Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Potential threats of environmental microplastics to the skeletal system: current insights and future directions

This review summarizes emerging evidence that micro- and nanoplastics may reach the skeletal system through the bloodstream and accumulate in bone tissue. Researchers highlight potential effects on bone-forming and bone-resorbing cells, which could disrupt normal bone maintenance. The study calls attention to an underexplored area of microplastic health research and outlines directions for future investigation.

2025 Frontiers in Endocrinology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the bones: a comprehensive review

This comprehensive review examines the growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can affect bone health, with researchers recently detecting plastic particles in human bone tissue for the first time. Lab studies show that microplastics can trigger inflammation, increase bone-resorbing cell activity, impair bone-forming cells, and weaken bone structure in animal models. While direct links to human bone conditions like osteoporosis have not yet been confirmed, the accumulating evidence suggests that microplastic exposure may represent a new risk factor for skeletal health.

2025 Osteoporosis International 4 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of microplastics exposure in development of mineralized tissues].

This review examined evidence that microplastic exposure affects the formation and development of mineralized tissues including bone and teeth, finding that MP-induced oxidative stress and inflammation may disrupt mineralization processes and raise concern for skeletal health from environmental plastic exposure.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic impact on bone microenvironment: A snapshot from murine bone cells.

This study examined how nanoplastics affect bone cell function in a murine model, investigating effects on osteoblasts and osteoclasts that govern bone formation and resorption in the bone microenvironment. Nanoplastic exposure altered bone cell activity, suggesting that daily plastic particle exposure could have long-term implications for bone health.

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

Nanoplastic impact on bone microenvironment: A snapshot from murine bone cells.

Researchers investigated how nanoplastics affect the bone microenvironment using murine bone cell models, examining effects on osteoblast and osteoclast activity that regulate bone formation and resorption. Nanoplastic exposure disrupted bone cell function, raising concerns about skeletal health impacts from daily plastic particle exposure.

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

RANKL/OPG axis as a therapeutic target for microplastic-induced bone loss: Mechanistic insights from transcriptomic and functional validation

This study found microplastic deposits in human bone tissue and showed that MPs disrupt bone metabolism by altering the RANKL/OPG signaling axis, a key regulator of bone remodeling. Transcriptomic and functional analyses identified therapeutic target pathways that could potentially protect against microplastic-induced bone loss.

2025 Toxicology Letters
Article Tier 2

The silent invasion of microplastics polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate: Potential impact on osteoporosis

Researchers detected microplastics in the blood samples of nearly all study participants and found that PVC and PET were the most common polymer types present. Through laboratory experiments, they demonstrated that these microplastics had significant toxic effects on bone-forming cells. The study suggests a potential link between microplastic exposure and bone health, indicating that further research is needed to understand how plastic particles in the bloodstream might affect skeletal health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Musculoskeletal Disorders: An Emerging Threat

This review examines the emerging evidence that microplastics may affect the musculoskeletal system, including bones, cartilage, and muscles. Researchers found that microplastics can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption, potentially triggering oxidative stress and inflammation in musculoskeletal tissues. The study suggests that more research is needed to understand the long-term impacts of microplastic exposure on bone and joint health.

2025 Indian Journal of Orthopaedics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an emerging driver of osteoarthritis: a translational synthesis of environmental exposure, patho-mechanisms, and public health implications

A translational synthesis of clinical and experimental data examined the role of microplastic exposure in osteoarthritis (OA) development, finding evidence that MPs bioaccumulate in joint tissues and may promote inflammation and oxidative damage that disrupts cartilage homeostasis. The review identified MP exposure as a plausible but underexplored contributor to OA progression.

2025 Journal of Translational Medicine
Article Tier 2

Fatigue behaviour of load-bearing polymeric bone scaffolds: A review

This review examines how polymeric bone scaffolds used in tissue engineering perform under repeated mechanical stress, focusing on their fatigue behavior. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because it explores how polymer materials break down under physical stress, which is similar to how plastic products degrade into microplastics in the environment. Understanding polymer fatigue helps explain why plastic materials fragment over time and contribute to micro- and nanoplastic pollution.

2023 Acta Biomaterialia 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications

This study is the first to find microplastics in human bones, cartilage, and spinal discs, with the highest concentrations found in spinal discs. The most common plastics detected were polypropylene and polystyrene, and animal experiments confirmed that microplastics can reach skeletal tissues through the bloodstream. Exposure triggered inflammatory markers in the blood, suggesting microplastics in bones could contribute to skeletal health problems.

2025 Environment International 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastics triggers osteoporosis by breaking the balance of osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation

Mice that drank water containing polystyrene microplastics for six months developed significant bone loss resembling osteoporosis, with weakened bone structure and reduced bone formation. The microplastics triggered inflammation in bone stem cells and disrupted the balance between bone-building and bone-breaking processes, suggesting that long-term microplastic exposure could contribute to bone disease.

2024 Toxicology 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the impact of nanoplastics on bone microenvironment: focus on extracellular vesicle-mediated communication and oxidative stress in multiple myeloma.

Researchers reviewed how nanoplastics affect the bone microenvironment, focusing on oxidative stress pathways and extracellular matrix disruption as key mechanisms of toxicity. Reactive oxygen species generated by nanoplastic exposure were identified as drivers of bone cell damage.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Polystyrene microplastics arrest skeletal growth in puberty through accelerating osteoblast senescence

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics accumulated in the bones of mice during puberty, leading to reduced body and bone length and impaired bone structure. The microplastics accelerated premature aging (senescence) of bone-building cells called osteoblasts, suppressing their ability to form new bone. The study suggests that microplastic exposure during critical growth periods may pose a risk to skeletal development.

2023 Environmental Pollution 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic impact on bone microenvironment: A snapshot from murine bone cells

This study found that nanoplastics are toxic to bone cells in mice, causing cell death, increased production of damaging reactive oxygen species, and disruption of the bone remodeling process. The nanoplastics impaired the ability of bone-building cells to migrate and promoted the formation of bone-destroying cells. These findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure could potentially contribute to bone diseases like osteoporosis, though more research in living animals and humans is needed.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Thyroid and parathyroid function disorders induced by short-term exposure of microplastics and nanoplastics: Exploration of toxic mechanisms and early warning biomarkers

Mice exposed to micro- and nanoplastics through both breathing and eating showed disrupted thyroid and parathyroid gland function in just a short exposure period. Microplastics ingested through food were more harmful to the thyroid, while inhaled nanoplastics caused the most damage to the parathyroid, which helps regulate calcium levels in the body. These findings suggest that everyday microplastic exposure could interfere with important hormone systems that affect metabolism and bone health.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The Environmental Hazards of Micro- and Nanoplastics

Researchers reviewed how microplastics — tiny plastic particles found everywhere in the environment — can enter the body, accumulate in tissues, and disrupt the immune, digestive, and nervous systems, with exposure linked to hormonal imbalances, chronic disease, and cancer risk.

2025 Advances in Biology & Earth Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics in food a risk factor for obesity: Current evidence, mechanistic pathways and emerging health risks associated with human exposure

This review examines the emerging evidence linking microplastic and nanoplastic exposure to metabolic dysfunction and potential obesity risk. Researchers found that these particles have been detected in multiple human tissues and may contribute to inflammation, hormonal disruption, gut microbiome changes, and altered fat cell development. While animal and laboratory studies support a plausible connection, the study notes that direct evidence in humans is still limited and further research is needed.

2026
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 in Human Tissues: Sources, Distribution, Toxicological Effects, and Health Implications

Researchers reviewed the growing body of evidence that microplastics accumulate in human tissues — including lung, blood, placenta, breast milk, and heart tissue — where they can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. The review highlights urgent knowledge gaps around how plastic particles move through the body and what their long-term health effects may be.

2025 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Article Tier 2

Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics on Bone-related Protein Expression, Mineralization Capacity, and Mitochondrial Function in Osteoblast-like Cells (mg-63)

Osteoblast-like cells (MG-63) were exposed to polystyrene microplastics at 5–50 µg/mL, and bone-related protein expression, mineralisation capacity, and mitochondrial function were assessed. PS-MPs were internalised and reduced mineralisation and osteocalcin levels while impairing mitochondrial bioenergetics, suggesting microplastics may negatively affect bone cell function.

2025
Commentary Tier 3

Micro(nano)plastic toxicity and health effects: Special issue guest editorial

Researchers summarized the state of microplastic and nanoplastic toxicology research, noting that while studies in animals show these particles accumulate in tissues and trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and developmental harm, the actual health risks to humans remain largely unknown and urgently require further investigation.

2022 Environment International 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the impact of nanoplastics on bone microenvironment: focus on extracellular vesicle-mediated communication and oxidative stress in multiple myeloma.

This study reviewed how nanoplastic particles disrupt the bone microenvironment through oxidative stress and damage to the extracellular matrix. Reactive oxygen species generated by nanoplastic exposure were found to drive toxicity in bone cells.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)