Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The infiltration of microplastics in human systems: Gastrointestinal accumulation and pathogenic impacts

This review focuses on how microplastics accumulate in the human digestive system and what health problems they might cause. The authors explain that people ingest microplastics through food, water, and air, and these particles may trigger inflammation, disrupt gut bacteria, and potentially contribute to gastrointestinal diseases.

2025 Heliyon 10 citations
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
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
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes research on microplastics found in the human gastrointestinal tract. It highlights that microplastics are accumulating in our digestive systems through food and water, and calls for urgent research to understand how these particles may affect gut health and overall well-being.

2025 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
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

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

Microplastic: A potential threat to human and animal health by interfering with the intestinal barrier function and changing the intestinal microenvironment

This review summarizes current research on how microplastics disrupt the gut environment in both animals and humans, focusing on damage to the intestinal barrier. Studies show that microplastic exposure can cause oxidative damage, inflammation, destruction of the gut lining, thinning of the protective mucus layer, and disruption of beneficial gut bacteria. While direct human evidence is still limited, the growing body of animal research suggests that microplastics could pose a meaningful threat to intestinal health.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 225 citations
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics in gastrointestinal tract on gut health: A systematic review.

This systematic review provides the first comprehensive look at how microplastics and nanoplastics affect the human gut using laboratory models. The findings help explain how these tiny particles may damage the digestive tract lining and trigger inflammation, which is important for understanding the health risks of swallowing microplastics in food and water.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics and their potential impact on human gut health: a narrative review

This narrative review synthesizes evidence on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect the human gut, discussing ingestion routes, gut barrier interactions, microbiome disruption, and potential systemic health effects.

2024 Preprints.org
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

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)
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

Review: interactions between microplastics and the gastrointestinal microbiome

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics interact with the gut microbiome in humans, mice, chickens, and aquatic animals. Evidence suggests that gut bacteria can break microplastics into smaller pieces, which may make them more likely to cross the intestinal wall and enter the body. The disruption of the gut microbiome by microplastics is particularly concerning because balanced gut bacteria are essential for immune function, digestion, and overall health.

2024 Italian Journal of Animal Science 14 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Narrative Review of Potential Gastrointestinal Adverse Effects From Micro(nano) Plastic Exposure

This narrative review synthesizes evidence on gastrointestinal adverse effects of micro- and nanoplastic exposure, examining how these particles interact with gut microbiota, mucosal barriers, and immune tissue to contribute to inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, and colorectal cancer risk.

2025 Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastic on the Gastrointestinal Tract and Gut microbiome of Sprague Dawley Rats

Adult male rats were fed polyethylene microplastics mixed with standard food for 24 days to assess effects on gastrointestinal tissue histology and gut microbiome composition. Microplastic exposure caused histological changes in the gastrointestinal tract lining and altered gut microbial diversity, providing direct evidence that oral microplastic ingestion disrupts gut health in mammals.

2024 Maǧallaẗ ǧāmiʿaẗ al-Sulṭān Qābūs li-l-ʿulūm/Sultan Qaboos University journal for science
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

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

Relevance of gut microbiome research in food safety assessment

This review examines evidence that food additives and microplastics may disrupt the gut microbiome and, in turn, affect human health. The researchers discuss how these non-nutritive dietary compounds can alter gut bacterial communities through mechanisms that are often overlooked in food safety evaluations. They recommend integrating gut microbiome science into food risk assessment frameworks to better protect human health.

2024 Gut Microbes 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological impacts of microplastics to gut microbiota: Response mechanism, challenges and environmental sustainability-A review

This review summarizes how microplastics affect gut bacteria in fish, mice, and earthworms after being swallowed. Microplastics can change the balance of gut microbes and reduce their helpful functions, leading to digestive problems, slower growth, and weakened immunity. Since humans are exposed to microplastics through food and water, these findings raise concerns that our own gut health could be similarly affected.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the human digestive environment: A focus on the potential and challenges facing in vitro gut model development

This review explores how microplastics travel through the human digestive system and what effects they may have on gut health. Researchers found that microplastics can carry harmful hitchhikers like heavy metals, antibiotics, and bacteria, potentially disrupting the gut microbiome and intestinal barrier. The study emphasizes the urgent need to develop better laboratory gut models to accurately simulate how microplastics interact with human digestive physiology.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 175 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on the human digestive system: From basic to clinical

This review examines how microplastics affect the human digestive system, from the mouth to the intestines, finding that they can damage multiple organs along the way. Microplastics may cause harm directly through their own toxic effects or indirectly by carrying other toxins into the body and increasing how much the body absorbs them. With more people eating takeout food in plastic containers, the amount of microplastics entering the digestive tract is growing.

2024 World Journal of Gastroenterology 11 citations