Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics and human health: unveiling the gut microbiome disruption and chronic disease risks

This review summarizes evidence that microplastics disrupt the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria in our digestive system that plays a key role in immunity, metabolism, and overall health. By altering gut bacteria balance and triggering inflammation, microplastic exposure may contribute to chronic conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, and potentially even neurological problems through the gut-brain connection.

2024 Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and their interactions with microbiota

This review examines how microplastics interact with microbiota (the communities of microorganisms in the environment and in living bodies). Microplastics can carry harmful bacteria and disrupt the natural balance of microbial communities in soil, water, and the human gut. The disruption of gut microbiota by microplastics is particularly concerning because a healthy gut microbiome is essential for immune function, digestion, and overall health.

2023 Heliyon 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological Evaluation of Effects of Some Environmental Pollutants on Intestinal Microbiota: Traditional Review

This review examines how various environmental pollutants affect the gut microbiome — the community of microorganisms in the intestinal tract. Microplastics are among the pollutants discussed, and their ability to alter gut microbiota composition is increasingly recognized as a mechanism by which plastic particles may harm human and animal health.

2023 Journal of Literature Pharmacy Sciences
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and the gut microbiome: Emerging health concerns and strategies

This review covers how microplastic ingestion affects the gut microbiome, describing mechanisms by which microplastics cause intestinal disorders, disrupt endocrine function, and promote pathogenic bacterial growth, while also noting inhalation and dermal absorption as secondary exposure routes.

2025 Journal of Environmental Biology
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota, a key to understanding the knowledge gaps on micro-nanoplastics-related biological effects and biodegradation

This review explores how micro- and nanoplastics affect the community of microorganisms living in the gut, and how those same gut microbes might be able to break down plastic particles. Swallowed microplastics can disrupt the balance of gut bacteria, potentially leading to various diseases. On the other hand, some gut bacteria can actually degrade plastics into smaller, less harmful molecules, opening a possible avenue for biological cleanup.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiome remodeling induced by microplastic exposure in humans

This review synthesizes evidence on how microplastic exposure affects the human gut microbiome, drawing on cross-sectional studies of people exposed through plastic food containers and other sources. Evidence indicates that microplastic exposure is associated with shifts in gut bacteria composition, including increases in certain bacterial groups linked to inflammation. The authors explore potential connections between microplastic-induced changes in gut bacteria and the development of various health conditions.

2026 Gut Microbes
Article Tier 2

The role of gut microbiota in MP/NP-induced toxicity

This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt gut bacteria and why that matters for overall health. The tiny plastic particles change the composition and function of the gut microbiome, which can trigger inflammation, weaken the intestinal barrier, and potentially contribute to diseases beyond the gut through the immune and nervous systems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics as Emerging Environmental Materials: GreenChemistry Insights into Gut Microbiota Disruption and Chronic DiseasePathways

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract and disrupt gut microbiota composition, finding evidence linking these exposures to reduced microbial diversity, gut barrier dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and potential contributions to chronic diseases including metabolic disorders and neurodegeneration.

2026 Current Materials Science
Review Tier 2

Microbial risks associated with microplastics in the food chain and possible control measures (literature review). Part 1. Dietary intake and influence on the gut microbiota

This review summarizes evidence that microplastics commonly found in food and drinking water can disrupt the human gut microbiome when ingested. Studies show that microplastics alter the composition and function of intestinal bacteria, potentially affecting digestion, immunity, and overall health. Since a healthy gut microbiome is essential for human wellbeing, this pathway of harm deserves attention alongside other known risks of microplastic exposure.

2023 Hygiene and Sanitation 3 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impact of microplastics on the intestinal microbiota: A systematic review of preclinical evidence

Across 28 preclinical studies, microplastics triggered intestinal dysbiosis characterized by increased Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and decreased Bacteroidetes, while increasing gut permeability and elevating pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6.

2022 Life Sciences 70 citations
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

Interaction between microplastics and microorganism as well as gut microbiota: A consideration on environmental animal and human health

This review explores how microplastics interact with microorganisms in the environment and within the gut, examining implications for both animal and human health. Researchers found that microplastics can alter gut microbiota composition, promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants. The study suggests that the interaction between microplastics and gut microorganisms is an important emerging area for understanding health risks.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 405 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota as an emerging target for the health implications of microplastics

This review examines how microplastic exposure disrupts the gut microbiome, finding evidence that microplastics damage intestinal barrier proteins, promote inflammation and oxidative stress, and may drive systemic effects including neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity through gut-mediated pathways.

2025 Food Science and Human Wellness
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

How do microplastics affect the composition and function of gut microbiota?

Researchers reviewed how microplastics may disrupt gut microbiota composition and metabolic function, noting that while dysbiosis is a likely outcome of exposure, the full scope of these effects in humans remains understudied.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Impact of micro- and nanoplastics on gastrointestinal diseases: Recent advances

This review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics can harm the digestive system by causing oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and disruption of gut bacteria. These connected pathways can damage the intestinal lining and may contribute to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. The findings highlight the importance of understanding how everyday plastic exposure through food and water could affect gut health over time.

2025 European Journal of Internal Medicine 7 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

Research Advances on the Impact of Environmental Pollutants on Gut Microbiota

This review synthesizes evidence from animal models, human studies, and mechanistic experiments showing how microplastics, pesticides, and heavy metals each disrupt gut microbiota composition, reduce beneficial bacteria, and compromise intestinal barrier integrity and host health.

2025 Theoretical and Natural Science
Article Tier 2

Emerging mechanisms of microplastic-induced skin diseases: a perspective from the gut–skin axis

This review examined the emerging mechanisms by which microplastics may contribute to skin diseases through the gut-skin axis. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and compromise intestinal barrier integrity, which in turn may impair skin barrier function and trigger inflammatory skin conditions through shared immunological and neuroendocrine pathways.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and microbiota: Unraveling the hidden environmental challenge

This editorial summarizes the emerging evidence that microplastics disrupt the gut microbiome, decreasing microbial diversity and triggering an imbalance called dysbiosis. This disruption affects immune function, nutrient metabolism, and overall health, though the full long-term consequences of this two-way relationship between microplastics and gut bacteria remain an active area of research.

2024 World Journal of Gastroenterology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutants, microbiota and immune system: frenemies within the gut

This review summarizes how environmental pollutants, including microplastics, disrupt the gut microbiome and immune system, potentially contributing to inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer. Pollutants reduce beneficial gut bacteria while promoting inflammation, weakening the intestinal barrier, and triggering a chain of events that can push cells toward cancerous growth.

2024 Frontiers in Public Health 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging mechanisms of microplastic-induced skin diseases: a perspective from the gut–skin axis

This review examined the emerging mechanisms by which microplastics may contribute to skin diseases through the gut-skin axis. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and compromise intestinal barrier integrity, which in turn may impair skin barrier function and trigger inflammatory skin conditions through shared immunological and neuroendocrine pathways.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

How do microplastics affect the composition and function of gut microbiota?

Researchers reviewed how microplastics may disrupt gut microbiota composition and metabolic function, noting that while dysbiosis is a likely outcome of exposure, the full extent of these effects in humans remains poorly characterized and understudied.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)