Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

In Vivo Tissue Distribution of Microplastics and Systemic Metabolomic Alterations After Gastrointestinal Exposure

Researchers fed mice a mixture of common microplastics and then tracked where the particles ended up in the body and how they affected metabolism. They found that ingested microplastics crossed the gut barrier and accumulated in the liver, kidneys, and other tissues, causing measurable changes in metabolic pathways. The study provides evidence that microplastic exposure through the digestive system can lead to widespread tissue distribution and systemic metabolic disruption in mammals.

2023 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and toxicity of submicron plastic particles in mice

Researchers found that orally administered submicron-sized microplastics distributed to multiple organs and biofluids in mice over four weeks, causing oxidative stress and inflammation in tissues including the liver, kidneys, and gut.

2022 Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and Tissue Damage After a Single Microplastic Exposure in Mice

Researchers administered fluorescent microplastics to mice by oral gavage and tracked their distribution through the body over several hours. They found direct evidence of microplastic particles in the blood, lungs, brain, kidneys, liver, and spleen, with fluorescence peaking at two hours after exposure. Histological examination revealed mild tissue damage including congestion in the liver and lungs, providing evidence that ingested microplastics can enter the bloodstream and reach multiple organs.

2025 Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. D, Histology and Histochemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Tissue Distribution of Polystyrene or Mixed Polymer Microspheres and Metabolomic Analysis after Oral Exposure in Mice.

Mice orally exposed to polystyrene or mixed polymer microspheres showed plastic particle distribution across multiple tissues including the liver, kidney, and spleen, with metabolomic analysis revealing distinct alterations in lipid, amino acid, and energy metabolism pathways.

2024 Environmental health perspectives
Article Tier 2

Tissue accumulation of microplastics in mice and biomarker responses suggest widespread health risks of exposure

Researchers fed mice polystyrene microplastics of two sizes and tracked where the particles accumulated in the body, finding them in the liver, kidneys, and gut with distribution patterns depending on particle size. Biochemical analysis revealed that microplastic exposure disrupted energy and fat metabolism, caused oxidative stress, and altered markers of neurotoxicity in the blood. The study provides evidence that microplastics can accumulate in mammalian tissues and may pose widespread health risks.

2017 Scientific Reports 1354 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Metabolism: Physiological Responses in Mice Following Ingestion

Researchers found that mice orally exposed to microplastic microspheres showed changes in lipid metabolism and other metabolic pathways, with particles detected in tissues throughout the body. The effects were more pronounced when mice were exposed to mixed microplastic types compared to polystyrene alone, suggesting that real-world mixtures of microplastics may have broader physiological impacts.

2024 Environmental Health Perspectives 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The Uptake and Distribution Evidence of Nano- and Microplastics in vivo after a Single High Dose of Oral Exposure.

This in vivo study provided evidence on the uptake and organ distribution of nano- and microplastics following a single high-dose administration, finding that nanoplastics translocated rapidly to multiple organs through blood circulation while only small amounts of larger microplastics penetrated organs.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of nano- and microplastics in mammalian tissue

Researchers detected nano- and microplastics in mammalian tissue samples using sensitive analytical techniques, confirming particle accumulation in organs beyond the gastrointestinal tract. The findings demonstrate that small plastic particles can translocate from the gut to systemic tissues.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Systemic effects of nanoplastics on multi-organ at the environmentally relevant dose: The insights in physiological, histological, and oxidative damages

Researchers gave mice nanoplastics at doses estimated to match real-world human exposure levels and found the particles crossed the intestinal barrier and accumulated in the liver and kidneys. Even at these low, environmentally relevant doses, the nanoplastics caused oxidative stress and tissue damage across multiple organs. The findings suggest that everyday nanoplastic exposure may pose broader health risks than previously assumed.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review of the Toxicokinetics of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals Following Digestive Exposure

This systematic review summarizes existing research on what happens to micro and nanoplastics after mammals ingest them through food and water. The evidence shows these particles can survive digestion and potentially cross into tissues and organs, raising important questions about long-term health effects from the microplastics we unknowingly consume every day.

2025 Applied Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano‐plastics disrupt systemic metabolism by remodeling the bile acid–microbiota axis and driving hepatic–intestinal dysfunction

Mice were exposed to polyethylene terephthalate nanoparticles, and researchers used histopathology, metabolomics, and metagenomics to track downstream effects. Nanoplastic ingestion caused severe metabolic disruption—including weight loss, organ atrophy, and liver-intestinal dysfunction—by remodeling the bile acid–gut microbiota axis.

2025 iMeta
Article Tier 2

Evidence on Invasion of Blood, Adipose Tissues, Nervous System and Reproductive System of Mice After a Single Oral Exposure: Nanoplastics versus Microplastics.

Researchers found that after a single oral exposure in mice, nanoplastics were rapidly absorbed into the blood, accumulated in fat tissues, and crossed both the blood-brain and blood-testis barriers. The study demonstrated that the distribution and behavior of plastic particles in mammals is strongly dependent on particle size, with nanoplastics showing substantially greater tissue penetration than microplastics.

2022 PubMed 62 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo exposure of mixed microplastic particles in mice and its impacts on the murine gut microbiome and metabolome

Researchers exposed mice to a mixture of common microplastic types to investigate effects on the gut microbiome and metabolome. The study found that ingested microplastic particles altered gut microbial composition and disrupted metabolic pathways, suggesting that realistic mixed-microplastic exposure may have broader biological effects than single-polymer studies indicate.

2025 Toxicological Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodistribution of nanoplastics in mice: advancing analytical techniques using metal-doped plastics

Researchers developed a new analytical method using palladium-doped nanoplastics to track where plastic particles go in the body after ingestion in mice. They found that after short-term exposure, most particles passed through the digestive system and were excreted, but longer-term exposure led to accumulation in body tissues. The study advances the ability to detect and trace nanoplastics at extremely small concentrations in biological samples.

2025 Communications Biology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicokinetic Effects of Micro/Nano Plastics on Human Health

This review covers the toxicokinetics of micro- and nanoplastics in humans, examining how particles enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact, distribute across organs via the circulatory system, and trigger cellular and biochemical responses at the tissue level.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Exposure Impairs Weight Gain, Reproduction, Blood Glucose Levels, and Organ Health in Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Rats orally exposed to microplastic solutions at 1–10% concentrations over 28 days showed dose-dependent impairment of weight gain, reproductive function, blood glucose regulation, and organ health compared to controls—providing mammalian in vivo evidence that microplastic ingestion causes systemic physiological harm.

2025 Journal of Experimental and Laboratory Medicine.
Article Tier 2

A physiologically based toxicokinetic model for microplastics and nanoplastics in mice after oral exposure and its implications for human dietary exposure assessment

Researchers built the first computer model that predicts how micro- and nanoplastics distribute throughout the body after being swallowed, based on real mouse data. The model shows that particles smaller than 1 micrometer are absorbed much more efficiently from the gut and accumulate in organs like the liver and kidneys. This tool can now be used to estimate how much microplastic from food and water actually builds up in human tissues, helping to assess real health risks.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular and Systemic Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals—What We Know So Far

This review summarized known cellular and systemic effects of micro- and nanoplastics in mammals, finding that while ingestion is common, knowledge of health impacts remains limited, with oxidative stress and inflammation as the most reported biological responses.

2023 Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of polystyrene foam in different doses on the blood parameters and relative mass of internal organs of white mice

Researchers fed white mice different doses of polystyrene foam over 42 days and found dose-dependent changes in blood biochemical parameters and relative organ masses, providing evidence that ingested microplastics affect metabolism and internal organ function in mammals.

2022 Biosystems Diversity 6 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo exposure of mixed microplastic particles in mice and its impacts on the murine gut microbiome and metabolome

Mice were orally exposed to a mixed polystyrene, polyethylene, and PLGA microplastic suspension for several weeks and gut microbiome composition and metabolomics were analyzed. Mixed microplastic exposure shifted the gut microbiome toward dysbiotic profiles in both male and female mice, with accompanying metabolome changes related to lipid and amino acid metabolism.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in motion: Genotoxic and redox imbalance impacts of systemic exposure in a murine model

Researchers injected polyethylene microplastics into mice and found the particles accumulated in the blood, liver, and kidneys, with DNA damage detected in peripheral blood. The study revealed complex organ-specific oxidative and nitrosative stress responses, suggesting that systemic microplastic exposure can trigger genotoxicity and disrupt redox balance in multiple tissues.

2026 Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis
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

Micro and Nanoplastics on Human Health and Diseases: Perspectives and Recent Advances

This review covers how micro- and nanoplastic particles enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, infusion, and skin absorption, distribute to virtually all tissues and organs via the circulatory system, and cause health impacts including inflammatory responses, cellular damage, and endocrine disruption.

2025 Preprints.org
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Toxicological effects of micro/nano-plastics on mouse/rat models: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis pools data from mouse and rat studies to assess the toxic effects of micro and nanoplastics on mammalian health. The findings show that these particles can cause damage across multiple organ systems in lab animals, providing important evidence about the potential health risks that microplastic exposure may pose to humans.

2023 Frontiers in Public Health 39 citations