Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The impact of oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction on diabetic microvascular complications

This review examines how high blood sugar in diabetes triggers excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria, leading to a destructive cycle of cellular damage that drives complications in the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels. While focused on diabetes, this mechanism is relevant to microplastic research because microplastics are also known to increase ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction in human cells.

2023 Frontiers in Endocrinology 177 citations
Article Tier 2

Redox Biology and Liver Fibrosis

This review explores how disrupted redox balance in the liver contributes to the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis across various chronic liver diseases. Researchers describe how persistent damage to liver cells triggers overproduction of reactive species, which in turn activate specific signaling pathways that drive scar tissue formation. The study identifies several redox-dependent pathways as potential therapeutic targets for slowing or preventing liver fibrosis.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Beyond Calories: Redox Interactions in Adipose Tissue that Lead to Metabolic Pathologies

This review examined how polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue are vulnerable to lipid peroxidation and how redox imbalance in fat tissue contributes to metabolic disorders. Environmental contaminants including microplastics were discussed as potential disruptors of adipose tissue redox homeostasis.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms in Oxidative Stress-Related Diseases 2.0/3.0

This editorial introduces a special issue focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind oxidative stress in biological systems. Researchers highlight how the imbalance between reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the body's antioxidant defenses contributes to a range of health conditions. The collection of studies aims to deepen understanding of oxidative stress pathways and potential therapeutic targets.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Contaminants: An Emerging Risk Factor for Diabetes Mellitus

This review examines how emerging environmental contaminants, including microplastics and nanoplastics, may contribute to the development and progression of diabetes. These contaminants can disrupt glucose metabolism through oxidative stress, inflammation, and interference with hormone signaling. The findings suggest that chronic exposure to microplastics and other pollutants in food and water could be an overlooked risk factor for the growing global diabetes epidemic.

2024 Toxics 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Lipid Metabolism Regulation Based on Nanotechnology for Enhancement of Tumor Immunity

This review examines how nanotechnology-based approaches can regulate lipid metabolism in tumor microenvironments to enhance anti-cancer immune responses, covering lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and other delivery systems. The authors identify lipid metabolic reprogramming as a promising immunotherapy target and nanotechnology as a key enabler for delivering therapeutics that reshape tumor-associated metabolic pathways.

2022 Frontiers in Pharmacology 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Adipose tissue as target of environmental toxicants: focus on mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative inflammation in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

This review examines how environmental toxicants, including micro and nanoplastics, target fat tissue and contribute to metabolic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. These pollutants disrupt mitochondria (the energy-producing parts of cells) and trigger a cycle of oxidative stress and inflammation that damages both fat tissue and the liver. The findings suggest that microplastic exposure could be one of several environmental factors contributing to the rising rates of metabolic disease worldwide.

2024 Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the micro- and nanoplastics–diabetes nexus: Shattered barriers, toxic links, and methodological horizons

This review examines growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics may contribute to diabetes by disrupting blood sugar regulation, insulin signaling, and fat metabolism through oxidative stress and inflammation. Animal studies show that plastic particles can damage the pancreas, liver, and gut in ways that mirror the development of diabetes, though human studies are still limited. The review calls for more research into whether everyday microplastic exposure could be a hidden factor in the global rise of metabolic diseases.

2025 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Human Metabolism: A Regulatory Perspective

This paper provides a regulatory perspective on human metabolism, examining physiological and biochemical regulatory frameworks relevant to metabolic processes.

2019 Physiology News 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microparticles as Potential Mediators of High Glucose-Induced Renal Cell Injury.

This study investigates the role of microparticles — small vesicles shed by cells — in kidney disease progression under high-glucose conditions, testing their involvement in cellular stress pathways relevant to diabetic nephropathy. The paper uses 'microparticles' to refer to cell-derived vesicles rather than environmental plastic particles, and is not related to plastic pollution.

2019 Biomolecules
Article Tier 2

Environmental Insults to Glucose Metabolism: The Role of Pollutants in Insulin Resistance

This review examines how environmental pollutants, including microplastics, contribute to insulin resistance, a condition where the body's cells respond poorly to insulin. Researchers summarize evidence linking pollutant exposure to disruptions in glucose and lipid metabolism through mechanisms like oxidative stress and inflammation. The study suggests that environmental contamination may be an underrecognized factor in the growing prevalence of metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Diabetic Nephropathy: A Bibliometric Analysis

This bibliometric analysis reviews research trends on Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating diabetic nephropathy. The study identifies key research hotspots including the clinical efficacy of herbal treatments and their pharmacological mechanisms, with improving oxidative stress and regulating gut microbiota highlighted as promising directions for future investigation.

2024 Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Cellular mechanisms of microplastic and nanoparticle exposure and its relationship with metabolic diseases: Literature review

This literature review examined how microplastic and nanoparticle exposure affects cellular mechanisms related to metabolic disease, finding evidence that these contaminants disrupt insulin signaling, alter lipid metabolism, and may contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome.

2025 Biological Environment and Pollution
Article Tier 2

Environmental Exposures and Oxidative Stress in Retinal and Optic Nerve Diseases: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Therapeutic Opportunities

This research review shows that common environmental pollutants like cigarette smoke, UV rays, heavy metals, and even microplastics can damage the cells in your eyes and contribute to serious vision problems like macular degeneration and glaucoma. Your eyes are especially vulnerable to this damage because they use a lot of energy and are constantly exposed to light and oxygen. Understanding how these everyday exposures harm our vision could help doctors develop better treatments and prevention strategies for eye diseases.

2026 Antioxidants
Article Tier 2

Emerging environmental stressors and oxidative pathways in marine organisms: Current knowledge on regulation mechanisms and functional effects

This review summarized current knowledge on how emerging environmental pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and other stressors trigger oxidative stress in marine organisms, examining regulatory mechanisms from pre-transcriptional to catalytic levels.

2021 Biocell 42 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Adverse Effects of Nanoplastics Administration on the Metabolic Profile and Glucose Control in Mice

This systematic review examines how nanoplastic exposure in mice affects metabolism and blood sugar control. The findings suggest that ingesting nanoplastics may disrupt metabolic processes and glucose regulation in mammals, raising concerns about potential links between everyday plastic exposure and metabolic health conditions like diabetes in humans.

2025 Current Developments in Nutrition 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitochondria-Targeted Biomaterials-Regulating Macrophage Polarization Opens New Perspectives for Disease Treatment

This review explores how new biomaterials can be designed to target mitochondria inside immune cells called macrophages, steering them between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory states to treat diseases. While not directly about microplastics, the review is relevant because microplastic exposure is known to cause mitochondrial damage and trigger inflammatory immune responses through these same pathways. Understanding how to control macrophage behavior through mitochondria could lead to treatments for inflammation caused by environmental pollutants like microplastics.

2025 International Journal of Nanomedicine 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Micro-Nanoplastics on Mitochondria in the Context of Diet and Diet-Related Diseases

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics may worsen diet-related diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes by damaging mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells. Studies suggest that microplastic exposure combined with unhealthy diets can amplify metabolic problems like insulin resistance and high blood sugar. The findings point to mitochondrial damage as a key link between microplastic exposure and the growing epidemic of metabolic diseases.

2025 Stresses 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Redox regulation in aging muscles: exercise as a key modulator to combat sarcopenia and frailty

Researchers reviewed evidence on how aerobic and resistance exercise modulates redox homeostasis in aging skeletal muscle, synthesizing findings from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses to show that exercise reduces oxidative stress markers by 10–20%, enhances antioxidant enzyme activity by 15–30%, and improves muscle strength and frailty scores through pathways including Nrf2, AMPK, and PGC-1α activation.

2026 Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 1
Article Tier 2

Toxicology research on the effects of environmental pollutants on the retina: A review

Researchers reviewed how environmental pollutants — including heavy metals, industrial chemicals, and microplastics — damage the retina (the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye), finding that oxidative stress is the core mechanism and that the developing retina is especially vulnerable. The review provides a foundation for understanding how long-term environmental exposure could contribute to vision problems and eye disease.

2025 Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances
Article Tier 2

The Mitochondrial Battleground: A Review of Microplastic-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Pathways in Human Health

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics damage mitochondria through oxidative stress and inflammation across aquatic, terrestrial, and mammalian systems. Researchers found that microplastics generate reactive oxygen species that disrupt mitochondrial function, with smaller and aged particles causing greater toxicity, while inflammatory signaling creates a feedback loop that worsens cellular damage.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Environmental nanoplastics induce mitochondrial dysfunction: A review of cellular mechanisms and associated diseases

This review summarizes how nanoplastics, which are small enough to enter individual cells, damage mitochondria (the energy-producing structures inside cells) by disrupting their shape, function, and ability to produce energy. This mitochondrial damage has been linked to a range of diseases including neurodegeneration, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive problems. The findings help explain why nanoplastic exposure may contribute to multiple chronic health conditions through a common cellular mechanism.

2025 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution: A potent threat for metabolic disruption in mammals

This review examines the evidence linking microplastic exposure to metabolic disruption, covering mechanisms by which microplastics and their associated chemical additives may interfere with hormonal regulation, glucose metabolism, and lipid homeostasis. The authors identify microplastics as a potent emerging threat to metabolic health.

2024 INDIAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY AND ALLIED SCIENCES
Article Tier 2

A metabolomics perspective on the effect of environmental micro and nanoplastics on living organisms: A review

This review examines how scientists use metabolomics, the study of small molecules produced by cellular processes, to understand the toxic effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms. The research shows that these plastic particles disrupt metabolism in consistent ways across species, affecting energy production, fat processing, and amino acid pathways. These shared metabolic disruptions across different organisms suggest that microplastics could cause similar metabolic problems in humans.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations