Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Transcriptome-wide m6A modification mediates cardiotoxicity in mice after chronic exposure to microplastics

Researchers exposed mice to microplastics and examined the resulting heart tissue damage and changes in gene regulation through a chemical modification called m6A methylation. They found that microplastic exposure caused cardiac inflammation, fibrosis, and increased lipid accumulation, along with widespread changes in m6A methylation patterns across the transcriptome. The study suggests that microplastics may contribute to heart tissue damage through epigenetic modifications that alter gene expression.

2023 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics trigger mitochondrial and metabolic reprogramming in cardiomyocytes: Evidence from integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can damage heart cells by disrupting their powerhouses (mitochondria) and reducing their ability to produce energy. When researchers exposed human heart cells and mice to these nanoplastics, they observed weakened heart function and signs of early heart damage. This research suggests that the growing amount of microscopic plastic pollution in our environment could pose previously unknown risks to heart health.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics as Epigenetic Disruptors: A Biochemical Review of Environmental Pollutants and Gene Regulation

This biochemical review examined how nanoplastics disrupt epigenetic regulation, focusing on their ability to alter DNA methylation patterns, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA expression. The authors argued that nanoplastic-induced epigenetic changes could have lasting developmental and health consequences, especially during vulnerable life stages.

2025 OICC Press Journals
Article Tier 2

N6-methyladenosine RNA methylation regulates microplastics-induced cell senescence in the rainbow trout liver

Rainbow trout exposed to microplastics at 500 µg/L for two weeks accumulated plastic particles in their livers, which triggered oxidative stress, liver tissue damage, and — importantly — premature cell ageing (senescence) driven by changes in RNA regulation. Specifically, microplastics disrupted a molecular "reader" system (m6A RNA methylation) that normally controls cell proliferation and growth. This pathway-level finding is significant because cellular senescence is associated with tissue degeneration and disease, suggesting microplastic exposure may have long-term liver health consequences in fish — and potentially in other vertebrates.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A study on the roles of long non-coding RNA and circular RNA in the pulmonary injuries induced by polystyrene microplastics

Researchers exposed rats to polystyrene microplastics through the airways and found evidence of lung tissue damage, including destroyed air sacs and inflammation. The study identified changes in the activity of long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs, types of genetic regulators that may help explain how microplastics cause lung injury at the molecular level. These findings provide new insight into the biological mechanisms behind potential respiratory harm from inhaling microplastic particles.

2022 Environment International 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Whole transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed key RNA profiles and toxicity in mice after chronic exposure to microplastics

Researchers examined the long-term effects of environmental levels of microplastics on mice given polystyrene particles in drinking water for 180 days. Whole transcriptome analysis revealed significant changes in RNA expression profiles, with biochemical and histopathological examination showing organ-level impacts. The study suggests that chronic exposure to microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations can alter key molecular signaling pathways in mammals.

2022 Chemosphere 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics: Focus on the role of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs

This review explored how nanoplastics may affect gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, focusing on their potential to alter microRNA and long non-coding RNA regulation, which could contribute to chronic diseases including cancer.

2022 Chemosphere 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic non-coding RNA biomarker reveals lung injury and repair induced by polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers found that mice and lung organoids (lab-grown mini-organs) repeatedly exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics suffered lung tissue damage, impaired repair processes, and changes in non-coding RNA molecules that could serve as early warning biomarkers for nanoplastic-induced lung injury.

2025 Environment International 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Paternal Microplastic Exposure Alters Sperm Small Noncoding RNAs and Affects Offspring Metabolic Health in Mice

Researchers found that paternal microplastic exposure in mice altered sperm small noncoding RNA profiles and had sex-specific effects on offspring metabolic health, including altered body composition and worsened insulin resistance in female offspring fed a high-fat diet. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may cause intergenerational health effects transmitted through epigenetic changes in sperm.

2025 Journal of the Endocrine Society 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of Nano‐Microplastics Exposure‐Induced Myocardial Fibrosis: DKK3‐Mediated Mitophagy Dysfunction and Pyroptosis

Researchers investigated how nano-microplastic exposure leads to heart tissue scarring in mice and identified a specific molecular pathway involved. They found that the plastic particles suppressed a protein called DKK3, which disrupted the cell's ability to recycle damaged mitochondria, triggering an inflammatory cell death process that promotes fibrosis. The study reveals a potential mechanism by which long-term microplastic exposure could contribute to cardiac damage.

2025 Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology 3 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Systematic Review: Efek Nanoplastik terhadap Metilasi DNA pada Manusia

This systematic review, written in Indonesian, examines how nanoplastics may affect DNA methylation in humans — a process that controls which genes are turned on or off. Changes in DNA methylation can influence disease risk, including cancer. The review highlights an important but understudied pathway through which tiny plastic particles could affect human health at the genetic level.

2023 Media Gizi Kesmas 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to Polypropylene Microplastics Causes Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis Through Oxidative Stress and Activation of the MAPK‐Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

Researchers found that polypropylene microplastics caused heart muscle cell death in both mice and lab-grown cells by triggering oxidative stress and activating specific cell damage pathways. Mice exposed to higher concentrations showed visible heart tissue damage and inflammation. This study is one of the first to demonstrate that microplastic exposure can directly harm the heart, raising concerns about cardiovascular effects in people exposed to microplastics.

2024 Environmental Toxicology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics causes heart aging/myocardial cell senescence through the Ca2+/mtDNA/cGAS-STING signaling cascade

Researchers discovered that nanoplastics can cause heart aging by entering heart muscle cells and triggering a chain reaction: they damage mitochondria (the cell's energy source), which leaks DNA into the cell, activating an immune alarm system called the cGAS-STING pathway. This is the first study to reveal how long-term nanoplastic exposure could accelerate heart aging, raising concerns about the cardiovascular effects of plastic pollution.

2024 Journal of Nanobiotechnology 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic exposure is associated with epigenomic effects in the model organism Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow)

Researchers exposed fathead minnows to microplastics and found changes in DNA methylation -- a chemical modification that controls which genes are turned on or off -- across multiple organs including the brain, liver, and gonads. These epigenetic changes are heritable, meaning microplastic exposure could affect not just the exposed fish but also future generations, raising concerns about long-term ecological and evolutionary impacts.

2024 Journal of Heredity 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Roles for DNA 6mA and RNA m6A Methylation in Mammalian Genome

This review explores recently discovered chemical modifications on DNA and RNA molecules, specifically methylation at the sixth position of adenine, and their roles in regulating gene activity in mammals. Researchers found that these modifications are particularly enriched in brain tissue and may influence neurological development and disease. The study summarizes current detection methods and highlights significant gaps in understanding how these molecular markers function in mammalian biology.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Supplemental Data for "Paternal microplastic exposure alters sperm small non-coding RNAs and affects offspring metabolic health in mice"

This dataset provides supplemental data for a study examining how paternal microplastic exposure in mice alters small non-coding RNAs in sperm, with downstream effects on offspring metabolic health.

2025 Harvard Dataverse
Article Tier 2

Epigenetic Modifications and Gene Expression Alterations in Plants Exposed to Nanomaterials and Nanoplastics: The Role of MicroRNAs, lncRNAs and DNA Methylation

This review examines how nanomaterials and nanoplastics alter plant gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, focusing on changes in microRNA, long non-coding RNA, and DNA methylation patterns that could disrupt normal plant development and stress responses.

2025 Environments 4 citations
Article Tier 2

PVC nanoplastics impair cardiac function via lysosomal and mitochondrial dysfunction

Researchers found that PVC nanoplastics damaged heart cells by disrupting two critical cellular structures: lysosomes (the cell's recycling system) and mitochondria (the cell's energy producers). The nanoplastics caused lysosomes to become leaky and mitochondria to malfunction, leading to heart cell injury and impaired cardiac function. This study is concerning because PVC is one of the most common plastics, and the findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure could contribute to heart disease.

2025 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microRNA-mRNA regulatory network associated with microplastic exposure in Mytilus galloprovincialis

Scientists identified specific microRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in Mediterranean mussels that are altered by microplastic exposure, revealing how plastic pollution affects gene regulation at the molecular level. The study found that microplastics disrupt biological pathways related to development, growth, and reproduction in these filter-feeding organisms. Since mussels are widely consumed as seafood, the findings also raise concerns about microplastics entering the human food chain.

2025 Genomics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Profiling of lincRNAs and differential regulatory mechanisms in response to nanoplastic toxicity at environmentally relevant concentrations in Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations affect long noncoding RNA expression in the model organism C. elegans. The study identified specific regulatory mechanisms involving lncRNAs in the toxic response to nanoplastic exposure, providing new insights into the molecular pathways through which nanoplastics may harm living organisms.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in global methylation patterns of Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to microplastics

Researchers found that exposing mussels to polystyrene microplastics caused changes in their DNA methylation patterns, an epigenetic modification that controls how genes are turned on and off. Higher microplastic concentrations led to greater loss of methylation, and similar patterns were seen in wild mussels from polluted areas. This suggests microplastics could affect organisms at the genetic regulation level, potentially influencing metabolism and cell division.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Additional file 1 of Single-cell RNA-seq analysis decodes the kidney microenvironment induced by polystyrene microplastics in mice receiving a high-fat diet

Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to decode kidney microenvironmental changes induced by polystyrene microplastics in mice fed a high-fat diet, characterizing mural cell and mesangial cell heterogeneity, DEG profiles, and pathway enrichment in affected renal tissue.

2024 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Epigenetic and Gene Expression Responses in Daphnia magna to Polyethylene and Polystyrene Microplastics

Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia magna) to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and examined changes at the genetic and molecular level. They found that the microplastics altered DNA methylation patterns and disrupted the expression of genes involved in reproduction and stress response. The study provides evidence that microplastic exposure can cause changes beyond physical harm, affecting organisms at the epigenetic level.

2025 Preprints.org 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics induces arrhythmia in human stem-cells derived cardiomyocytes

Researchers exposed human cardiomyocytes derived from stem cells to nanoplastic particles and observed dose-dependent uptake, oxidative stress, and arrhythmias developing by day seven. Complementary experiments in mice revealed that nanoplastics disrupted RNA processing and protein folding in heart tissue, leading to cellular stress and impaired electrical signaling. The study provides evidence that nanoplastic exposure may pose direct risks to heart rhythm and function.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 4 citations