Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

The Pressing Issue of Micro- and Nanoplastic Contamination: Profiling the Reproductive Alterations Mediated by Oxidative Stress

This review examined how micro- and nanoplastics affect reproductive health across aquatic and land-based organisms, focusing on oxidative stress as the primary damage mechanism. Researchers found that these plastic particles can reach the gonads through the bloodstream and even accumulate in human and mouse placenta, with harmful effects on sperm and egg development, embryo growth, and offspring survival. The severity of reproductive harm appears to increase with smaller particle sizes and longer exposure times.

2022 Antioxidants 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Reproductive toxicity of microplastics role of oxidative stress in cellular and molecular damage

This review synthesizes in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological evidence on how microplastics cause reproductive toxicity, focusing on oxidative stress as the central mechanism. MPs infiltrate reproductive tissues, generate reactive oxygen species, and disrupt gametogenesis, hormone regulation, and embryonic development across multiple species.

2025 World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and impaired male reproductive health—exploring biological pathways of harm: a narrative review

This narrative review summarizes the evidence that microplastics may harm male reproductive health through oxidative stress, hormone disruption, inflammation, and direct damage to reproductive cells. While animal studies show concerning effects on sperm quality, testicular function, and fertility, human studies are still lacking. The review calls for urgent research on microplastic impacts on human male fertility and for policies to reduce microplastic exposure.

2025 Biology of Reproduction 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Microplastics Disrupt Spermatogenesis through Oxidative Stress in Rat Testicular Tissue

Male Wistar rats orally administered polystyrene microplastics showed excessive oxidative stress in testicular tissue across all exposure groups, with spermatogenesis impairment and reduced fertility correlating with dose, demonstrating reproductive toxicity in a mammalian model.

2025 Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Reproductive toxicity and related mechanisms of micro(nano)plastics in terrestrial mammals: Review of current evidence.

This review of terrestrial mammal studies found that micro- and nanoplastics induce reproductive toxicity through oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine disruption, and DNA damage, affecting both male and female fertility. In males, effects include blood-testis barrier disruption and impaired spermatogenesis, while females show compromised oocyte maturation, ovarian fibrosis, and diminished ovarian reserve, with particles also capable of crossing the maternal-fetal interface.

2024 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
Article Tier 2

Testicular mitochondrial redox imbalance and impaired oxidative phosphorylation underlie microplastic-induced testicular dysfunction in Wistar rats

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect male reproductive function in rats by examining testicular mitochondrial health. The study found that microplastic exposure disrupted mitochondrial redox balance and impaired oxidative phosphorylation in testicular tissue, providing mechanistic evidence for how microplastics may contribute to male reproductive toxicity.

2026 Frontiers in Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Environmental Pollutants and Oxidative Stress in Terrestrial and Aquatic Organisms: Examination of the Total Picture and Implications for Human Health

This comprehensive review examines how various environmental pollutants, including microplastics, toxic metals, and pesticides, induce oxidative stress in both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. The study highlights the interconnected pathways through which pollution-driven oxidative damage in wildlife may carry implications for understanding broader environmental health risks.

2022 Frontiers in Physiology 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastic exposure in mice: oxidative stress-induced testicular damage, AR gene suppression, and histopathological alterations

Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics at two different concentrations and observed significant impacts on reproductive health, including increased oxidative stress in testicular tissue. The study found elevated reactive oxygen species, reduced sperm count and motility, and suppression of androgen receptor gene expression. Evidence indicates that microplastic exposure may pose reproductive health risks by disrupting antioxidant defenses and damaging testicular cells.

2024 Journal of Experimental and Laboratory Medicine. 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental determinants of male infertility: emerging threats and technological interventions

This review examines how environmental contaminants, including microplastics, air pollution, heavy metals, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, may contribute to declining male fertility. The study suggests these environmental toxins can impair sperm function through oxidative stress, hormonal imbalance, and inflammation, and highlights the need for integrating environmental exposure data into fertility assessments.

2026 Frontiers in Medicine
Article Tier 2

Microplastics from agricultural plastic mulch films: A mini-review of their impacts on the animal reproductive system

This review summarized research on how microplastics from agricultural plastic mulch films affect animal reproductive systems. Evidence indicates that microplastics can decrease oocyte quality, damage the blood-testis barrier, and compromise sperm quality in various organisms, with reactive oxygen species-related pathways implicated as key mechanisms driving these reproductive effects.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Oxidative Stress and Male Fertility: Promising Role of Nutraceuticals

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews the role of oxidative stress in male infertility and the potential of nutraceuticals (antioxidant-rich dietary supplements) to improve sperm quality and hormonal profiles, with no connection to microplastic research.

2023 Biochemistry 2 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

A meta-analysis-based adverse outcome pathway for the male reproductive toxicity induced by microplastics and nanoplastics in mammals

This meta-analysis of 39 studies mapped the adverse outcome pathway for microplastic and nanoplastic-induced male reproductive toxicity in mammals. Increased reactive oxygen species triggers a cascade of cellular damage including mitochondrial dysfunction, sperm DNA damage, and disrupted hormone signaling, ultimately leading to reduced sperm quality, impaired spermatogenesis, and decreased testosterone levels.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics are detected in bull and dog sperm and polystyrene microparticles impair sperm fertilization

This study found microplastic particles in the sperm of bulls and dogs for the first time, confirming that reproductive fluids are not shielded from plastic contamination. When bovine sperm was exposed to polystyrene microplastics at concentrations matching what was measured in the animals themselves, motility dropped and fertilization success declined, with resulting embryos showing higher levels of oxidative stress and cell death. These findings raise serious concerns about microplastics as a contributing factor to the global decline in male fertility across mammalian species, including humans.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Exposure Is Harmful to Male Reproductive Health

This chapter reviewed evidence on how microplastic exposure may harm male reproductive health through multiple pathways including ingestion and inhalation. The study examined mechanisms by which microplastics may disrupt reproductive function, including hormonal interference, oxidative stress, and inflammation in reproductive tissues, suggesting that widespread environmental microplastic contamination warrants attention as a potential factor in male fertility concerns.

2025 IntechOpen eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics May Be a Significant Cause of Male Infertility

This review examines the potential link between microplastic exposure and the decline in male fertility observed over recent decades. Researchers reviewed evidence showing that microplastics can accumulate in reproductive tissues and may damage sperm quality through oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, and inflammatory responses. The study suggests that microplastics deserve serious attention as a possible contributing factor to rising male infertility rates.

2022 American Journal of Men s Health 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polystyrene microplastic exposure at low doses on male fertility: an experimental study in rats

Researchers exposed adult male rats to varying doses of polystyrene microplastics and found dose-dependent declines in semen quality along with disrupted reproductive hormone levels. Higher doses caused increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, and inflammatory responses in testicular tissue. The study suggests that even relatively low doses of microplastic exposure may have adverse effects on male reproductive health in animal models.

2026 Scientific Reports
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Reproductive Dysfunction in Animals

This research review summarizes studies showing that tiny plastic particles called microplastics can build up in animals' reproductive organs and harm their ability to have healthy offspring. The plastic particles cause damage that leads to poor sperm and egg quality, hormone problems, and birth defects in various animals from fish to mammals. While this research focused on animals, it raises concerns about potential fertility effects in humans since we're also exposed to microplastics through food, water, and air.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics induce male reproductive toxicity in mice by activating spermatogonium mitochondrial oxidative stress and apoptosis

A mouse study found that polystyrene microplastics significantly reduced sperm count and motility while increasing sperm deformities. The damage was caused by oxidative stress in the energy-producing mitochondria of sperm-forming cells, which triggered cell death -- raising concerns about microplastics' potential impact on male fertility.

2024 Chemico-Biological Interactions 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress in Reproductive Toxicity of Micro- and Nanoplastics on Males and Its Mechanisms

This review summarized research on the reproductive toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in males, finding that MNPs accumulate in reproductive organs and cause toxicity through oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, and DNA damage, with implications for both animal and human reproductive health.

2025 Hans Journal of Food and Nutrition Science
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: unraveling the signaling pathways involved in reproductive health

This review examines the effects of microplastics on male and female reproductive health, focusing on the metabolic pathways involved in compromised gamete quality, toxicity, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Evidence indicates that microplastics can increase oxidative stress leading to developmental abnormalities, epigenetic changes, and reduced gamete quality, though research on mammalian and human reproductive effects remains limited compared to studies in aquatic organisms.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 11 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics and male reproductive system: A comprehensive review based on cellular and molecular effects

This comprehensive review examines how microplastics affect the male reproductive system at cellular and molecular levels, drawing on studies from multiple scientific databases. Researchers found that microplastics can damage testicular structure and function, impair spermatogenesis, and disrupt sperm parameters through mechanisms including oxidative stress, inflammation, and activation of cell death pathways. The review highlights that microplastics reduce ATP production and trigger signaling cascades that may contribute to male fertility problems.

2026 Toxicology Reports
Article Tier 2

Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Human Sperm Functionality: An In Vitro Study of Cytotoxicity, Genotoxicity and Fertility-Related Genes Expression

Researchers exposed human sperm samples to polystyrene microplastics in the lab and observed decreased sperm vitality and motility in a time-dependent manner. The microplastics also caused DNA damage, increased harmful reactive oxygen species, and reduced the expression of genes essential for fertilization. The study suggests that microplastic exposure could impair male fertility through oxidative stress and interference with key reproductive functions.

2025 Toxics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

171 Microplastics are present in bull epididymal sperm and polystyrene bead affects bovine sperm inducing oxidative stress on embryos

Microplastics were detected in bull epididymal sperm, and exposure of sperm to polystyrene beads induced oxidative stress that carried over into the resulting embryos. This conference abstract reports early evidence that plastic contamination of reproductive fluids may impair embryo quality, a finding relevant to understanding the potential fertility effects of widespread microplastic exposure in mammals including humans.

2023 Reproduction Fertility and Development 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insights into microplastic-induced reproductive toxicity in aquatic organisms: A comprehensive review

This review summarizes how microplastics cause reproductive harm in aquatic organisms by disrupting hormones, triggering oxidative stress, and interfering with cell death pathways. These effects lead to reduced fertility, abnormal egg and sperm development, and changes that can pass to future generations. Since microplastics accumulate through the food chain, these reproductive effects in aquatic life could have broader implications for ecosystem health and the seafood that humans consume.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology 8 citations