Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic-mediated new mechanism of liver damage: From the perspective of the gut-liver axis

This review describes how microplastics can damage the liver through the gut-liver axis: they first disrupt the gut's protective barrier and beneficial bacteria, allowing harmful substances to leak through the weakened intestinal wall into the bloodstream and travel to the liver. Once there, these substances cause inflammation, metabolic problems, and oxidative stress, offering a new explanation for how microplastic exposure could lead to liver disease.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-Omics Analysis of the Gut-Liver Axis Reveals the Mechanism of Liver Injury in Colitis Mice

Researchers used multi-omics analysis to reveal that liver injury in colitis mice is linked to intestinal dysbiosis and altered host-microbiota interactions, with gut bacterial shifts correlating to immune and metabolic changes in the liver.

2022 Frontiers in Immunology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota and liver metabolomics reveal the potential mechanism of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG modulating the liver toxicity caused by polystyrene microplastics in mice

Researchers found that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG helped protect mice from liver damage caused by polystyrene microplastic exposure. The probiotic worked by restoring healthy gut bacteria and normalizing liver metabolic pathways disrupted by the microplastics. The study suggests that supporting gut health through beneficial bacteria may help mitigate some of the toxic effects microplastics have on the liver.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut dysbiosis exacerbates inflammatory liver injury induced by environmentally relevant concentrations of nanoplastics via the gut-liver axis

This mouse study found that swallowing nanoplastics at levels found in the environment disrupted gut bacteria and damaged the intestinal barrier, allowing toxins to leak into the bloodstream and cause liver inflammation. When researchers transplanted gut bacteria from nanoplastic-exposed mice into healthy mice, those mice also developed liver damage. This demonstrates that nanoplastics may harm the liver indirectly by first disrupting the gut, a finding relevant to understanding how everyday plastic exposure could affect human health.

2024 Journal of Environmental Sciences 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on liver health: Current understanding and future research directions

This review summarizes what scientists know about how micro- and nanoplastics affect the liver, which is one of the first organs exposed because it processes everything absorbed from the gut. The particles trigger oxidative stress, disrupt energy metabolism, cause cell death, and promote inflammation, and may contribute to conditions like fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis. The paper also highlights how plastics can disturb the gut microbiome, which communicates with the liver through the gut-liver axis and may amplify liver damage.

2024 World Journal of Gastroenterology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics induced gut microbiota dysbiosis leading to liver injury via the TLR2/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in mice

Mice exposed to polyethylene microplastics developed liver damage that was traced back to disrupted gut bacteria -- the microplastics increased harmful bacteria while decreasing beneficial ones, triggering inflammation through the TLR2/NF-kB/NLRP3 immune pathway. This study provides new evidence that microplastics may harm the liver not just through direct contact, but indirectly by first throwing off the balance of gut bacteria.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut Microbiota Participates in Polystyrene Microplastics-Induced Hepatic Injuries by Modulating the Gut–Liver Axis

This mouse study showed that polystyrene microplastics cause liver damage partly through disrupting gut bacteria, which then triggers harmful signals along the gut-liver connection. When researchers eliminated gut bacteria with antibiotics, liver damage from microplastics was reduced, confirming the gut microbiome plays a key role. Green tea extract (EGCG) helped protect the liver by restoring healthy gut bacteria, suggesting diet may help counteract some effects of microplastic exposure.

2023 ACS Nano 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Electroacupuncture treatment ameliorates metabolic disorders in obese ZDF rats by regulating liver energy metabolism and gut microbiota

Researchers found that electroacupuncture treatment improved blood sugar and fat metabolism in obese rats by reshaping their gut bacteria and altering liver metabolic pathways. The treatment boosted beneficial gut bacteria, reduced harmful ones, and influenced key processes like fat production and amino acid metabolism in the liver. The study suggests a strong connection between the gut microbiome and liver function in metabolic health.

2023 Frontiers in Endocrinology 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Immune mechanism of gut microbiota and its metabolites in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases

This review examines immune mechanisms linking gut microbiota and its metabolites to cardiovascular diseases, explaining how disruptions in the microbiota-immune balance contribute to conditions such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart failure.

2022 Frontiers in Microbiology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Akkermansia muciniphilaMucT attenuates sodium valproate‐induced hepatotoxicity and upregulation of Akkermansia muciniphila in rats

This study investigated the role of Akkermansia muciniphila in sodium valproate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats, finding that the bacterium exacerbated liver damage and suggesting that gut microbiota composition can modulate drug-induced liver injury.

2023 Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota dysbiosis exacerbates polystyrene microplastics-induced liver inflammation via activating LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway in ducks

This study found that polystyrene microplastics exacerbate gut microbiota dysbiosis in ducks, and that this disruption of the gut microbial community amplifies liver inflammation through the gut-liver axis, revealing a mechanism by which MP exposure causes hepatic injury.

2025 Poultry Science
Article Tier 2

Probiotics an emerging therapeutic approach towards gut-brain-axis oriented chronic health issues induced by microplastics: A comprehensive review

This review examines how microplastics disrupt the gut-brain axis, the communication system between the digestive system and the brain, leading to chronic health problems like inflammation and neurological issues. The authors highlight probiotics as a promising treatment approach, since beneficial bacteria can help repair gut damage caused by microplastic exposure. The findings suggest that supporting gut health through probiotics may help counteract some of the harmful effects of microplastics on both digestion and brain function.

2024 Heliyon 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Links between fecal microplastics and parameters related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in humans: An exploratory study

In this exploratory human study, researchers found links between microplastics in people's stool samples and markers of metabolic liver disease (MASLD). Participants with liver disease had different types and amounts of fecal microplastics compared to healthy individuals, along with changes in gut bacteria and liver gene expression. While the study is small, it provides early evidence that microplastic exposure in humans may be connected to liver health problems.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between gut microbiota and emerging contaminants exposure: new and profound implications for human health

This review explores how emerging contaminants like microplastics, antibiotics, and persistent organic pollutants interact with gut bacteria and what that means for human health. Researchers found that the gut microbiome is a key target of these pollutants and may play a role in organ damage, hormonal disruption, and other toxic effects through pathways like the gut-liver and gut-brain axes. The study underscores the importance of understanding the three-way relationship between environmental contaminants, gut bacteria, and overall health.

2024 Environmental Research Communications 4 citations
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

Chronic exposure to polyvinyl chloride microplastics induces liver injury and gut microbiota dysbiosis based on the integration of liver transcriptome profiles and full-length 16S rRNA sequencing data

Researchers exposed mice to polyvinyl chloride microplastics for 60 days and found significant liver damage accompanied by changes in gut bacteria composition. Gene expression analysis revealed that the liver injury involved inflammatory and metabolic pathways, while the gut microbiome shifted toward disease-associated bacterial profiles. The study suggests a connection between chronic microplastic exposure, gut health disruption, and liver toxicity.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Why do microplastics aggravate cholestatic liver disease? The NLRP3-mediated intestinal barrier integrity damage matter

Researchers used a mouse model to study how polystyrene microplastics affect cholestatic liver disease, a condition linked to disrupted bile flow. They found that microplastic exposure worsened liver damage by activating inflammatory pathways and breaking down the intestinal barrier, allowing harmful bacteria to reach the liver. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion may aggravate existing liver conditions through gut-liver interactions.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Are gut dysbiosis, barrier disruption, and endotoxemia related to adipose tissue dysfunction in metabolic disorders? Overview of the mechanisms involved

Researchers reviewed how an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) and a leaky gut barrier allow bacterial components to enter the bloodstream and trigger the low-grade inflammation that drives obesity and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. The review highlights the gut-brain-fat tissue axis as a key pathway and calls for more research into how gut bacteria regulate metabolism and inflammation in peripheral tissues like fat.

2023 Internal and Emergency Medicine 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Macrophage‐Mediated Transport of Insoluble Indirubin Induces Hepatic Injury During Intestinal Inflammation

Researchers discovered that immune cells called macrophages can pick up and transport insoluble plant compounds from the gut to the liver, causing liver damage during intestinal inflammation. In mice with chronic colitis, macrophages carried indirubin particles from gut immune patches through the bloodstream to the liver, triggering an inflammatory response. While this study focuses on a plant-derived compound rather than microplastics, the mechanism it describes, where immune cells shuttle insoluble particles from the gut to distant organs, is relevant to understanding how the body might distribute microplastic particles internally.

2025 Advanced Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering Microbiome, Transcriptome, and Metabolic Interactions in the Presence of Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus against Salmonella Typhimurium in a Murine Model

Researchers tested whether the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus could protect mice against Salmonella Typhimurium infection by examining changes in gut bacteria, gene expression, and metabolic pathways. They found that probiotic treatment improved gut microbial balance, reduced harmful bacterial load, and modulated immune and metabolic responses. The study suggests that probiotics may offer a promising alternative strategy to antibiotics for managing certain foodborne bacterial infections.

2024 Antibiotics 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics: Emerging drivers of hepatic pathogenesis and metabolic dysfunction

This review examines emerging evidence linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to liver disease, including metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Researchers found that these particles may contribute to liver damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of metabolic pathways. The study highlights the need for further research into how environmental plastic contamination may be influencing the rising rates of liver disease worldwide.

2025 Hepatology forum/Hepatology forum (Online) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Single-cell transcriptome analysis of liver immune microenvironment changes induced by microplastics in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver

Using advanced single-cell analysis, researchers showed that microplastics worsened non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice fed a high-fat diet by changing how immune cells behaved in the liver. Microplastic exposure amplified inflammatory responses and altered the communication between different liver cell types. This study is important because it reveals specific immune mechanisms by which microplastics could worsen liver disease, a condition already affecting roughly one in four adults worldwide.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Chronic exposure to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics induces gut microbiota dysbiosis and disordered hepatic lipid metabolism in mice

Researchers found that mice exposed to PET microplastics (the type commonly found in plastic bottles) over 17 weeks developed liver damage, including fat buildup, oxidative stress, and cell death. The study revealed that the damage was driven by changes in gut bacteria that altered lipid metabolism, and when researchers depleted the gut bacteria, the liver damage was reduced. This suggests the gut microbiome plays a key role in how microplastics cause harm to internal organs.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Complementary Therapeutic Effect of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Ulcerative Colitis after the Response to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Agent Was Lost: A Case Report

This case report describes a patient with ulcerative colitis who lost response to anti-inflammatory biologic therapy and was then treated with fecal microbiota transplantation as a complementary approach. The patient showed improvement after the transplant, suggesting that restoring gut bacterial balance may help manage inflammatory bowel disease. The study highlights the growing interest in microbiome-based therapies for digestive conditions.

2024 Biomedicines 4 citations