Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

An LC–MS/MS Method for the Evaluation of Intestinal Permeability in Blood Plasma

This paper is not relevant to microplastics; it describes a laboratory method for measuring intestinal permeability using sugar markers in blood plasma.

2023 LCGC North America 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Measuring the Effect of Dietary Microplastic on Biomagnification Potential of Environmental Contaminants and Plastic Additives

Researchers measured the effect of dietary microplastic ingestion on the biomagnification potential of hydrophobic organic contaminants and plastic additives in the gastrointestinal tract, testing competing hypotheses about whether microplastics increase, decrease, or negligibly affect contaminant uptake.

2024 TSpace
Article Tier 2

Influence of non-degradable and degradable microplastics on the bioavailability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance in mice: Mechanism exploration

Researchers studied how microplastics in food affect the body's absorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of persistent chemicals found in drinking water. They found that high doses of polystyrene microplastics significantly increased PFAS absorption in mice while reducing the amount excreted, essentially making these harmful chemicals more bioavailable. The study suggests that microplastics in the diet could amplify the health risks posed by co-occurring chemical contaminants.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in food sold in France: a matter of containers ?

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in food sold in France, comparing contamination levels across products packaged in different container types to determine whether packaging materials rather than environmental ubiquity represent the primary microplastic exposure route in the French food supply.

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

Micro(nano)plastics in food system: potential health impacts on human intestinal system.

This review assessed how micro(nano)plastics in the human food system reach the intestine and accumulate in the gut, summarizing evidence that they can alter intestinal barrier function, trigger inflammation, and disrupt the gut microbiome, with implications for long-term digestive health.

2024 Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
Article Tier 2

Analytical method development and occurrence of microplastics from daily food containers

This study developed and optimized analytical methods for detecting microplastics in food containers and estimated human ingestion through this exposure pathway. The research supports the widely-cited estimate that people ingest about 5 grams of plastic per week, and provides improved detection methods for food safety monitoring.

2020
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in take-out food containers

Scientists collected take-out food containers made from four polymer types in five Chinese cities and detected microplastics in all containers, with fragment counts and polymer compositions varying by container material and city of origin.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 385 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutant adsorption on microplastic and its release during digestion processes

Researchers investigated the adsorption of copper and PFAS onto polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene microplastics and examined the subsequent release of these contaminants during simulated digestion processes. The study aimed to clarify the role of microplastics as vectors that increase contaminant bioavailability in marine biota.

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

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) enhanced polystyrene particles uptake by human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells

Researchers found that the persistent pollutant PFOS significantly enhanced the uptake of polystyrene micro- and nanoparticles by human intestinal Caco-2 cells, suggesting that co-exposure to PFOS and microplastics may increase the risk of particle absorption in the human gut.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutant adsorption on microplastic and its release during digestion processes

Researchers investigated how microplastics act as contaminant vectors for copper and PFAS by adsorbing these substances onto polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene particles and then evaluating their release under simulated gastrointestinal conditions using the Infogest static digestion protocol. They compared adsorption and release across polymer types and particle morphologies (spherical microbeads vs. post-consumer irregular microplastics) to assess how pH, enzymes, and bile affect desorption of these contaminants.

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

Microplastics in food sold in France: a matter of containers ?

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in food products sold in France, with a focus on whether the type of container — including plastic packaging, cardboard, and glass — influences the level of microplastic contamination in the enclosed food. The study extended prior work focused on salt, water, and seafood to a broader range of food categories, contributing to understanding of how food packaging materials serve as a source of dietary microplastic exposure.

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

An inverted in vitro triple culture model of the healthy and inflamed intestine: Adverse effects of polyethylene particles.

Using a laboratory model of the human intestinal lining, researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics affect intestinal cells and found they disrupted the barrier function of the gut wall. A compromised intestinal barrier allows larger molecules and particles to pass into the body, which could amplify the health effects of microplastic ingestion.

2021 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

An innovative in vitro model of IBD to assess micro-/nano-plastics intestinal toxicity.

Researchers developed an innovative in vitro intestinal inflammation model (IBD model) to assess the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations and polymer types, moving beyond the high-dose polystyrene-only studies that dominate current literature.

2023 Repository of the University of Namur
Article Tier 2

Impact of food matrices on the characteristics and cellular toxicities of ingested nanoplastics in a simulated digestive tract

Researchers investigated how different food components affect the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics as they pass through a simulated human digestive system. They found that fat molecules helped stabilize and disperse the nanoplastics during digestion, increasing their uptake by intestinal cells and worsening cellular damage. The study suggests that the type of food consumed alongside nanoplastic-contaminated items could significantly influence how much harm the particles cause in the gut.

2023 Food and Chemical Toxicology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of microand nanoplastics on the gastrointestinal mucosa and intestinal microbiome].

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics entering through the food chain affect the gastrointestinal tract, finding evidence of disruption to gut mucosal integrity and intestinal microbiome composition, with implications for digestive health and systemic immune function.

2023 PubMed 2 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impact of microplastics on the intestinal microbiota: A systematic review of preclinical evidence

Across 28 preclinical studies, microplastics triggered intestinal dysbiosis characterized by increased Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and decreased Bacteroidetes, while increasing gut permeability and elevating pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6.

2022 Life Sciences 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in food packaging: Analytical methods, health risks, and sustainable alternatives

This review examines how microplastics from food packaging materials can migrate into the food we eat during storage and handling. It evaluates analytical methods for detecting this contamination and suggests biodegradable polymers as promising eco-friendly alternatives, while noting that standardized testing methods and risk assessment frameworks are still needed.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Insights into PFAS Adsorption on Microplastics: Effects of Contaminant Properties and Water Chemistry

Researchers investigated how two widely detected PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA, adsorb onto five common types of microplastics in aquatic environments. The study found that contaminant properties and water chemistry significantly influence adsorption behavior, confirming that microplastics can serve as carriers for PFAS transport in waterways.

2026 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Digestion of microplastics with simulated gastrointestinal conditions mitigates uptake by intestinal epithelial cells: Quantified by imaging flow cytometry

Researchers studied how simulated digestion affects the uptake of microplastics by intestinal cells. They found that microplastics that had been through a simulated digestive process were taken up at significantly lower rates compared to pristine particles. The findings suggest that digestive conditions may reduce how many microplastics actually cross the intestinal barrier, which is important for understanding real-world human exposure.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Take-out containers as nano- and microplastics reservoirs: Diet-driven gut dysbiosis in university students

Researchers analyzed stool samples from 24 university students and found microplastics in every sample, with students who frequently ate from plastic take-out containers having significantly higher levels. The most common plastic type was PET, likely from food packaging. Higher microplastic levels were associated with changes in gut bacteria composition, suggesting that everyday habits like eating take-out food could disrupt gut health through microplastic exposure.

2025 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingested Polystyrene Micro-Nanoplastics Increase the Absorption of Co-Ingested Arsenic and Boscalid in an In Vitro Triculture Small Intestinal Epithelium Model

Researchers used an advanced intestinal cell model to study whether ingesting polystyrene micro-nanoplastics alongside environmental pollutants like arsenic and boscalid changes how those contaminants are absorbed. They found that the presence of microplastics significantly increased the intestinal uptake of both co-ingested pollutants. The study suggests that microplastics may act as carriers that enhance human exposure to other harmful chemicals through the diet.

2025 Microplastics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Desorption of bisphenol A from microplastics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

Researchers investigated bisphenol A desorption from three types of microplastics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, finding that ingested microplastics can release adsorbed BPA during digestion, posing potential health risks.

2023 Frontiers in Marine Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics: Contamination routes of food products and critical interpretation of detection strategies

This review evaluates current methods for detecting micro and nanoplastics in food and beverages, from sample preparation to chemical identification. The authors highlight significant challenges including detection sensitivity limits, interference from food matrices, and a lack of standardized protocols. Better analytical tools are needed to accurately assess how much microplastic contamination people are actually consuming.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Food Contamination with Micro-plastics: Occurrences, Bioavailability,Human Vulnerability, and Prevention

The study reviews the occurrence, bioavailability, and potential health impacts of microplastics in food, noting that contamination has been detected in foodstuffs and beverages worldwide. Researchers highlight that current data on dietary microplastic exposure remains insufficient for comprehensive risk assessment, and call for standardized methodologies to better evaluate the threat to human health.

2023 Current Nutrition & Food Science 7 citations