Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Autoimmune Diseases and Microplastic Pollution: Joining the Dots

This review examines the emerging literature connecting microplastic pollution with autoimmune disease development, discussing mechanisms by which plastic particles and their chemical additives could trigger immune dysregulation. The authors identify oxidative stress, gut microbiome disruption, and molecular mimicry as plausible pathways linking chronic microplastic exposure to autoimmune conditions.

2024 Indian Journal of Medical Specialities 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Immune Disruption and Disease Development by Microplastic Exposure

This review synthesized growing evidence that microplastic and nanoplastic exposure disrupts the human immune system, covering how particles ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through skin can trigger inflammation, impair immune cell function, and potentially contribute to autoimmune and allergic conditions.

2025 American journal of student research.
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics and the Immune System: Mechanistic Insights and Future Directions

This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt the human immune system at the cellular level, impairing key immune cells like macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells. The particles trigger chronic low-grade inflammation through oxidative stress and activation of inflammatory pathways, and can worsen autoimmune conditions like lupus and inflammatory bowel disease in animal studies. These findings raise concerns that ongoing microplastic exposure could gradually weaken immune function and contribute to immune-related diseases in people.

2025 Immuno 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics on immunity

This review examines the growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics can affect the immune system, covering studies in marine organisms, mammals, and human cell lines. Researchers found that these particles can trigger inflammation, alter immune cell function, and disrupt immune signaling pathways. The study underscores the need for more immunological research to fully understand how plastic particle exposure may compromise immune health in humans.

2022 Frontiers in Toxicology 154 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Nanoplastics and Immune Disruption: A Systematic Review of Exposure Routes, Mechanisms, and Health Implications

This systematic review found that nanoplastics — extremely tiny plastic particles — can cross biological barriers and disrupt immune function in laboratory studies. The evidence suggests these particles may trigger inflammation and could potentially contribute to autoimmune conditions, though human studies are still limited.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The Emerging Threat of Micro- and Nanoplastics on the Maturation and Activity of Immune Cells

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics affect the immune system, focusing on their impact on immune cell development and function. Studies show that these tiny plastic particles can alter how immune cells mature and respond to threats, potentially weakening the body's defenses or triggering excessive inflammation. Since humans are constantly exposed to microplastics through food, water, and air, understanding these immune effects is critical for assessing long-term health risks.

2024 Biomolecules & Therapeutics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the immune system: How much should we worry?

This review examines how microplastics may affect the human immune system, noting that people are mainly exposed through food and breathing. While early research shows microplastics can trigger inflammation and immune responses in lab and animal studies, the authors stress that more research is needed to understand what this means for human health at real-world exposure levels.

2025 Immunology Letters 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of micro- and nanoplastics as food contaminants on the immune system

This review synthesized research on how microplastic and nanoplastic exposure affects immune system function, finding evidence across multiple studies that these particles can modulate immune responses and trigger inflammatory pathways in exposed organisms. The authors highlight immune disruption as an emerging health concern from micro- and nanoplastic contamination.

2023 Problems of Nutrition 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential effects of microplastics on human health: What is known and what is unknown

This review summarizes what is currently known about how microplastics might affect human health, noting that while contamination is widespread in food, water, and air, direct evidence of harm in humans is still limited. Studies in animals and cell cultures suggest microplastics could trigger immune responses, cause inflammation, and affect reproduction and development. The authors call for more rigorous clinical studies to determine whether the levels of microplastics that people actually encounter pose real health risks.

2021 AMBIO 419 citations
Article Tier 2

Association between Microorganisms and Microplastics: How Does It Change the Host–Pathogen Interaction and Subsequent Immune Response?

This review explores how microplastics act as surfaces where bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms can attach and change their properties. When germs hitchhike on microplastic particles, their physical and chemical traits can shift, potentially tricking or overwhelming the immune system in new ways. The findings suggest that microplastic-associated pathogens could pose unexpected risks to human health by triggering abnormal immune responses.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 68 citations
Review Tier 2

Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effects

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics are found throughout the environment and in human samples, entering the body through food, air, and skin contact. Lab studies in cells and animals show microplastics can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, immune reactions, brain toxicity, and reproductive harm, and early human health data links microplastic exposure to several chronic diseases.

2023 Environment & Health 519 citations
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

When it Comes to Microplastic Pollution, is the Aquaculture Industry a Victim or Perpetrator?

This systematic review examines microplastic contamination in aquaculture facilities and the animals raised in them. The findings show widespread microplastic presence in farmed fish and shellfish, meaning that aquaculture products are a significant pathway for human microplastic exposure, which could affect immune function over time.

2025 Annals of Animal Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Immunotoxicity by Microplastics

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics, after entering the body through the gut, lungs, or skin, can disrupt the immune system by triggering inflammation, causing oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules), and impairing immune cell function, while highlighting major gaps in our understanding of these long-term health effects.

2025 International Journal of Zoological Investigations
Article Tier 2

Environmental exposure to microplastics: An overview on possible human health effects

This review examines the potential health effects of human exposure to microplastics through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Researchers found that microplastic exposure may cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune system disruption, with the body's inability to break down synthetic particles potentially leading to chronic inflammation. The study emphasizes that while evidence of harm is growing, microplastic toxicity varies greatly depending on particle properties, concentration, and individual susceptibility.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 2348 citations
Article Tier 2

Risk factors for the prevalence and development of allergic diseases

This review synthesized evidence on risk factors for the development of allergic diseases, covering genetic predisposition, early-life microbial exposure, diet, air pollution, and emerging exposures including microplastics. The authors discuss how environmental changes have driven rising allergy prevalence and identify microplastics as a candidate contributing factor warranting further study.

2024 Liječnički vjesnik
Article Tier 2

The Micronanoplastics-immune axis across organ systems: towards a research agenda

This review synthesizes current evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the immune system across multiple organ systems in the human body. Researchers examined the primary routes of exposure through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, as well as the cellular mechanisms involved in immune response. The study highlights that microplastic-immune interactions may contribute to chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, pointing to a need for standardized research frameworks.

2025 Discover Medicine 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Immunotoxicity and intestinal effects of nano- and microplastics: a review of the literature

This review examines the evidence on how nano- and microplastics affect the immune system and intestinal health. The findings suggest that exposure to these particles can disrupt the gut microbiome and impair critical intestinal barrier functions, potentially contributing to the development of chronic inflammatory and immune conditions.

2020 Particle and Fibre Toxicology 658 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of Environmental Toxins in Autoimmune Diseases: Impacts on Human and Wildlife Health

This paper reviews the role of environmental toxins—including heavy metals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and microplastics—in triggering autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, examining mechanisms of immune dysregulation in both human and animal populations.

2025 Journal of Animal Environment
Article Tier 2

Small Plastics, Big Inflammatory Problems.

This review examined how micro- and nano-plastics trigger inflammatory responses through interactions with immune cells, finding that particles activate multiple signaling pathways including NF-kB and NLRP3 inflammasome, potentially contributing to chronic low-grade inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.

2023 Advances in experimental medicine and biology
Article Tier 2

The interconnection between environment, immune-nutrition and allergic disease

This review explores the connections between environmental factors, immune-nutrition, and the rising global prevalence of allergic diseases. The study discusses how climate change, air pollution, biodiversity loss, and environmental contaminants including microplastics contribute to immune dysregulation, and highlights the role of the microbiome and dietary factors in modulating allergic disease risk.

2026 Asia Pacific Allergy
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Human health: Time for us to get attentive- before it’s too late

This paper reviewed the growing evidence on microplastic impacts on human health, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes, and the potential for microplastics to cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption. The authors argue the problem demands urgent regulatory attention.

2024 Diabetes Asia Journal.
Article Tier 2

Microplastics-sources, spread and impact on the living world

This review examines microplastic sources, environmental spread, and biological impacts, covering particles ranging from 1 to 5000 µm in diameter derived from plastic degradation, industrial production, and everyday use of synthetic materials and cosmetics. The authors highlight microplastics' capacity to cross biological barriers, accumulate in tissues, and trigger inflammatory and immune responses in organisms throughout the food chain.

2025 Repository of Faculty of Science
Article Tier 2

Neurodevelopmental Impact of Maternal Immune Activation and Autoimmune Disorders, Environmental Toxicants and Folate Metabolism on Autism Spectrum Disorder

This review explores how environmental factors, including pollutants like microplastics, may contribute to autism spectrum disorder through immune system activation during pregnancy. Researchers examined how maternal immune responses, toxicant exposures, and disruptions in folate metabolism could interact to affect brain development. The study highlights the complex interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental exposures in neurodevelopmental conditions.

2025 Current Issues in Molecular Biology 2 citations