Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Tumorigenic and tumoricidal properties of exosomes in cancers; a forward look

This review explores how tiny cell-released vesicles called exosomes can either promote or fight cancer by transferring signaling molecules between cells. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because nanoplastics are similar in size to exosomes and may interfere with these important cell communication pathways. Understanding how nanoscale particles affect cell signaling could help explain some of the biological effects of nanoplastic exposure.

2024 Cell Communication and Signaling 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Matrix Nanoscale Mechanics Regulates Exosome Production by Mesenchymal Stem Cells

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it examines how the mechanical stiffness of a cell culture matrix affects exosome production by mesenchymal stem cells, a biomedical engineering study.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Silent saboteurs: How microplastics disrupt stem cells and tissue regeneration

This review synthesizes evidence that microplastics disrupt stem cell self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation across multiple tissue types, raising concerns about the implications for tissue regeneration, wound healing, and long-term organ homeostasis.

2025 World Journal of Stem Cells
Article Tier 2

Distinct targeting and uptake of platelet and red blood cell‐derived extracellular vesicles into immune cells

This study examined how tiny vesicles (small bubble-like particles) released by platelets and red blood cells interact with immune cells. Platelet-derived vesicles were taken up by certain immune cells much faster than red blood cell vesicles, and neither type affected T-cells. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because it helps scientists understand how small particles in the blood, including nanoplastics, might interact with the immune system.

2024 Journal of Extracellular Biology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and Extracellular Vesicle Interactions: Recent Studies on Human Health and Environment Risks

This review explores the newly discovered relationship between microplastics and extracellular vesicles, tiny particles that cells use to communicate with each other. Evidence indicates that microplastics can alter how these vesicles are distributed and what molecular signals they carry, potentially disrupting normal cell communication. Understanding this interaction could provide important insights into how microplastic exposure may contribute to inflammation, metabolic changes, and other health effects.

2024 Biophysica 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Microplastics on Biological Systems: A Focus on Extracellular Vesicles and miRNA Profiles

This review examines how microplastics affect biological systems with a focus on extracellular vesicles, discussing how MP exposure alters vesicle release and composition in ways that may propagate cellular stress signals throughout tissues and contribute to systemic health effects.

2025 Universal Research Reports
Article Tier 2

Mitigating microplastic-induced organ Damage: Mechanistic insights from the microplastic-macrophage axes

This review is the first comprehensive examination of how microplastics interact with macrophages, the immune cells responsible for engulfing and removing foreign particles from the body. When macrophages absorb microplastics, the resulting oxidative stress disrupts their normal function, leading to inflammation and organ damage, with gut bacteria potentially playing a role in this harmful process.

2025 Redox Biology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Detrimental effects of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) on platelet and neutrophil immunity: Recent findings and emerging insights

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) harm the immune system, finding that tiny plastic particles can trigger dangerous inflammation in platelets and neutrophils — immune cells that control clotting and infection defense. These effects could disrupt normal blood vessel function and immune balance, though the exact mechanisms by which cells take up MNPs remain poorly understood.

2025 KOBRA Reports
Article Tier 2

The Emerging Threat of Micro- and Nanoplastics on the Maturation and Activity of Immune Cells

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics affect the immune system, focusing on their impact on immune cell development and function. Studies show that these tiny plastic particles can alter how immune cells mature and respond to threats, potentially weakening the body's defenses or triggering excessive inflammation. Since humans are constantly exposed to microplastics through food, water, and air, understanding these immune effects is critical for assessing long-term health risks.

2024 Biomolecules & Therapeutics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.

This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of primary microplastics with secondary microplastics derived from environmental plastic fragmentation, testing responses in macrophages. Results showed that the origin of microplastic particles influences the immune response they trigger.

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

Impacts of microplastics on immunity

This review examines the growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics can affect the immune system, covering studies in marine organisms, mammals, and human cell lines. Researchers found that these particles can trigger inflammation, alter immune cell function, and disrupt immune signaling pathways. The study underscores the need for more immunological research to fully understand how plastic particle exposure may compromise immune health in humans.

2022 Frontiers in Toxicology 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics and Immunity: Investigating the Extracellular Matrix’s Influence on Macrophage Interaction with Polystyrene Nanoparticles

Researchers investigated how extracellular matrix components affect macrophage uptake of polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that the surrounding matrix modulates nanoplastic-immune cell interactions — with implications for understanding how nanoplastics evade or engage the innate immune response.

2025 Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale
Article Tier 2

Origin matters – investigating the immunomodulatory effects of primary and secondary micro- and nanoplastics on human macrophages.

This study compared immune responses triggered by primary microplastics versus secondary microplastics derived from environmental weathering, using macrophage models. Secondary microplastics, which are more environmentally realistic, produced distinct immunomodulatory effects compared to primary particles.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Micro- and Nanoplastics and the Immune System: Mechanistic Insights and Future Directions

This review synthesizes experimental evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt immune system function, documenting effects on macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and T and B cells across multiple organs including the placenta, lungs, blood, and brain. The authors identify key mechanistic pathways and call for standardized exposure studies to clarify real-world health risks.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

The impact of gut microbial signals on hematopoietic stem cells and the bone marrow microenvironment

This review explores how gut bacteria influence the production and development of blood cells in the bone marrow by sending chemical signals through microbial byproducts. While not directly about microplastics, the research is highly relevant because microplastics are known to disrupt gut bacteria communities. If microplastics alter the gut microbiome, they could indirectly affect blood cell production and immune function through this gut-bone marrow connection.

2024 Frontiers in Immunology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Alveolar macrophages promote lung organoid outgrowth but do not protect against negative effects of PA6,6 microplastics on developing airway organoids

Researchers added alveolar macrophages to developing airway organoids to test whether these immune cells protect lung tissue from the harmful effects of polyamide 6,6 microplastics. Macrophages promoted organoid growth but failed to shield airway cells from microplastic-induced damage, with leaching chemicals rather than the particles themselves being responsible for toxicity.

2025
Article Tier 2

Stem Cells and Innate Immunity in Aquatic Invertebrates: Bridging Two Seemingly Disparate Disciplines for New Discoveries in Biology

This review examined the interplay between stem cells and innate immunity in aquatic invertebrates, finding that understanding these interactions has broad implications for ecotoxicology and assessing microplastic impacts on marine organism health and regeneration.

2021 Frontiers in Immunology 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro- and nanoplastic exposure on macrophages: a review of molecular and cellular mechanisms

This review details how macrophages, key immune cells, respond when they engulf micro- and nanoplastics. The particles trigger inflammatory signaling, damage mitochondria and lysosomes, cause excessive production of harmful reactive oxygen species, and can lead to cell death, while in fat tissue they promote fat buildup and insulin resistance.

2025 Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics and the Immune System: Mechanistic Insights and Future Directions

This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt the human immune system at the cellular level, impairing key immune cells like macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells. The particles trigger chronic low-grade inflammation through oxidative stress and activation of inflammatory pathways, and can worsen autoimmune conditions like lupus and inflammatory bowel disease in animal studies. These findings raise concerns that ongoing microplastic exposure could gradually weaken immune function and contribute to immune-related diseases in people.

2025 Immuno 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of micro- and nanoplastics as food contaminants on the immune system

This review synthesized research on how microplastic and nanoplastic exposure affects immune system function, finding evidence across multiple studies that these particles can modulate immune responses and trigger inflammatory pathways in exposed organisms. The authors highlight immune disruption as an emerging health concern from micro- and nanoplastic contamination.

2023 Problems of Nutrition 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Immune Disruption and Disease Development by Microplastic Exposure

This review synthesized growing evidence that microplastic and nanoplastic exposure disrupts the human immune system, covering how particles ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through skin can trigger inflammation, impair immune cell function, and potentially contribute to autoimmune and allergic conditions.

2025 American journal of student research.
Article Tier 2

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells showed an alteration of differentiation potential under Environmental Micro and Nanoplastics Exposure

Researchers evaluated the effects of micro and nanoplastics from water bottles on human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells, finding that exposure altered their differentiation potential in ways that could impair tissue renewal and homeostasis. The study used multiple plastic particle sizes to assess how environmental MPs affect these stem-like progenitor cells.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Tuning Cellular Perception in Pluripotent Stem Cells through Topography, Stiffness, and Patterning

Researchers reviewed how physical surface features like texture, stiffness, and micro-scale patterns influence how stem cells grow and specialize. They found that carefully engineered surface cues can guide stem cell development without chemical signals, which has implications for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. While not directly about microplastics, the study is relevant to understanding how micro-scale particles in the body might interact with cells at the physical level.

2025 Advanced NanoBiomed Research 2 citations