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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Combined exposure to microplastics and cadmium alters gut microbiota composition in preschool children: A cross-sectional study
ClearThe gut microbiota: A key player in cadmium toxicity - implications for disease, interventions, and combined toxicant exposures
This review examines how cadmium, a toxic heavy metal found in contaminated soil and water, damages health partly by disrupting gut bacteria. The connection to microplastics is significant because microplastics are known to absorb and carry heavy metals like cadmium, potentially increasing our exposure to these toxins and compounding the damage to our gut health.
Integrated analysis of zebrafish gut microbiota and liver transcriptome responses to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium
Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both individually and combined, and found that combined exposure caused more severe disruption to gut bacteria and liver gene expression than either pollutant alone. The study revealed that microplastics decreased beneficial gut bacteria while increasing pathogenic species, and the combined treatment suppressed liver xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidant pathways.
Microbial diversity and metabolomics analysis of colon contents exposed to cadmium and polystyrene microplastics
Researchers investigated how cadmium alone and combined with polystyrene microplastics affects the colon of mice over 42 days. The study found that combined exposure caused more severe intestinal damage than cadmium alone, with distinct changes in gut microbial diversity and metabolic pathways, including shifts in bile acid metabolism and increased abundance of certain bacterial species.
Microplastic-associated gut microbial profile and antibiotic resistance in preschool children: a multicentre cross-sectional study in China
In a multicentre study of 335 preschool children across three Chinese cities, researchers detected eight types of microplastics in fecal samples at a median concentration of 212.1 micrograms per gram. The study found that microplastic exposure was associated with changes in gut microbiota composition and function, including metabolic pathways related to macronutrients and vitamins, as well as a relationship with antibiotic resistance gene abundance.
Co-exposure with cadmium elevates the toxicity of microplastics: Trojan horse effect from the perspective of intestinal barrier
When mice were exposed to both microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium together, the health damage to their intestines and liver was significantly worse than exposure to either pollutant alone. The microplastics acted like a "Trojan horse," carrying cadmium past the gut barrier and increasing its accumulation in the body, while also disrupting the gut microbiome.
Intestinal barrier disruption by cadmium and microplastics: Mechanistic insights from integrated metabolomic and proteomic analysis in mice
A mouse study found that combined exposure to cadmium (a toxic metal) and microplastics caused more severe intestinal damage than either pollutant alone. The co-exposure disrupted key metabolic pathways and compromised the gut barrier, potentially promoting cancer cell growth and invasion. Since both cadmium and microplastics are widespread environmental contaminants that humans encounter together, this research highlights the importance of studying how multiple pollutants interact to harm health.
Microplastic co-exposure elevates cadmium accumulation in mouse tissue after rice consumption: Mechanisms and health implications
In a mouse study, eating cadmium-contaminated rice alongside common microplastics led to 17-38% more cadmium accumulating in body tissues than eating the rice alone. The microplastics changed gut bacteria composition, which increased cadmium solubility and transport across the intestinal wall. This is directly relevant to human health because both microplastics and cadmium are common contaminants in rice, and their combined exposure may increase toxic metal absorption.
Interactions between environmental pollutants and gut microbiota: A review connecting the conventional heavy metals and the emerging microplastics
This review examines how environmental pollutants, including both heavy metals and microplastics, interact with gut bacteria in humans and animals. The authors found that these pollutants can disrupt the balance of gut microbiota, which may contribute to various health problems, and that gut bacteria can also transform pollutants in ways that change their toxicity.
Combined impacts of microplastics and cadmium on the liver function, immune response, and intestinal microbiota of crucian carp (Carassius carassius)
Researchers exposed crucian carp to microplastics and cadmium, both alone and together, and found the combination caused more severe liver damage and immune disruption than either pollutant alone. Co-exposure also significantly altered the fish's gut bacteria after 21 days. This is concerning because microplastics and heavy metals frequently co-occur in polluted waterways, potentially amplifying harm to aquatic life.
Association between microplastics exposure and gut microbiota and metabolites in older adults: A cross-sectional study
Researchers analyzed fecal samples from 45 older adults to assess the relationship between microplastic exposure and gut microbiota. They found an average of 70 microplastic particles per gram of feces, primarily PVC, butadiene rubber, and polyethylene, and observed that microplastic exposure was associated with changes in gut microbial diversity and metabolite levels. The study suggests that microplastics may influence gut health in older adults by altering bacterial community composition and metabolic pathways.
Combined effect of microplastic and triphenyltin: Insights from the gut-brain axis
Researchers investigated the individual and combined toxicity of microplastics and triphenyltin, an organotin compound, in common carp by examining effects along the gut-brain axis. The study found that co-exposure to microplastics and triphenyltin produced combined toxic effects on the gut microbiome and brain function, suggesting that microplastics may enhance the toxicity of other environmental pollutants through their ability to adsorb contaminants.
Toxic and essential metals: metabolic interactions with the gut microbiota and health implications
This review summarizes how toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium interact with gut bacteria in ways that affect both metal absorption and overall health. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because microplastics are known to carry heavy metals into the body, and gut bacteria play a key role in determining how much of those metals are absorbed.
Combined Microplastics and Cadmium Exposure Induces Persistent Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Pearl Oyster Pinctada fucata martensii
Researchers examined the combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the gut microbiome of pearl oysters over a 48-hour exposure followed by a 5-day recovery period. The study found that co-exposure caused persistent shifts in gut microbial community composition that did not fully recover, suggesting that combined pollutant exposure may have lasting effects on the gut health of marine aquaculture species.
Occurrence of microplastics and disturbance of gut microbiota: a pilot study of preschool children in Xiamen, China
In a study of preschool children in Xiamen, China, researchers found microplastics in the stool of every child tested, with polycarbonate and PVC being the most common types. Children who frequently used plastic containers and ate takeout food had higher microplastic levels. The study also found that higher microplastic exposure was linked to changes in gut bacteria, including lower levels of beneficial microbes.
Single and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus
Researchers examined the individual and combined toxic effects of cadmium and microplastics on sea cucumbers. The study found that cadmium was the primary driver of negative effects including reduced growth, digestive enzyme suppression, and disruption of gut microbiota, but the presence of microplastics increased cadmium's toxicity when both pollutants were present at high concentrations.
Effects of microplastics (MPs) and tributyltin (TBT) alone and in combination on bile acids and gut microbiota crosstalk in mice
Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastics and tributyltin (TBT), an environmental pollutant, on bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota in mice. The study found that both individual and combined exposures induced liver inflammation, altered gut microbial composition, and disturbed bile acid profiles, suggesting that co-exposure to microplastics and chemical pollutants may have compounding effects on gut health.
Effects of microplastics and tetracycline induced intestinal damage, intestinal microbiota dysbiosis, and antibiotic resistome: metagenomic analysis in young mice
Young mice exposed to both polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline suffered worse intestinal damage than those exposed to either pollutant alone. The combination severely disrupted the gut barrier, altered gut bacteria, and increased antibiotic resistance genes in the intestines. This is especially concerning for children, whose developing gut systems may be more vulnerable to the combined effects of microplastics and antibiotics commonly found in the environment.
Role-Playing Between Environmental Pollutants and Human Gut Microbiota: A Complex Bidirectional Interaction
This review examined the bidirectional relationship between environmental pollutants, including microplastics, and the human gut microbiota, highlighting how toxicants alter microbial communities while gut bacteria can metabolize or modify pollutant toxicity.
Toxicity of Polystyrene Microplastics with Cadmium on the Digestive System of Rana zhenhaiensis Tadpoles
Researchers exposed frog tadpoles to cadmium and polystyrene microplastics, both alone and in combination, finding that both pollutants increased mortality and delayed growth and development. Cadmium accumulated mainly in liver and intestine tissue while polystyrene concentrated in gills and intestines, and combined exposure altered the balance of gut microbiota more than either pollutant alone. The study suggests microplastics can interact with heavy metal pollutants in freshwater environments, potentially modifying their distribution and toxicity in amphibians.
Combined effects of polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene microplastics with cadmium on the intestine of zebrafish at environmentally relevant concentrations
Researchers exposed zebrafish to PVC or polypropylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal often used in plastic manufacturing. The microplastics increased cadmium buildup in the fish intestines and worsened gut damage, including inflammation and disruption of the intestinal barrier. This is relevant to human health because people can be exposed to similar combinations of microplastics and heavy metals through contaminated seafood.
Aged polystyrene microplastics exacerbate cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity in zebrafish through gut-liver axis metabolic dysregulation
Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, and found that weathered (aged) microplastics absorbed more cadmium and caused worse liver damage — disrupting the gut barrier, altering gut bacteria, and triggering fat buildup in the liver — compared to either pollutant alone.
Gut–Liver Axis Mediates the Combined Hepatointestinal Toxicity of Triclosan and Polystyrene Microplastics in Mice: Implications for Human Co-Exposure Risks
Mice co-exposed to the antimicrobial triclosan and polystyrene microplastics showed markedly worse intestinal and liver damage than those exposed to either contaminant alone, with gut microbiome disruption identified as a key mediating mechanism.
Effect of emerging pollutants on the gut microbiota of freshwater animals: Focusing on microplastics and pesticides
This review examines how microplastics and pesticides, two pollutants commonly found together in freshwater, each disrupt the gut bacteria of fish and other aquatic animals, and their combined presence can make the effects worse. Changes in gut bacteria caused by these pollutants can impair metabolism, immunity, and overall health of aquatic organisms, with potential consequences for the food chain.
How do microplastics affect the composition and function of gut microbiota?
Researchers reviewed how microplastics may disrupt gut microbiota composition and metabolic function, noting that while dysbiosis is a likely outcome of exposure, the full scope of these effects in humans remains understudied.