Papers

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Article Tier 2

Gut Check: Microbiota and Obesity in Mice Exposed to Polystyrene Microspheres

Researchers found that gut microbiota appeared to play a mediating role in the obesity outcomes observed in mice fed manufactured polystyrene microspheres, suggesting that microplastic-induced alterations to the gut microbiome may be a mechanism linking microplastic exposure to metabolic dysfunction and weight gain.

2024 Environmental Health Perspectives
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic lipid metabolism disorder in mice

Researchers fed mice two sizes of polystyrene microplastics for five weeks and observed significant disruption of gut bacteria and changes in liver fat metabolism. The microplastics decreased mucus production in the gut and shifted the balance of key bacterial populations at multiple taxonomic levels. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion can trigger gut microbiota imbalance in mammals, which may in turn affect metabolic health.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 966 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo exposure of mixed microplastic particles in mice and its impacts on the murine gut microbiome and metabolome

Mice were orally exposed to a mixed polystyrene, polyethylene, and PLGA microplastic suspension for several weeks and gut microbiome composition and metabolomics were analyzed. Mixed microplastic exposure shifted the gut microbiome toward dysbiotic profiles in both male and female mice, with accompanying metabolome changes related to lipid and amino acid metabolism.

2025
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics trigger adiposity in mice by remodeling gut microbiota and boosting fatty acid synthesis

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics at relatively low concentrations caused weight gain and excess fat accumulation in mice by reshaping their gut bacteria. The altered gut microbiome boosted fatty acid production, increased appetite, and lowered physical activity in the exposed mice. This finding is significant because it suggests everyday levels of microplastic exposure could contribute to obesity through changes in gut bacteria and metabolism.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 62 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Interactions between polystyrene-derived micro- and nanoplastics and the microbiota: a systematic review of multi-omics mouse studies

Researchers systematically reviewed 15 mouse studies and found that exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics consistently disrupted gut bacteria — reducing beneficial species like Lactobacillus and increasing harmful ones — while also altering metabolic pathways throughout the body. Nanoplastics caused more severe microbiome disruption than larger microplastics, highlighting a serious health concern for humans.

2026 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part C
Article Tier 2

In vivo exposure of mixed microplastic particles in mice and its impacts on the murine gut microbiome and metabolome

Researchers exposed mice to a mixture of common microplastic types to investigate effects on the gut microbiome and metabolome. The study found that ingested microplastic particles altered gut microbial composition and disrupted metabolic pathways, suggesting that realistic mixed-microplastic exposure may have broader biological effects than single-polymer studies indicate.

2025 Toxicological Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiome and metabolome changes in Javanese medaka fish (Oryzias javanicus Bleeker, 1854)

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic exposure altered gut microbiome composition and metabolic profiles in Javanese medaka fish, with effects on amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways suggesting microplastics can disrupt gut health in aquatic organisms.

2022 Toxicology Reports 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolic Reprogramming in Gut Microbiota Exposed to Polystyrene Microplastics

This pilot study exposed common gut bacteria to polystyrene microplastics in the lab and found that the plastics reduced bacterial growth in a dose-dependent manner and disrupted key metabolic pathways. When gut bacteria from mice were tested, microplastic exposure shifted the microbial community balance, reducing beneficial species. These results suggest that microplastics ingested through food and water could alter the gut microbiome, which plays an important role in digestion, immunity, and overall health.

2025 Biomedicines 8 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

Integrated fecal microbiome and metabolome analysis explore the link between polystyrene nanoplastics exposure and male reproductive toxicity in mice

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes and doses, then analyzed fecal microbiome and metabolome changes alongside reproductive outcomes. The study found that nanoplastic exposure disrupted gut microbiota balance and metabolic pathways, which correlated with reduced sperm count, viability, and testosterone levels. The findings suggest that gut microbiota-metabolite disruption may play an important role in nanoplastic-induced male reproductive toxicity.

2023 Environmental Toxicology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-induced gut microbiota and serum metabolic disruption in Sprague-Dawley rats

Researchers exposed rats to a mixture of common microplastic types at concentrations reflecting real-world human exposure and found significant disruptions to gut bacteria and blood metabolites. The microplastic mixture altered the balance of beneficial and harmful gut microbes and changed metabolic pathways related to amino acids and lipids. The study suggests that everyday microplastic exposure from food and water may affect mammalian gut health and metabolism.

2023 Environmental Pollution 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbiota-mediated metabolic perturbations in the gut and brain of mice after microplastic exposure

In a mouse study, oral exposure to polystyrene microplastics of two sizes altered the gut bacteria community and caused metabolic changes in both the intestines and the brain. The disrupted gut bacteria appeared to drive changes in bile acid, energy, and other metabolic pathways. These findings support the idea that microplastics in food and water could affect brain health indirectly by first disrupting the gut microbiome and its chemical signals.

2023 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota and metabolic health risks from chronic low-dose microplastic exposure with focus on Desulfovibrio spp.

Researchers investigated the effects of long-term, low-dose polystyrene microplastic intake on gut bacteria and metabolism in mice. They found that even low doses significantly altered the gut microbiome, increasing bacteria linked to gastrointestinal inflammation and colorectal cancer risk, while also disrupting lipid and amino acid metabolism. The study suggests that routine microplastic exposure through food and water could quietly shift gut health in ways associated with chronic metabolic conditions.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

The impact of microplastics on the mice gut microbiome: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis pools data from multiple mouse studies to assess how ingested microplastics affect gut bacteria. It found that microplastic exposure can alter the balance of the gut microbiome, which is important because gut health is closely tied to immune function, digestion, and overall well-being.

2025
Article Tier 2

Long-term exposure to polystyrene microplastics promotes HFD-induced obesity in mice through exacerbating microbiota dysbiosis

Researchers found that long-term polystyrene microplastic exposure worsened high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice by exacerbating gut microbiota dysbiosis, suggesting microplastic ingestion may amplify metabolic disease risk through disruption of the gut microbiome.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbiome: A forgotten target of environmental micro(nano)plastics?

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect the microbiome of various organisms, an area that has received less attention than other toxicological endpoints. Researchers found that most studies focused on polystyrene particles and that exposure consistently disrupted microbiome composition, triggered immune responses, and altered enzyme activity across organisms including crustaceans, fish, and mammals. The study highlights the microbiome as an important but often overlooked target of microplastic pollution.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the composition of the microbiome and metabolism in larval zebrafish

Researchers exposed larval zebrafish to two sizes of polystyrene microplastics and found significant changes in gut microbiome composition and metabolic activity. The microplastics altered the abundance and diversity of gut bacteria and disrupted metabolic pathways important for development. The study suggests that early-life exposure to microplastics could have meaningful biological consequences by reshaping the gut environment of developing organisms.

2018 Chemosphere 472 citations
Article Tier 2

A probiotic for preventing microplastic toxicity: Clostridium dalinum mitigates microplastic-induced damage via microbiota-metabolism-barrier interactions

Using metagenomics and metabolomics, this study found that the probiotic bacterium Clostridium dalinum reduced microplastic-induced gut damage in mice by modulating gut microbiota composition, metabolic pathways, and intestinal barrier integrity.

2025 Current Research in Food Science
Article Tier 2

Effects of partial reduction of polystyrene micro-nanoplastics on the immunity, gut microbiota and metabolome of mice

This mouse study examined whether partial gut degradation of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics affects immune markers, gut microbiota, and metabolome, finding that nanoplastic exposure produced distinct immune and microbial changes compared to microplastic exposure. Notably, different exposure doses shifted the key bacterial species stabilizing gut microbial networks.

2023 Chemosphere 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastic exposure induces insulin resistance in mice via dysbacteriosis and pro-inflammation

Researchers found that exposing mice to polystyrene microplastics induced insulin resistance regardless of whether the animals were on a normal or high-fat diet. The study identified disruption of gut bacteria and increased intestinal inflammation as key mechanisms driving the metabolic changes. These findings suggest that microplastic exposure may contribute to metabolic health issues by altering the gut microbiome and triggering chronic inflammation.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 121 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

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.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-omics association pattern between gut microbiota and host metabolism of a filter-feeding fish in situ exposed to microplastics

Scientists exposed filter-feeding fish to environmentally realistic levels of microplastics and found that the particles reshaped gut bacteria communities, which in turn altered the fish's liver metabolism through changes in amino acid processing. This gut-microbiome-to-organ connection matters because it shows microplastics may affect human health not just through direct toxicity but by disrupting the beneficial bacteria in our digestive systems.

2025 Environment International 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Multiomics analysis revealed the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics at different environmentally relevant concentrations on intestinal homeostasis

Researchers fed mice polystyrene nanoplastics at three different doses for 42 days and used multiple analysis methods to study the effects on gut health. Even the lowest dose increased gut permeability (leaky gut), triggered inflammation, and disrupted the balance of gut bacteria and their metabolites. These findings suggest that environmentally realistic levels of nanoplastic exposure could harm intestinal health and potentially contribute to chronic gut problems.

2025 Environmental Pollution 5 citations