Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Combined effect of microplastic and triphenyltin: Insights from the gut-brain axis

Researchers investigated the individual and combined toxicity of microplastics and triphenyltin, an organotin compound, in common carp by examining effects along the gut-brain axis. The study found that co-exposure to microplastics and triphenyltin produced combined toxic effects on the gut microbiome and brain function, suggesting that microplastics may enhance the toxicity of other environmental pollutants through their ability to adsorb contaminants.

2023 Environmental Science and Ecotechnology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut–Liver Axis Mediates the Combined Hepatointestinal Toxicity of Triclosan and Polystyrene Microplastics in Mice: Implications for Human Co-Exposure Risks

Mice co-exposed to the antimicrobial triclosan and polystyrene microplastics showed markedly worse intestinal and liver damage than those exposed to either contaminant alone, with gut microbiome disruption identified as a key mediating mechanism.

2025 Toxics
Article Tier 2

New insight into intestinal toxicity accelerated by aged microplastics with triclosan: Inflammation regulation by gut microbiota-bile acid axis

Researchers exposed frogs to aged microplastics carrying triclosan, an antimicrobial chemical commonly found in personal care products, and found the combination was more toxic to the gut than either pollutant alone. The microplastics increased triclosan absorption in the gut by 89%, disrupting gut bacteria and bile acid metabolism, which led to intestinal inflammation. This study shows that microplastics can act as carriers that amplify the harmful effects of other chemicals already present in the environment.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial diversity and metabolomics analysis of colon contents exposed to cadmium and polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated how cadmium alone and combined with polystyrene microplastics affects the colon of mice over 42 days. The study found that combined exposure caused more severe intestinal damage than cadmium alone, with distinct changes in gut microbial diversity and metabolic pathways, including shifts in bile acid metabolism and increased abundance of certain bacterial species.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Enterohepatic Toxicity of Polystyrene Microplastics and Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate in Mice: Gut Microbiota-Dependent Synergistic Effects

Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the plasticizer DEHP in mice, focusing on gut-liver axis effects. They found that co-exposure worsened harmful outcomes compared to either pollutant alone, with gut microbiota playing a key mediating role in the synergistic toxicity. The study suggests that microplastics and their associated chemical additives may interact to amplify health risks through disruption of the gut-liver connection.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure to polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene microplastics induces liver injury and perturbs gut microbial and serum metabolic homeostasis in mice

Mice exposed to a combination of PVC and polystyrene microplastics for 60 days developed liver damage, gut barrier breakdown, and disrupted gut bacteria. The co-exposure also raised cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both blood and liver, and altered hundreds of metabolites related to fat metabolism. Since people are typically exposed to multiple types of microplastics simultaneously, this study suggests the combined effects may be worse than exposure to a single type alone.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-contaminated antibiotics as an emerging threat to mammalian liver: enhanced oxidative and inflammatory damages

Researchers used a mouse model to study what happens when microplastics contaminated with antibiotics are ingested together, simulating real-world food chain exposure. The study found that the combination caused enhanced oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in the liver compared to either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that microplastics carrying adsorbed antibiotics may pose a greater threat to liver health than microplastics or antibiotics individually.

2023 Biomaterials Science 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between environmental pollutants and gut microbiota: A review connecting the conventional heavy metals and the emerging microplastics

This review examines how environmental pollutants, including both heavy metals and microplastics, interact with gut bacteria in humans and animals. The authors found that these pollutants can disrupt the balance of gut microbiota, which may contribute to various health problems, and that gut bacteria can also transform pollutants in ways that change their toxicity.

2025 Environmental Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and tetracycline on intestinal injury in mice

Researchers found that mice exposed to both microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline suffered more intestinal damage than those exposed to either pollutant alone. The combined exposure caused distinct injuries across different segments of the intestine and disrupted gut bacteria composition. This is concerning because humans are commonly exposed to both microplastics and antibiotic residues through food and water.

2023 Chemosphere 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Analysisof Metabolic Dysfunctions Associatedwith Pristine and Aged Polyethylene Microplastic Exposure via theLiver-Gut Axis in Mice

Researchers fed mice low doses of pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics for several weeks and analyzed changes in blood metabolites, liver proteins, and gut bacteria. Both forms caused lipid metabolism disruptions and reduced beneficial gut bacteria, with aged microplastics showing greater toxicity linked to changes in fatty acid processing enzymes.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics of adult male mice fed a normal or western-style diet: impact on gut and gut-liver axis homeostasis

Researchers exposed adult male mice to polyethylene microplastics on normal or Western diet for 90 days, examining synergistic effects between plastic and dietary stress on gut and liver health. Microplastic exposure disrupted gut barrier integrity, altered the microbiome, and affected liver homeostasis, with some effects differing between normal and Western diet groups.

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

Influence of the co-exposure of microplastics and tetrabromobisphenol A on human gut: Simulation in vitro with human cell Caco-2 and gut microbiota

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the flame retardant TBBPA on human gut cells and gut bacteria in laboratory experiments. The study found that both substances damaged human intestinal cells, with TBBPA playing the larger role, while microplastics amplified certain harmful effects at high concentrations. TBBPA also selectively killed beneficial gut bacteria like Lactobacillus while promoting potentially harmful species, and microplastics enhanced this imbalance.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 115 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Microplastic Exposure Cause Cholestasis and Bile Acid Metabolism Dysregulation through a Gut-Liver Loop in Mice

Mice exposed to environmentally realistic levels of polystyrene microplastics for 30 days developed damaged intestinal barriers, liver injury, and disrupted bile acid metabolism. The study revealed a gut-liver feedback loop where microplastics alter gut bacteria, which changes bile acid production, which in turn causes further liver damage, suggesting a mechanism by which everyday microplastic exposure could harm digestive health.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano‐plastics disrupt systemic metabolism by remodeling the bile acid–microbiota axis and driving hepatic–intestinal dysfunction

Mice were exposed to polyethylene terephthalate nanoparticles, and researchers used histopathology, metabolomics, and metagenomics to track downstream effects. Nanoplastic ingestion caused severe metabolic disruption—including weight loss, organ atrophy, and liver-intestinal dysfunction—by remodeling the bile acid–gut microbiota axis.

2025 iMeta
Article Tier 2

Role-Playing Between Environmental Pollutants and Human Gut Microbiota: A Complex Bidirectional Interaction

This review examined the bidirectional relationship between environmental pollutants, including microplastics, and the human gut microbiota, highlighting how toxicants alter microbial communities while gut bacteria can metabolize or modify pollutant toxicity.

2022 Frontiers in Medicine 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined exposure to microplastics and cadmium alters gut microbiota composition in preschool children: A cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional study of preschool children found that combined exposure to microplastics and cadmium was associated with altered gut microbiota composition. The findings suggest that dietary co-exposure to these two contaminants has joint effects on early-life gut health beyond what either pollutant causes alone.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Ferroptosis and hepatic fibrosis induced by cooperative exposure to polylactic acid nanoplastics and copper: Emphasis on gut microbiota dysbiosis

Researchers investigated the combined hepatotoxicity of polylactic acid nanoplastics and copper in mice, focusing on the gut-liver axis. The study found that co-exposure caused synergistic liver damage through ferroptosis, characterized by disrupted glutathione and iron homeostasis, along with gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic fibrosis more severe than either pollutant alone.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Integrated analysis of zebrafish gut microbiota and liver transcriptome responses to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both individually and combined, and found that combined exposure caused more severe disruption to gut bacteria and liver gene expression than either pollutant alone. The study revealed that microplastics decreased beneficial gut bacteria while increasing pathogenic species, and the combined treatment suppressed liver xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidant pathways.

2026 Aquaculture Reports
Article Tier 2

Transcriptome Sequencing and Metabolite Analysis Revealed the Single and Combined Effects of Microplastics and Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate on Mouse Liver

Mice exposed to microplastics, the plasticizer DEHP, or both together showed liver damage including oxidative stress, cell death, and disrupted metabolism. The combined exposure was worse than either pollutant alone, activating cancer-related genes and impairing the liver's ability to process fats and amino acids. Since DEHP is commonly found alongside microplastics in the environment, these findings suggest that real-world exposure to contaminated plastics could pose a greater liver health risk than previously estimated.

2025 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 6 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

Combined exposure to microplastics and particulate matter induced intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction

Researchers established a mouse model combining daily microplastic ingestion and particulate matter inhalation to simulate combined water and air pollution exposure. They found that combined exposure induced greater intestinal inflammation, barrier dysfunction, and gut dysbiosis than either pollutant alone.

2025 Physiology
Article Tier 2

Dysbiosis of gut microbiota in C57BL/6-Lepem1hwl/Korl mice during microplastics-caused hepatic metabolism disruption

Researchers administered polypropylene microplastics orally to obese mice for 9 weeks and found disruption of hepatic lipid, glucose, and amino acid metabolism alongside structural changes in gut microbiota, with microplastic-treated mice showing decreased hepatic lipid accumulation and altered abundance of specific bacterial genera.

2025 PLoS ONE 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and perfluorobutane sulfonate on mouse liver: Impact on lipid metabolism and gut-liver axis disruption

This study examined what happens when mice are exposed to both polystyrene microplastics and PFBS (a type of "forever chemical") at the same time. The combination caused significantly worse liver damage than either pollutant alone, disrupting fat metabolism and triggering gut bacteria imbalances that further harmed the liver through the gut-liver connection. These findings are concerning because microplastics can absorb PFAS chemicals in the environment, meaning people may often be exposed to both together.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct toxicity of microplastics/TBBPA co-exposure to bioprinted liver organoids derived from hiPSCs of healthy and patient donors

Using 3D-bioprinted liver tissue models grown from human stem cells, researchers found that microplastics combined with the flame retardant TBBPA caused greater liver damage than either substance alone. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the toxic effects of environmental chemicals on liver tissue, and that people with pre-existing liver conditions could be more vulnerable.

2024 International Journal of Bioprinting 5 citations