Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

PET-Microplastics Trigger Endothelial Glycocalyx Loss via ER Stress and ROS Unleashing IL-1β-Driven SMC Switching and Early Aortic Structural Impairment

Researchers found that chronic oral exposure of rats to PET microplastics caused endothelial glycocalyx damage and aortic structural injury, with endoplasmic reticulum stress and reactive oxygen species triggering IL-1β-driven smooth muscle cell switching as the underlying mechanism.

2025
Article Tier 2

PET-Microplastics Trigger Endothelial Glycocalyx Loss via ER Stress and ROS Unleashing IL-1β-Driven SMC Switching and Early Aortic Structural Impairment

Chronic oral exposure of rats to PET microplastics at 1–100 mg/L caused endothelial glycocalyx loss and structural damage to aortic elastic fibers, with MPs accumulating in vascular tissue. Mechanistically, PET-MPs triggered ER stress and reactive oxygen species production, driving an IL-1β-mediated switch in smooth muscle cell phenotype and early arterial injury.

2025
Article Tier 2

Potential Effects of Orally Ingesting Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on the Mouse Heart

This study found that mice fed PET microplastics (the type of plastic used in water bottles and food containers) developed heart damage, including broken muscle fibers, significant scarring, and cell death in heart tissue. The damage was driven by a buildup of harmful oxygen molecules (oxidative stress) that overwhelmed the heart's natural defenses. These findings raise concern about the potential cardiovascular effects of PET microplastics that humans commonly encounter in food and drink packaging.

2024 Cardiovascular Toxicology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging cardiovascular risks of micro- and nanoplastics: toxic effects and mechanistic pathways

Tiny plastic particles called micro- and nanoplastics are getting into our bodies through food, air, and skin contact, and researchers have found them building up in people's hearts and blood vessels. This review of existing studies shows these plastic bits may contribute to heart disease by causing inflammation and damaging cells in the cardiovascular system. While more research is needed, this suggests that plastic pollution isn't just an environmental problem—it could be directly harming our heart health.

2026 Particle and Fibre Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics: A new cardiovascular risk factor?

This review examines the growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics may pose risks to the heart and blood vessels. Studies in animals and cell cultures show that these tiny plastic particles can enter the bloodstream, trigger inflammation, promote blood clotting, and damage blood vessel walls. While human data is still limited, the review suggests that micro- and nanoplastic exposure should be considered a potential new risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

2022 Environment International 227 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and Nano-plastic particles: What are they and do they effect cardiovascular health?

This review examines the cardiovascular health effects of micro- and nanoplastics, summarizing evidence that these particles have been detected in human tissues including arterial plaques and may promote endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. The authors call for further clinical and epidemiological research into cardiac risk.

2024 Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impacts of micro- and nanoplastic exposure on the cardiovascular system: a systematic review focused on in vivo studies

This systematic review summarizes 38 animal studies on how micro- and nanoplastics affect the heart and blood vessels. The research found that these tiny plastic particles can deposit in cardiovascular tissue, trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, and cause structural damage, raising concerns about potential heart health risks from ongoing plastic exposure.

2024 All Life 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of polystyrene microplastics on cardiomyocytes pyroptosis through NLRP3/Caspase‐1 signaling pathway and oxidative stress in Wistar rats

Researchers exposed rats to polystyrene microplastics at varying doses and examined the effects on heart tissue. They found that microplastic exposure triggered inflammatory cell death and oxidative stress in heart cells through a specific signaling pathway, suggesting that microplastics may pose risks to cardiovascular health.

2021 Environmental Toxicology 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nano-plastics impacts in cardiovascular systems across species

This review summarizes research across multiple species showing that microplastics and nanoplastics can damage the cardiovascular system, causing blood clots, blood vessel injury, and heart problems in lab animals. Since these tiny particles have been found in human blood and can travel throughout the body, the findings raise serious concerns about the long-term heart health effects of microplastic exposure in people.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Cardiotoxicity of Microplastics: An Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factor

This review examines emerging evidence that microplastics may pose risks to cardiovascular health, summarizing findings from laboratory and animal studies. Researchers found that microplastic exposure has been linked to inflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted heart function in experimental settings. Given that cardiovascular disease is already the leading cause of death globally, the study suggests that microplastics as a potential contributing factor warrant urgent further investigation.

2025 Current Cardiology Reviews 3 citations
Article Tier 2

From Environment to Endothelium: The Role of Microplastics in Vascular Aging

This review examines how microplastics may contribute to vascular aging and cardiovascular problems. Evidence indicates that once microplastics enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact, they can reach blood vessels and trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and damage to the cells lining blood vessel walls. The findings suggest that chronic microplastic exposure could be an underappreciated factor in the development of age-related cardiovascular issues.

2025 Microplastics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Virgin and photo-degraded microplastics induce the activation of human vascular smooth muscle cells

Lab tests showed that common microplastics from food packaging (polyethylene and polystyrene) can activate human blood vessel smooth muscle cells in ways linked to atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. Photo-degraded microplastics -- the weathered kind found in the real environment -- triggered even stronger inflammatory responses, suggesting that environmental plastic pollution could contribute to cardiovascular disease.

2025 Scientific Reports 14 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Micro- and nanoplastics in the cardiovascular system: current evidence, research gaps: a systematic review

This systematic review examined how microplastics and nanoplastics affect the heart and blood vessels. Studies in both animals and human tissue found that these particles can cause blood vessel inflammation, disrupt heart function, and were even linked to higher rates of heart attack and stroke in people with plastic particles in their arteries.

2025 MEDICAL SCIENCE PULSE
Article Tier 2

Acute Toxicity Assessment of Orally Administered Microplastic Particles in Adult Male Wistar Rats

Researchers gave adult male rats a single oral dose of microplastics made from PET water bottles and found that even this one-time exposure altered markers of liver, heart, and kidney function. Higher doses also reduced food intake and increased signs of oxidative stress, which is cell damage caused by harmful molecules. This study suggests that even brief microplastic exposure could trigger early changes in organ function, raising questions about the cumulative effect of daily human exposure through food and water.

2024 Toxics 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Uterine Microvascular Dysfunction After Plastic Particle Inhalation

Researchers investigated uterine microvascular reactivity in female Sprague Dawley rats after acute inhalation of aerosolized plastic particles to assess cardiovascular effects of micro- and nanoplastic exposures. The study aimed to define mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction caused by plastic aerosols, building on prior epidemiological work linking airborne particulate matter to adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

2022 The FASEB Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Modern Lifestyle on Cardiovascular Health

This study found that PET microplastics impaired endothelial cell function by disrupting the SIRT1-eNOS-ROS balance, and that SIRT1 activation (as occurs during exercise) partially protected endothelial cells from PET-induced damage — linking plastic exposure to cardiovascular disease risk mechanisms.

2025 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics, Nanoplastics and Heart Contamination: The Hidden Threat

This review examines growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can accumulate in human cardiovascular tissues, including blood, heart muscle, and arterial plaques. Researchers found that these particles may contribute to heart and blood vessel problems through inflammation, oxidative stress, blood clotting, and direct tissue injury. The study identifies plastic particles as a potential new environmental risk factor for cardiovascular health.

2025 Journal of Clinical Medicine 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Dissection of the potential mechanism of polystyrene microplastic exposure on cardiomyocytes

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect human heart muscle cells at concentrations reflecting estimated daily human intake levels. They found that the microplastics caused oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disrupted calcium signaling in the cells. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may contribute to cardiovascular risks by directly damaging heart cell function at the cellular level.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes atherosclerosis plaque progression via BMP signaling in mice

Researchers found that mice fed polystyrene microplastics for 12 weeks developed worsened atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaques in blood vessels. The microplastics triggered oxidative stress and activated a signaling pathway (BMP) that caused blood vessel cells to change their identity, accelerating plaque formation. The study provides evidence that microplastic ingestion could contribute to cardiovascular problems by promoting inflammation and disrupting the normal function of blood vessel walls.

2025 Food and Chemical Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics trigger mitochondrial and metabolic reprogramming in cardiomyocytes: Evidence from integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can damage heart cells by disrupting their powerhouses (mitochondria) and reducing their ability to produce energy. When researchers exposed human heart cells and mice to these nanoplastics, they observed weakened heart function and signs of early heart damage. This research suggests that the growing amount of microscopic plastic pollution in our environment could pose previously unknown risks to heart health.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Exposure to polyethylene terephthalate micro(nano)plastics exacerbates inflammation and fibrosis after myocardial infarction by reprogramming the gut and lung microbiota and metabolome

Researchers found that PET microplastics and nanoplastics, one of the most common plastic types found in human coronary blood, worsen heart damage after a heart attack. The plastic particles activated an inflammatory pathway (NLRP3) and disrupted the balance of gut and lung bacteria, leading to chronic inflammation and increased scarring of heart tissue. These findings suggest that plastic pollution exposure may make recovery from heart attacks more difficult.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Links Between Cardiovascular Disease and Microplastics Exposure – A Narrative Review

This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles called microplastics may be linked to heart disease - scientists have even found these particles inside the fatty buildups that clog arteries. When microplastics get into our bodies through food, water, and air, they appear to cause inflammation and damage blood vessels, which could increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. People who eat lots of seafood, drink bottled water frequently, or work in certain industries may face higher exposure to these harmful plastic particles.

2026 Hellenic Journal of Cardiology
Article Tier 2

Micro-nanoplastics and cardiovascular diseases: evidence and perspectives

Growing evidence suggests that micro- and nanoplastic particles may be a previously unrecognized risk factor for heart disease, as they have been detected in atherosclerotic plaques, heart tissue, and blood clots in humans. Lab studies show these particles can trigger oxidative stress, promote blood clotting, and cause inflammation in blood vessel cells, and their presence in artery plaques has been linked to higher rates of cardiovascular events.

2024 European Heart Journal 88 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2026 Naunyn-Schmiedeberg s Archives of Pharmacology 1 citations