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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic Exposure and the of Parkinson’s Disease
ClearMicro-nanoplastics and Parkinson’s disease: evidence and perspectives
Researchers reviewed growing evidence linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to Parkinson's disease, a degenerative brain condition. Lab studies suggest these particles may accelerate disease by promoting the misfolding of a key brain protein (alpha-synuclein), triggering inflammation, and damaging mitochondria — though large-scale human studies are still needed to establish causation and define safe exposure thresholds.
Do microplastics play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases? Shared pathophysiological pathways for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
This review explores the emerging connection between microplastic exposure and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, identifying shared pathophysiological pathways. Researchers found that microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and may trigger oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and protein aggregation, which are hallmarks of these conditions. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure could be a contributing environmental factor in neurodegeneration, though direct causal evidence in humans is still lacking.
Plastamination: A Rising Concern for Parkinson's Disease
This paper examined the potential link between widespread plastic pollution and the rising incidence of Parkinson's disease, which is growing faster than expected based on aging populations alone. Researchers highlighted how microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and may trigger neuroinflammation and oxidative stress associated with neurodegeneration. The study suggests that the environmental accumulation of plastic waste, termed 'plastamination,' deserves serious investigation as a possible contributing factor to neurological conditions.
Elevated blood microplastics and their potential association with Parkinson’s disease
Researchers collected blood samples from 21 Parkinson's disease patients and 12 healthy controls and found that patients with Parkinson's had significantly higher levels of microplastics in their blood. The Parkinson's patients also reported more frequent use of disposable plastic products and bottled water, suggesting greater environmental exposure. The study provides early evidence of a potential association between blood microplastic levels and Parkinson's disease, though further research is needed to understand any causal relationship.
The role of microplastics exposure in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
Researchers reviewed the mechanistic links between microplastic and nanoplastic exposure and the two most common neurodegenerative diseases — Alzheimer's and Parkinson's — finding evidence that oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and protein aggregation are key pathways connecting plastic pollution to neurodegeneration.
Environmental Nanoplastic Accumulation and Neurodegenerative Disease in Animal Models
This review examines animal model evidence linking environmental nanoplastic accumulation in brain tissue to neurodegeneration, synthesizing studies showing that nanoplastics trigger neuroinflammation, protein aggregation, and synaptic dysfunction relevant to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease pathology.
Insights into the Binding Interactions between Microplastics and Human α-Synuclein Protein by Multispectroscopic Investigations and Amyloidogenic Oligomer Formation
Researchers found that common microplastics -- especially polystyrene -- can bind to alpha-synuclein, a brain protein whose clumping is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease. The microplastics altered the protein's structure and promoted the formation of toxic clumps called amyloidogenic oligomers. This suggests that microplastic exposure could potentially accelerate the protein misfolding process linked to Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The effects of micro- and nanoplastics on the central nervous system: A new threat to humanity?
This review summarizes growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and damage the central nervous system through inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of brain chemicals. The authors note that microplastic exposure has been linked to memory and behavior changes in animals and may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, though direct human evidence is still limited.
Anionic nanoplastic contaminants promote Parkinson’s disease–associated α-synuclein aggregation
Researchers discovered that nanoplastics can enter brain cells and accelerate the clumping of alpha-synuclein, a protein whose buildup is the hallmark of Parkinson's disease. In mice, nanoplastics worsened the spread of this protein pathology across brain regions, including the area that controls movement, suggesting a potential link between nanoplastic pollution and Parkinson's disease risk.
PD-like pathogenesis induced by intestinal exposure to microplastics: An in vivo study of animal models to a public health survey
Researchers found that even low-dose microplastic exposure in mice and worm models accelerated the degeneration of dopamine-producing brain cells and caused movement disorders similar to Parkinson's disease. The microplastics triggered damage through the gut barrier and immune system, causing brain inflammation even without directly entering the brain. A companion public health survey also linked frequent use of disposable plastic tableware to intestinal inflammatory symptoms in people.
Uncovering the impact of nano- and microplastics on neurodegenerative diseases and strategies to mitigate their damage
Researchers reviewed evidence that micro- and nanoplastics may contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases by triggering brain inflammation, disrupting mitochondria (the cell's power source), and damaging the blood-brain barrier. The review also found that natural compounds like melatonin and probiotics show early promise in reducing some of these harmful effects.
Polystyrene Nanoplastics Hitch-Hike the Gut–Brain Axis to Exacerbate Parkinson’s Pathology
Scientists found that polystyrene nanoplastics can travel from the gut to the brain along nerve pathways and worsen Parkinson's disease in mice. The nanoplastics accelerated the clumping of alpha-synuclein, a protein central to Parkinson's, which triggered brain inflammation, damaged mitochondria, and impaired the cellular cleanup system. Mice exposed to both nanoplastics and the disease protein showed progressive physical and motor decline resembling Parkinson's symptoms.
Nano- and Microplastics in the Brain: An Emerging Threat to Neural Health
This review summarizes evidence that nano- and microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue, where they trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and protein clumping linked to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The findings suggest that plastic particles may also interfere with the brain's ability to heal from injury, though long-term human studies are still lacking.
Anionic Nanoplastic Contaminants Promote Parkinson’s Disease-Associated α-Synuclein Aggregation
Researchers discovered that anionic nanoplastic contaminants can promote the formation and spread of alpha-synuclein protein fibrils, which are associated with Parkinson's disease. The study found that nanoplastics enter neurons, impair lysosomal function, and in mouse models, exacerbate the spread of alpha-synuclein pathology across brain regions, including dopaminergic neurons, highlighting a potential link between nanoplastic exposure and neurodegenerative processes that warrants further investigation.
Protein aggregation, hydrophobicity and neurodegenerative disease
This doctoral thesis on protein aggregation and neurodegenerative disease includes an important finding relevant to microplastics: nanoscale PET plastic particles were shown to accelerate the formation of amyloid fibrils from alpha-synuclein, a protein central to Parkinson's disease. This raises the concern that everyday nanoplastic exposure could contribute to the onset or progression of neurodegenerative conditions.
Breaching Barriers: Microplastic Translocation into Human Body Through Food and Implications for Neurodegeneration
This systematic review traced how microplastics enter the body through food and potentially reach the brain. Once ingested, these particles can cross the gut barrier, enter the bloodstream, and accumulate in brain tissue, where they may cause oxidative stress and inflammation that could contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
From the Environment to Molecular Interactions of Nanoplastics: Unraveling the Neurotoxic Impacts and the Implications in Neurodegenerative Processes
This review examines how nanoplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and potentially contribute to brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Nanoplastics have been found in food, water, and air, and once they reach the brain they can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein misfolding. The review calls for more realistic lab studies and better detection methods to understand the true scope of nanoplastic effects on brain health.
Nanoplastic stimulates the amyloidogenesis of Parkinson's alpha-synuclein NACore
Polystyrene nanoplastics accelerate the formation of toxic protein clumps (oligomers) from alpha-synuclein NACore, a protein fragment linked to Parkinson's disease, through hydrophobic binding interactions. Tests in brain immune cells showed increased toxicity, and zebrafish embryos exposed to the nanoplastic showed impaired hatching and survival — providing early mechanistic evidence that nanoplastic pollution may contribute to neurodegenerative disease risk.
Nanoplastic stimulates the amyloidogenesis of Parkinson's alpha-synuclein NACore
Polystyrene nanoplastics accelerate the formation of toxic protein clumps (oligomers) from alpha-synuclein NACore, a protein fragment linked to Parkinson's disease, through hydrophobic binding interactions. Tests in brain immune cells showed increased toxicity, and zebrafish embryos exposed to the nanoplastic showed impaired hatching and survival — providing early mechanistic evidence that nanoplastic pollution may contribute to neurodegenerative disease risk.
Nanoplastics exacerbate Parkinson's disease symptoms in C. elegans and human cells
Researchers discovered that tiny 25-nanometer plastic particles worsened symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease in both worm models and human cells, including nerve cell death, movement problems, and buildup of harmful protein clumps. The nanoplastics also damaged the intestinal barrier, causing a "leaky gut" condition, and broke apart mitochondria in muscle cells. These findings suggest nanoplastic exposure could be a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases.
Molecular Insights into α-Synuclein Fibrillation: A Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning Approach
This study used advanced spectroscopy and machine learning to track the molecular changes that occur as alpha-synuclein protein clumps together, a process central to Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders. While not directly about microplastics, this research is relevant because recent studies have shown that nanoplastics can accelerate alpha-synuclein aggregation. Better tools for detecting early protein clumping could help researchers understand whether environmental exposures like nanoplastics contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
Nanoplastic Stimulates the Amyloidogenesis of Parkinson's Alpha‐Synuclein NACore
This study found that nanoplastic particles can accelerate the clumping of a protein called alpha-synuclein, which is linked to Parkinson's disease. Using advanced mass spectrometry, researchers showed that nanoplastics sped up the formation of harmful protein clusters and increased their toxicity to brain cells. The findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure could be a factor worth investigating in neurodegenerative disease research.
Elucidating the Neurotoxicopathological Impact of Micro and Nanoplastics: Mechanistic Insights Into Oxidative Stress-mediated Neurodegeneration and Implications for Public Health in a Plastic Pervasive Era
Researchers reviewed the growing evidence linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to neurodegenerative diseases, identifying oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, DNA damage, and protein misfolding as key mechanisms of harm to the brain. The review highlights critical knowledge gaps — especially around chronic low-dose exposure — and calls for better detection tools and public health policies to address the emerging neurological threat from plastic pollution.
NF‐κB/NLRP3 inflammasome axis and risk of Parkinson's disease in Type 2 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review and new perspective
This review explores the connection between type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease through shared inflammatory pathways involving the NF-kB and NLRP3 inflammasome systems. High blood sugar in diabetes triggers inflammation and oxidative stress that may damage dopamine-producing brain cells, increasing Parkinson's risk. While not directly about microplastics, these inflammatory pathways are the same ones that microplastic exposure has been shown to activate in other studies.