Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics exacerbates the effects of a Western-style diet on the digestive tract of adult male mice

Researchers investigated how oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics interacts with a Western-style diet to affect the digestive tract of mice over 90 days. The study found that microplastics exacerbated diet-related intestinal disruption, suggesting that dietary context plays an important role in determining the health impact of microplastic ingestion.

2026 Microplastics and Nanoplastics
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

Impacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics for six weeks and found that the particles accumulated in the gut, reduced protective mucus secretion, and damaged the intestinal barrier. The microplastics also significantly altered the composition of gut bacteria, decreasing beneficial species and increasing harmful ones. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion could disrupt gut health in mammals by simultaneously impairing the physical barrier and reshaping the microbiome.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 986 citations
Article Tier 2

Perturbation of gut microbiota plays an important role in micro/nanoplastics-induced gut barrier dysfunction

Researchers investigated how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt gut barrier function in mice, finding that different surface chemistries caused varying levels of damage. The study suggests that these plastic particles harm the gut by altering the gut microbiome, which then leads to inflammation and weakening of the intestinal barrier that normally keeps harmful substances out of the body.

2021 Nanoscale 198 citations
Article Tier 2

In Vivo Tissue Distribution of Microplastics and the Systemic Metabolic Changes After Gastrointestinal Exposure in Mice

Mice exposed to microplastics via the gastrointestinal route showed systemic distribution of particles to multiple organs and measurable changes in metabolic pathways, providing early in vivo evidence of systemic impacts from plastic ingestion.

2024 Physiology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Continuous oral exposure to micro- and nanoplastics induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, intestinal barrier and immune dysfunction in adult mice

Researchers fed mice micro- and nanoplastics at environmentally relevant levels and found significant gut damage, including disrupted gut bacteria, weakened intestinal barriers, and reduced immune function. The ratio of beneficial to harmful gut bacteria shifted, and immune cells in the gut decreased. Importantly, the duration of exposure and the size of plastic particles mattered more than the amount consumed, suggesting even low-level long-term exposure could harm gut health.

2023 Environment International 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Microplastics on Morphological Manifestations of Experimental Acute Colitis

Researchers fed polystyrene microplastics to mice for six weeks and found that healthy mice developed changes in their colon lining, including altered mucus composition and immune cell populations. When mice with experimentally induced colitis also consumed microplastics, their intestinal inflammation was significantly more severe. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may worsen inflammatory bowel conditions.

2023 Toxics 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Microplastic Exposure Cause Cholestasis and Bile Acid Metabolism Dysregulation through a Gut-Liver Loop in Mice

Mice exposed to environmentally realistic levels of polystyrene microplastics for 30 days developed damaged intestinal barriers, liver injury, and disrupted bile acid metabolism. The study revealed a gut-liver feedback loop where microplastics alter gut bacteria, which changes bile acid production, which in turn causes further liver damage, suggesting a mechanism by which everyday microplastic exposure could harm digestive health.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics exposure increases the disruption of intestinal barrier integrity and gut microbiota homeostasis during obesity and aging

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic exposure worsened intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice on high-fat diets, with the combination of obesity and microplastic exposure producing greater gut permeability and inflammation than either factor alone, suggesting compounding risks in metabolically vulnerable individuals.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene terephthalate microplastics affect gut microbiota distribution and intestinal damage in mice

Mice exposed to PET microplastics, the type commonly found in plastic bottles, developed intestinal inflammation, changes in gut bacteria, and signs of a weakened gut barrier. Even at relatively low doses, the microplastics increased liver stress markers and disrupted the protective mucus layer in the colon, suggesting that everyday PET plastic exposure could contribute to digestive health problems.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics induced gut barrier dysfunction, microbiota dysbiosis and metabolism disorder in adult mice

Researchers exposed adult mice to PVC microplastics for 60 days and observed significant damage to the intestinal barrier, including reduced mucus production and increased gut permeability. The exposure also caused notable shifts in gut bacteria composition and altered metabolic profiles in ways associated with intestinal injury. These findings suggest that chronic microplastic ingestion may disrupt gut health by weakening the intestinal lining and changing the microbiome.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 117 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Microplastics on Manifestations of Experimental Chronic Colitis

Researchers studied whether consuming microplastics worsens chronic colon inflammation in mice. While microplastics alone did not cause visible damage to healthy intestines, they significantly increased the severity of colitis symptoms, including more ulcers and greater inflammatory cell infiltration, in mice with pre-existing colon inflammation. The findings suggest that microplastic exposure may be particularly concerning for individuals who already have inflammatory bowel conditions.

2025 Toxics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut dysbiosis exacerbates inflammatory liver injury induced by environmentally relevant concentrations of nanoplastics via the gut-liver axis

This mouse study found that swallowing nanoplastics at levels found in the environment disrupted gut bacteria and damaged the intestinal barrier, allowing toxins to leak into the bloodstream and cause liver inflammation. When researchers transplanted gut bacteria from nanoplastic-exposed mice into healthy mice, those mice also developed liver damage. This demonstrates that nanoplastics may harm the liver indirectly by first disrupting the gut, a finding relevant to understanding how everyday plastic exposure could affect human health.

2024 Journal of Environmental Sciences 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics of adult male mice fed a normal or western-style diet: impact on gut and gut-liver axis homeostasis

Researchers exposed adult male mice to polyethylene microplastics on normal or Western diet for 90 days, examining synergistic effects between plastic and dietary stress on gut and liver health. Microplastic exposure disrupted gut barrier integrity, altered the microbiome, and affected liver homeostasis, with some effects differing between normal and Western diet groups.

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
Article Tier 2

Effects of frying on microplastics load in fish and implications on health

Researchers investigated the effects of polyethylene microplastics on gut microbiota composition in mice fed a high-fat diet, finding that microplastic exposure altered microbial diversity and increased gut permeability. Co-exposure with a high-fat diet amplified metabolic disruption.

2022 Food Frontiers 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut epithelial barrier damage caused by dishwasher detergents and rinse aids

Researchers found that rinse aid used in commercial dishwashers can damage the gut's protective epithelial barrier — the layer of cells lining the intestines that prevents harmful substances from entering the bloodstream — with alcohol ethoxylates identified as the key damaging ingredient. This is relevant to microplastic research because a compromised gut barrier may allow tiny particles, including nanoplastics, to cross into body tissues more easily.

2022 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Exacerbation of polyethylene microplastics in animal models of DSS-induced colitis through damage to intestinal epithelial cell conjunctions

Researchers tested the effects of UV-aged polyethylene microplastics on mice with chemically induced colitis, a model for inflammatory bowel disease. They found that the microplastics worsened intestinal inflammation by damaging the junctions between intestinal lining cells, weakening the gut barrier. The study suggests that microplastic exposure could aggravate existing gut conditions by compromising the protective intestinal wall.

2025 Current Research in Toxicology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics alters gut morphology, immune response, and microbiota composition in mice

Researchers fed mice polyethylene microplastics of two sizes commonly found in human stool for six weeks and examined the effects on gut health. The study found that microplastic exposure altered gut structure, disrupted immune cell function, changed gene expression related to inflammation and gut barrier integrity, and shifted the composition of gut bacteria. Mice exposed to both sizes simultaneously showed the most severe effects, suggesting that real-world exposure to mixed microplastic sizes may compound the damage.

2022 Environmental Research 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure to microplastics and particulate matter induced intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction

Researchers established a mouse model combining daily microplastic ingestion and particulate matter inhalation to simulate combined water and air pollution exposure. They found that combined exposure induced greater intestinal inflammation, barrier dysfunction, and gut dysbiosis than either pollutant alone.

2025 Physiology