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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Network Toxicology and In Vivo Studies Reveal the Toxicity and Mechanisms of Tributyl Citrate Carried by Microplastics in Promoting Colitis-to-Tumorigenesis Transformation
ClearPolyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics Exposure Enhances the Risk of Ulcerative Colitis: Insights From Multi-Omics Integration, Machine Learning, and Molecular Docking Reveal Intestinal Toxicity Mechanisms: A Commentary
This commentary discusses a study linking polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics to increased risk of ulcerative colitis, using machine learning, genomic analysis, and molecular docking. The authors raise methodological questions to help strengthen this emerging line of research connecting plastic exposure to gut inflammation.
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.
Polyethylene terephthalate microplastics exposure enhances the risk of ulcerative colitis: insights from multiomics integration, machine learning, and molecular docking reveal intestinal toxicity mechanisms
Using multiomics integration, machine learning, and molecular docking, this study identified mechanisms by which PET microplastic exposure may increase the risk of ulcerative colitis. Key pathways included intestinal barrier disruption, immune dysregulation, and oxidative stress triggered by PET-MP-protein interactions.
To Waste or Not to Waste: Questioning Potential Health Risks of Micro- and Nanoplastics with a Focus on Their Ingestion and Potential Carcinogenicity
Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics ingested through food travel through the gut, disrupt the microbiome, trigger inflammation, and may act as carriers for toxic chemicals — a 'Trojan Horse' effect — potentially raising cancer risk. The authors call for a rethinking of consumer culture alongside further scientific investigation.
Orally Ingested Micro- and Nano-Plastics: A Hidden Driver of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer.
This review synthesizes evidence linking ingested micro- and nano-plastics to inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer risk, proposing that microplastics act as a hidden driver of gut inflammation in vulnerable populations. The authors argue that intestinal accumulation of microplastics triggers immune and oxidative stress pathways that contribute to disease progression.
Multiomics Reveals Nonphagocytosable Microplastics Induce Colon Inflammatory Injury via Bile Acid-Gut Microbiota Interactions and Barrier Dysfunction
Researchers used multi-omics analysis to understand how large microplastics that cannot be absorbed by intestinal cells still cause colon inflammation in mice. They found that long-term oral exposure to polystyrene microplastics disrupted bile acid metabolism and gut barrier function, leading to the accumulation of specific bile acids that triggered cell death in colon tissue. The study reveals a novel mechanism linking microplastic exposure to intestinal inflammation through bile acid-gut microbiota interactions.
Evaluating the toxicological effects of PET-MPs exposure on atherosclerosis through integrated network toxicology analysis and experimental validation
Researchers used network toxicology analysis and laboratory experiments to investigate how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics may contribute to atherosclerosis. They identified several molecular targets and biological pathways through which these microplastics could promote plaque formation in blood vessels. The study provides preliminary evidence that a commonly encountered type of microplastic may interact with cardiovascular disease mechanisms, though further research is needed to confirm these findings.
An innovative in vitro model of IBD to assess micro-/nano-plastics intestinal toxicity.
Researchers developed an innovative in vitro intestinal inflammation model (IBD model) to assess the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations and polymer types, moving beyond the high-dose polystyrene-only studies that dominate current literature.
Microplastics as Emerging Contaminants and Human Health: Exploring Functional Nutrition in Gastric–Colon–Brain Axis Cancer
This review explores how microplastics may increase cancer risk along the stomach-colon-brain pathway by triggering oxidative stress, inflammation, and disrupting cell signaling. The paper also highlights that certain plant-based nutrients and flavonoids may help protect cells from microplastic damage by activating the body's detoxification pathways, suggesting functional nutrition could be a strategy to reduce harm from plastic exposure.
A critical review of microplastics toxicity and potential adverse outcome pathway in human gastrointestinal tract following oral exposure
This review uses an adverse outcome pathway framework to systematically evaluate how microplastics may cause harm in the human digestive system after being swallowed. The analysis found that while microplastics trigger recognized biological stress responses like cell death and inflammation, there are still major gaps in understanding exactly how they initiate damage at the molecular level. The authors emphasize that we need better data on both external exposure from food and water and internal exposure from particles crossing the gut lining to properly assess the health risks.
Multiomics RevealsNonphagocytosable MicroplasticsInduce Colon Inflammatory Injury via Bile Acid-Gut Microbiota Interactionsand Barrier Dysfunction
Mice were given long-term oral exposure to 10 µm polystyrene microplastics (too large for cellular uptake) and colonic inflammatory injury was assessed using multi-omics. Non-phagocytosable microplastics disrupted the colonic redox balance, elevated the Th17/Treg ratio, and caused colitis through bile acid-gut microbiota interactions and intestinal barrier dysfunction.
Exploring the prognostic implications of PET microplastic degradation products in colorectal cancer: insights from an integrated computational analysis on glucocorticoid pathway–mediated mechanisms
Researchers used network toxicology, machine learning, and molecular docking to investigate how PET degradation products—ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid—affect colorectal cancer prognosis through the glucocorticoid signaling pathway. The analysis identified 43 shared target genes, suggesting that PET breakdown products may worsen colorectal cancer outcomes by dysregulating glucocorticoid-mediated anti-inflammatory and cell survival signals.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Health Concerning Cellular Toxicity Mechanisms, Exposure Pathways, and Global Mitigation Strategies
This review synthesizes current knowledge on how micro- and nanoplastics cause cellular damage in the human body, covering mechanisms like oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and disruption of cell signaling pathways. Researchers note that exposure occurs through multiple routes including ingestion and inhalation, allowing particles to reach organs throughout the body. The study highlights significant gaps in understanding long-term and low-dose exposure effects that are most relevant to everyday human contact with these particles.
Commentary on “Polyethylene terephthalate microplastics exposure enhances the risk of ulcerative colitis: insights from multiomics integration, machine learning, and molecular docking reveal intestinal toxicity mechanisms”
This commentary on a published study linking PET microplastic exposure to ulcerative colitis calls for methodological refinements — including the addition of a standalone PET-MP exposure group, multi-dose gradient experiments, and longer observation periods — to more rigorously establish causality, dose-response relationships, and the chronic disease dynamics relevant to real-world human microplastic exposure.
Unveiling the gut’s plastic predicament: How micro- and nano-plastics drive distinct toxicological pathways in Enchytraeus crypticus
Researchers exposed the soil invertebrate Enchytraeus crypticus to environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene microplastics (50 µm) and nanoplastics (100 nm), finding that nanoplastics caused greater gut microenvironment disruption and more severe biotoxicity than microplastics, acting through distinct mechanistic pathways.
Exploring toxicological pathways of microplastics and nanoplastics: Insights from animal and cellular models
This review examines what animal and cell studies have revealed about how microplastics and nanoplastics cause harm at the molecular level, including promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. Most research has focused on reproductive toxicity and polystyrene particles, while effects on the gut, brain, and heart remain understudied. The authors note that many experiments use unrealistic concentrations and synthetic particles, making it difficult to apply the results to real-world human exposure.
Ingestion of a human-relevant mixture of environmentally sourced microplastics promotes inflammation and tumorigenesis in the mouse colon
Researchers exposed mice to a realistic mixture of environmentally sourced microplastics composed of the four most common polymer types and studied the effects on the colon. They found that ingestion of this mixture promoted inflammation and enhanced tumor development in the mouse colon. The study suggests that exposure to environmentally relevant microplastic mixtures may have implications for colorectal health that warrant further investigation.
Gastrointestinal digestion potentiates nanoplastic-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction and macrophage-driven inflammation
Researchers studied how the digestive process changes nanoplastics and affects their toxicity in the gut. They found that simulated gastrointestinal digestion altered the surface properties of polystyrene, PVC, and PET nanoplastics, making them more readily absorbed by intestinal cells and triggering stronger inflammatory responses. The study suggests that the way our bodies process nanoplastics during digestion may actually increase their potential to disrupt the gut barrier and cause inflammation.
Invisible invaders: unveiling the carcinogenic threat of microplastics and nanoplastics in colorectal cancer-a systematic review
This systematic review examines the potential link between microplastics and nanoplastics and colorectal cancer. The research highlights how these tiny particles may contribute to cancer development through mechanisms like chronic inflammation and cellular damage in the gut. While more studies are needed, the findings raise important questions about the long-term consequences of ingesting plastic particles.
Microplastics and health hazards: gastrointestinal risk assessment across a multi-species perspective
This review assesses the gastrointestinal health risks of micro- and nanoplastics across multiple species, from aquatic organisms to mammals, examining how these particles interact with the digestive system. Researchers found that microplastics can cause gut inflammation, alter the microbiome, and potentially cross the intestinal barrier into other tissues. The study highlights that understanding effects across species can help predict potential risks to human digestive health.
Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics in gastrointestinal tract on gut health: A systematic review.
This systematic review of 30 in vitro studies found that microplastics and nanoplastics cause size- and concentration-dependent damage to human gastrointestinal cells, including increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and apoptosis. Smaller particles consistently showed greater cellular uptake and biological effects, though chronic low-dose exposure generally produced minimal impacts.
Exploring the prognostic implications of PET microplastic degradation products in colorectal cancer: insights from an integrated computational analysis on glucocorticoid pathway–mediated mechanisms
Combining network toxicology, machine learning, and molecular docking, this study found that PET plastic degradation products ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid may influence colorectal cancer prognosis through 43 shared genes linked to TNF/IL-17 signaling and glucocorticoid-mediated metabolic pathways.
Microplastics and human health: unraveling the toxicological pathways and implications for public health
This review pulls together recent research on how microplastics enter the human body and cause cellular damage through inflammation, oxidative stress, and direct cell injury. The authors highlight that microplastics can also amplify the harmful effects of other environmental pollutants they carry, creating combined health risks that are greater than either threat alone.
Quantifying the influence of micro and nanoplastics characteristics on cytotoxicity in caco-2 cells through machine learning modelling.
This systematic review uses machine learning to identify which characteristics of micro and nanoplastics are most toxic to intestinal cells. The researchers found that particle size, shape, and concentration all play important roles in how much damage these plastics cause to gut lining cells, helping us understand how ingested microplastics might affect digestive health.