Papers

61,005 results
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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

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
Review Tier 2

Immunotoxicity and intestinal effects of nano- and microplastics: a review of the literature

This review examines the evidence on how nano- and microplastics affect the immune system and intestinal health. The findings suggest that exposure to these particles can disrupt the gut microbiome and impair critical intestinal barrier functions, potentially contributing to the development of chronic inflammatory and immune conditions.

2020 Particle and Fibre Toxicology 658 citations
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

Immunotoxicity by Microplastics

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics, after entering the body through the gut, lungs, or skin, can disrupt the immune system by triggering inflammation, causing oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules), and impairing immune cell function, while highlighting major gaps in our understanding of these long-term health effects.

2025 International Journal of Zoological Investigations
Article Tier 2

The impact of micro- and nanoplastics on immune system development and functions: Current knowledge and future directions

This review summarizes existing research on how micro- and nanoplastics affect the immune system, finding that exposure can disrupt blood cell development, alter immune cell behavior, and trigger inflammatory responses in lab and animal studies. While some studies show significant effects on organs like the spleen and intestines, others found minimal impact at environmentally realistic exposure levels, highlighting the need for more standardized research.

2025 Reproductive Toxicology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the immune system: How much should we worry?

This review examines how microplastics may affect the human immune system, noting that people are mainly exposed through food and breathing. While early research shows microplastics can trigger inflammation and immune responses in lab and animal studies, the authors stress that more research is needed to understand what this means for human health at real-world exposure levels.

2025 Immunology Letters 11 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Nanoplastics and Immune Disruption: A Systematic Review of Exposure Routes, Mechanisms, and Health Implications

This systematic review found that nanoplastics — extremely tiny plastic particles — can cross biological barriers and disrupt immune function in laboratory studies. The evidence suggests these particles may trigger inflammation and could potentially contribute to autoimmune conditions, though human studies are still limited.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The Micronanoplastics-immune axis across organ systems: towards a research agenda

This review synthesizes current evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the immune system across multiple organ systems in the human body. Researchers examined the primary routes of exposure through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, as well as the cellular mechanisms involved in immune response. The study highlights that microplastic-immune interactions may contribute to chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, pointing to a need for standardized research frameworks.

2025 Discover Medicine 1 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

Is There Evidence of Health Risks From Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics in Foods?

This review examines the evidence for health risks from micro- and nanoplastic exposure through food, noting that plastic particles can carry physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The study suggests that ingested plastics could contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses, and may even influence food allergy development by altering gut permeability and intestinal microbiome balance.

2022 Frontiers in Nutrition 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Do Engineered Nanomaterials Affect Immune Responses by Interacting With Gut Microbiota?

This review examined evidence that engineered nanomaterials including nanoplastics can indirectly modulate immune responses by altering gut microbiota composition, finding that while direct immunotoxicity is often mild, microbiome disruption provides an indirect pathway through which nanomaterials may impair host immunity.

2021 Frontiers in Immunology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Nanoplastics on Different Biological Systems

This review examines how nanoplastics affect multiple biological systems — including digestive, reproductive, nervous, and immune systems — synthesizing evidence that nanoplastics cross biological barriers and cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and physiological dysfunction across species.

2025 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
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

Potential risk assessment and toxicological impacts of nano/micro-plastics on human health through food products

This review examined the potential risks and toxicological effects of nano- and microplastics on human health through food products, identifying key contamination sources in the food chain and their harmful impacts on the body.

2023 Advances in food and nutrition research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics as immunomodulatory vectors: synergistic interactions with pollutants and pathogens across aquatic food webs

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics act as immunomodulatory vectors by adsorbing persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and pathogenic microorganisms onto their surfaces, transporting these hazardous agents through aquatic food webs and enhancing combined immune disruption in exposed organisms.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution 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

[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
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

Sorption, uptake, trophic transfer and immunotoxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics in the aquatic environment

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics are sorbed, taken up by organisms, transferred through food webs, and how they affect immune function in aquatic species. Researchers synthesize evidence showing these particles can accumulate across trophic levels and trigger immunotoxic effects, with implications for both wildlife and human health.

2020 ThinkTech (Texas Tech University) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence, contamination, and effects on human health—a critical review

This critical review examined the occurrence of microplastics in the food chain and their potential effects on human health. The authors found that microplastics enter the body through food packaging and bioaccumulation in animals and plants, and may contribute to oxidative stress and immune system disruption. The review emphasizes the need for greater understanding of microplastic toxicity mechanisms in humans.

2024 Microplastics 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Source, migration path and pollution of microplastics and nano-plastics in food

This review traced the sources, migration pathways, and food contamination status of microplastics and nanoplastics, covering their entry into food chains through packaging, processing, environmental pollution, and water sources—and discussing potential accumulation in the human body and associated health risks.

2025 Advances in Food Science and Human Nutrition
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics and Their Potential Impact on Human Gut Health: A Narrative Review

This review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics affect the gut, finding that they can damage the intestinal lining, trigger immune responses, and disrupt the balance of beneficial gut bacteria in both cell studies and animal models. Since humans are primarily exposed to microplastics through food and food packaging, understanding these gut effects is essential for assessing the true health risks of plastic pollution.

2024 Current Issues in Molecular Biology 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellular and Systemic Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals—What We Know So Far

This review summarized known cellular and systemic effects of micro- and nanoplastics in mammals, finding that while ingestion is common, knowledge of health impacts remains limited, with oxidative stress and inflammation as the most reported biological responses.

2023 Materials 13 citations