Papers

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Article Tier 2

Inhaled polystyrene microplastics impaired lung function through pulmonary flora/TLR4-mediated iron homeostasis imbalance

Mice that inhaled polystyrene microplastics for 60 days developed lung scarring, reduced lung function, and weakened lung barriers. The microplastics increased harmful bacteria in the lungs, which triggered an iron-related cell death process called ferroptosis -- revealing a new mechanism by which breathing in microplastics could cause lasting lung damage.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Ferritinophagy Mediated by Oxidative Stress-Driven Mitochondrial Damage Is Involved in the Polystyrene Nanoparticles-Induced Ferroptosis of Lung Injury

Researchers found that inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics cause lung damage through a specific cell death process called ferroptosis, which involves iron buildup and oxidative stress in lung cells. The nanoplastics damaged mitochondria and triggered a chain reaction where the cell's iron storage was broken down, releasing harmful iron. Blocking this ferroptosis process with a drug called ferrostatin-1 reversed the lung damage in mice, pointing to a potential treatment approach.

2023 ACS Nano 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics lead to ferroptosis in the lungs

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics trigger ferroptosis — a type of iron-driven cell death — in the cells lining the lungs by activating a stress signaling pathway (HIF-1α/HO-1), ultimately causing lung tissue injury. This adds to growing evidence that inhaled nanoplastics can directly damage respiratory tissue through oxidative cell death mechanisms.

2023 Journal of Advanced Research 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics-induced lung epithelial cells ferroptosis promotes pulmonary fibrosis via YY1/FTL axis

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics induced ferroptosis—an iron-dependent form of cell death—in lung bronchial epithelial cells and promoted pulmonary fibrosis in mice via the YY1/FTL signaling axis. The study identified ferroptosis as a novel mechanism underlying nanoplastic-induced lung injury and fibrosis, with potential therapeutic relevance for targeting this pathway.

2025 Materials Today Bio
Article Tier 2

Ferroptosis involved in inhaled polystyrene microplastics leaded myocardial fibrosis through HIF-ROS-SLC7A11/GPX4 Pathway

Researchers found that inhaling polystyrene microplastics caused heart muscle scarring (fibrosis) in mice through a process called ferroptosis, a type of iron-dependent cell death. The microplastics triggered a chain reaction involving low oxygen signals and oxidative stress that depleted the heart cells' protective antioxidant systems. This study reveals a specific mechanism by which breathing in airborne microplastics could lead to lasting heart damage.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Ferroptosis participated in inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics-induced liver injury and fibrosis

Mice that inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics for up to 12 weeks developed liver injury and scarring (fibrosis), with damage worsening over time and at higher doses. The nanoplastics triggered a specific type of cell death called ferroptosis, which involves iron-dependent damage to cell membranes in the liver. This is one of the first studies to show that breathing in nanoplastics can cause serious liver damage, raising concerns about long-term health effects from airborne plastic pollution.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics induce pulmonary oxidative stress and programmed cell death through the cGAS-STING-NLRP3 pathway

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics through nasal administration and studied the resulting lung damage over seven days. They found that the nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress, programmed cell death, and inflammatory responses in lung tissue through activation of the cGAS-STING-NLRP3 signaling pathway. The study provides evidence that inhaled nanoplastics can cause acute lung injury through specific molecular mechanisms involving both apoptosis and pyroptosis.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Microplastics exacerbate ferroptosis via mitochondrial reactive oxygen species-mediated autophagy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Researchers found that microplastics worsen chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by triggering a chain reaction in lung cells: the plastics damage mitochondria (the cell's energy centers), which produces harmful molecules that activate a self-destructive process called autophagy-dependent ferroptosis. Lung tissue from COPD patients contained significantly higher concentrations of polystyrene microplastics than healthy controls. When scientists blocked this destructive pathway in mice, it reduced the excessive inflammation and prevented COPD flare-ups caused by microplastic exposure.

2025 Autophagy 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Inhalation exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-like lung injury in mice through multi-dimensional assessment

Mice that inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics developed lung damage resembling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including reduced breathing function, inflammation, and oxidative stress that worsened with longer exposure. The study found that nanoplastics caused this damage by disrupting mitochondria and triggering a type of cell death called ferroptosis, suggesting that breathing in airborne nanoplastics could increase the risk of serious lung disease.

2024 Environmental Pollution 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Gasdermin D-dependent macrophage pyroptosis mediates polystyrene microplastics-induced pulmonary fibrosis

Researchers demonstrated that chronic intranasal exposure to polystyrene microplastics in mice triggered a specific form of inflammatory cell death called pyroptosis in lung macrophages, leading to pulmonary fibrosis. The study identified the Gasdermin D protein as a key mediator of this process, suggesting a potential mechanistic pathway through which microplastic inhalation could contribute to lung tissue scarring.

2026 International Immunopharmacology
Article Tier 2

Chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastics induces renal fibrosis via ferroptosis

Mice exposed to polystyrene microplastics in their drinking water for six months developed kidney scarring (fibrosis) driven by a type of cell death called ferroptosis. The microplastics triggered iron-dependent damage in kidney cells, which then released signals causing surrounding tissue to scar over. This long-term study reveals a new mechanism by which chronic microplastic exposure could lead to progressive kidney disease in humans.

2024 Toxicology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Inhibition of iron ion accumulation alleviates polystyrene nanoplastics-induced pulmonary fibroblast proliferation and activation

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics (80 nm) caused lung cells to transform into scar-forming cells, a process that leads to pulmonary fibrosis, a serious and often irreversible lung disease. The key mechanism involved iron buildup in lung cells, which was triggered by interactions between immune cells and the nanoplastics. Importantly, blocking iron accumulation with an existing medication reversed the harmful effects, suggesting a potential treatment approach for nanoplastic-related lung damage.

2025 International Immunopharmacology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics-induced lung apoptosis and ferroptosis via ROS-dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress

This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics cause lung cell death through two pathways: apoptosis (programmed cell death) and ferroptosis (iron-dependent cell death), both triggered by oxidative stress in the cell's endoplasmic reticulum. The damage was observed both in human lung cells in the lab and in mice exposed to the nanoplastics. Importantly, the antioxidant NAC (N-acetylcysteine) reduced both types of cell death, suggesting it could help protect lungs from nanoplastic damage.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of polystyrene microplastics induces liver fibrosis by activating cGAS/STING pathway

Researchers found that tiny polystyrene microplastics (0.1 micrometers) can enter liver cells and cause DNA damage that triggers a chain reaction leading to liver scarring, known as fibrosis. The microplastics activated a specific immune signaling pathway called cGAS/STING, which caused inflammation that progressively damaged liver tissue even at low concentrations. This study reveals a specific mechanism by which long-term microplastic exposure could lead to serious liver disease in humans.

2022 Environmental Pollution 228 citations
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

Nasal instillation of polystyrene nanoplastics induce lung injury via mitochondrial DNA release and activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes-signaling cascade

Researchers showed that inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics trigger lung fibrosis and inflammation in mice by inducing mitochondrial DNA release into the cytoplasm, which activates the cGAS-STING innate immune signaling pathway — a discovery that identifies a specific molecular mechanism linking nanoplastic inhalation to pulmonary injury.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Microplastics Induce Radiotherapy Resistance in Lung Cancer by Suppressing Ferroptosis Through NF-κB Activation

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics impaired radiotherapy efficacy in lung cancer cells by suppressing ferroptosis—a form of iron-dependent cell death—through NF-κB activation, providing the first evidence that microplastics may contribute to cancer therapy resistance.

2025 Antioxidants and Redox Signaling
Article Tier 2

Mechanismof S‑Palmitoylationin Polystyrene Nanoplastics-Induced Macrophage Cuproptosis Contributingto Emphysema through Alveolar Epithelial Cell Pyroptosis

Researchers identified S-palmitoylation—a lipid modification process—as a key mechanism by which inhaled polystyrene nanoplastics trigger macrophage ferroptosis (iron-dependent cell death) in the lungs, providing a molecular explanation for how respiratory nanoplastic exposure damages immune cells.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Intratracheal administration of polystyrene microplastics induces pulmonary fibrosis by activating oxidative stress and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in mice

Researchers administered polystyrene microplastics directly into the lungs of mice and found that the particles induced pulmonary fibrosis by triggering oxidative stress and activating the Wnt signaling pathway. The microplastics caused damage to the lung lining cells and promoted the buildup of scar tissue in lung tissue. The study provides evidence that inhaled microplastics may contribute to serious respiratory conditions by driving fibrotic changes in the lungs.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 168 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of S-Palmitoylation in Polystyrene Nanoplastics-Induced Macrophage Cuproptosis Contributing to Emphysema through Alveolar Epithelial Cell Pyroptosis

Researchers found that breathing in polystyrene nanoplastics caused emphysema (a type of lung disease) in rats by triggering a chain reaction: the nanoplastics entered immune cells in the lungs, caused copper-related cell death in those immune cells, which then released inflammatory signals that destroyed the air sacs. This newly discovered mechanism shows how inhaled nanoplastics could contribute to serious, irreversible lung damage.

2025 ACS Nano 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Ferroptosis inhibition via the ROS-GPX4 axis drives microplastic-induced malignant progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics promote malignant progression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, finding that the plastics inhibit ferroptosis—an iron-dependent cell death pathway—via the ROS-GPX4 axis, thus allowing cancer cells to survive and proliferate. Blocking this anti-ferroptosis effect restored cancer cell death, suggesting that targeting the ferroptosis pathway could counteract microplastic-driven tumor progression.

2025 Journal of Translational Medicine
Article Tier 2

Activation of pyroptosis and ferroptosis is involved in the hepatotoxicity induced by polystyrene microplastics in mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles caused significant liver damage, including structural changes and impaired function. The study identified two specific cell death pathways, pyroptosis and ferroptosis, as key mechanisms driving the liver injury. These findings suggest that microplastic exposure may harm liver health through multiple biological pathways that warrant further investigation.

2021 Chemosphere 205 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic exposure aggravates pneumococcus-induced inflammation in macrophages by activating ferroptosis

Researchers investigated how microplastic exposure affects the immune response of macrophages to pneumococcal (Streptococcus pneumoniae) infection. They found that microplastics impaired macrophage phagocytosis, inhibited bacterial clearance, and amplified inflammation by activating ferroptosis and promoting M1 macrophage polarization through PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may worsen bacterial lung infections by compromising immune cell function.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Realistic Nanoplastics Induced Pulmonary Damage via the Crosstalk of Ferritinophagy and Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Researchers created realistic nanoplastics by mechanically breaking down bulk plastic rather than using lab-made particles, and found that inhaling these particles caused significant lung damage in mice through iron-related cell death and mitochondrial dysfunction. PVC nanoplastics were the most harmful of the four types tested, and all were more toxic than commonly used lab-standard polystyrene spheres, suggesting previous studies may have underestimated the lung health risks of airborne nanoplastics.

2024 ACS Nano 45 citations