxicity linked to changes in fatty acid processing enzymes.
Association between microplastics exposure and gut microbiota and metabolites in older adults: A cross-sectional study
Researchers analyzed fecal samples from 45 older adults to assess the relationship between microplastic exposure and gut microbiota. They found an average of 70 microplastic particles per gram of feces, primarily PVC, butadiene rubber, and polyethylene, and observed that microplastic exposure was associated with changes in gut microbial diversity and metabolite levels. The study suggests that microplastics may influence gut health in older adults by altering bacterial community composition and metabolic pathways.
Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Induced by Microplastics: An Endpoint in the Liver–Eye Axis
This review explores the connection between microplastic exposure and liver disease through the lens of the liver-eye axis, a physiological link between ocular and hepatic health. Researchers discuss how microplastics can enter the body through the eyes and respiratory tract, accumulate in the liver, and potentially contribute to chronic liver conditions through oxidative damage. The study highlights the need for further research into whether microplastic buildup in the liver is a cause or consequence of liver disease.
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.
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.
Single-cell transcriptome analysis of liver immune microenvironment changes induced by microplastics in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver
Using advanced single-cell analysis, researchers showed that microplastics worsened non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice fed a high-fat diet by changing how immune cells behaved in the liver. Microplastic exposure amplified inflammatory responses and altered the communication between different liver cell types. This study is important because it reveals specific immune mechanisms by which microplastics could worsen liver disease, a condition already affecting roughly one in four adults worldwide.
Analysis\nof Microplastics in Human Feces Reveals a\nCorrelation between Fecal Microplastics and Inflammatory Bowel Disease\nStatus
Researchers found higher concentrations and greater diversity of microplastics in fecal samples from inflammatory bowel disease patients compared to healthy controls, suggesting a potential association between microplastic ingestion and gut inflammation, though causality remains to be established.