Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on allergic airways and potential pathogenesis: a review

This review examines how microplastics, which can enter the body through breathing, eating, and skin contact, may affect allergic airway conditions. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can damage airway lining cells, disrupt the protective barrier of the respiratory tract, and trigger heightened airway reactivity. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure may worsen allergic airway inflammation, though more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Airway exposure to microplastics: Potential mechanisms from epithelial barrier damage to the development of allergic rhinitis

This review summarized the mechanisms by which airborne microplastic exposure triggers allergic rhinitis, identifying pathways including physical and chemical disruption of the airway epithelial barrier, oxidative stress from adsorbed pollutants, and induction of Th2 immune responses and IgE class-switching. The findings support airborne MPs as a novel trigger for upper respiratory allergic disease.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Progress in understanding the impact of microplastics on respiratory allergic diseases

This review synthesized evidence on how airborne microplastics may affect respiratory allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. Researchers found that inhaled microplastics can compromise airway barriers by disrupting tight junctions, impairing mucus clearance, and weakening mucosal defenses. The study suggests that microplastic characteristics like polymer type, particle size, and surface chemistry influence how they initiate or worsen respiratory allergic responses.

2026 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version)
Article Tier 2

Cellular and molecular mechanisms of allergic asthma

Researchers reviewed the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind allergic asthma, finding that rising exposure to environmental pollutants — including microplastics — likely contributes to the disease's increasing prevalence, as pollutants disrupt airway barrier integrity and trigger immune responses that lead to chronic airway inflammation.

2021 Molecular Aspects of Medicine 243 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Allergic Rhinitis: Multimechanistic Drivers of Barrier Disruption and Immune Dysregulation

This review examines the multimechanistic pathways by which microplastics drive barrier disruption and immune dysregulation in allergic rhinitis, considering how physical and chemical properties of microplastic particles interact with nasal epithelial and immune function. The paper synthesizes emerging evidence on microplastics as a novel contributor to upper airway allergic disease.

2025 Immunology
Article Tier 2

Confronting allergies: strategies for combating pollution and safeguarding our health

This review examined the growing body of evidence linking environmental pollutants, including airborne microplastics, to increasing rates of allergic reactions worldwide. Researchers found that air pollution and indoor contaminants can worsen respiratory allergies, while climate change intensifies seasonal allergy patterns. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive action including government regulation and public awareness to reduce pollution-driven allergy risks.

2025 Frontiers in Allergy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Human health: Time for us to get attentive- before it’s too late

This paper reviewed the growing evidence on microplastic impacts on human health, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes, and the potential for microplastics to cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption. The authors argue the problem demands urgent regulatory attention.

2024 Diabetes Asia Journal.
Article Tier 2

Epithelial barrier dysfunction, type 2 immune response, and the development of chronic inflammatory diseases

This review explains how everyday substances including microplastics, air pollutants, food additives, and household chemicals damage the protective lining of our body's surfaces (epithelial barriers). Even trace amounts of these substances can cause the barriers to become leaky, allowing bacteria and allergens to trigger chronic inflammation. The research suggests that microplastic exposure, alongside other modern pollutants, may be contributing to the rise in chronic inflammatory diseases over the past several decades.

2024 Current Opinion in Immunology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential effects of microplastics on human health: What is known and what is unknown

This review summarizes what is currently known about how microplastics might affect human health, noting that while contamination is widespread in food, water, and air, direct evidence of harm in humans is still limited. Studies in animals and cell cultures suggest microplastics could trigger immune responses, cause inflammation, and affect reproduction and development. The authors call for more rigorous clinical studies to determine whether the levels of microplastics that people actually encounter pose real health risks.

2021 AMBIO 419 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to nano- and microplastics: Potential effects in food allergies?

This review explored whether exposure to nano- and microplastics through food could contribute to the rising rates of food allergies worldwide. Researchers found that these tiny plastic particles may alter the structure of food allergens, increase gut permeability, promote intestinal inflammation, and disrupt the immune system. While direct evidence is still limited, the study suggests that microplastics in the diet could potentially heighten sensitivity to food allergens.

2024 Allergy medicine. 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastic Inhalation on Allergic and Nonallergic Rhinitis

Researchers analyzed nasal lavage samples from rhinitis patients and healthy controls, finding significantly higher microplastic concentrations in both allergic and nonallergic rhinitis groups compared to controls. Younger participants and those with more severe symptoms tended to have higher microplastic levels in their nasal passages. The study suggests that inhaled microplastics may play a role in nasal inflammation, though more research is needed to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

2025 American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy 4 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

Risk factors for the prevalence and development of allergic diseases

This review synthesized evidence on risk factors for the development of allergic diseases, covering genetic predisposition, early-life microbial exposure, diet, air pollution, and emerging exposures including microplastics. The authors discuss how environmental changes have driven rising allergy prevalence and identify microplastics as a candidate contributing factor warranting further study.

2024 Liječnički vjesnik
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the immune system: How much should we worry?

This review examines how microplastics may affect the human immune system, noting that people are mainly exposed through food and breathing. While early research shows microplastics can trigger inflammation and immune responses in lab and animal studies, the authors stress that more research is needed to understand what this means for human health at real-world exposure levels.

2025 Immunology Letters 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the impact of microplastics on autoimmune diseases: hidden dangers and environmental triggers

This review examines the emerging evidence linking microplastic exposure to the development and progression of autoimmune disorders. Researchers found that microplastics can modulate immune gene expression, trigger excessive reactive oxygen species in immune cells, and promote inflammatory cytokine release, potentially creating conditions favorable for autoantibody production. The study highlights microplastics as a plausible environmental trigger for autoimmune conditions, though direct causal evidence in humans remains limited.

2026 Environmental Geochemistry and Health
Article Tier 2

Is There Evidence of Health Risks From Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics in Foods?

This review examines the evidence for health risks from micro- and nanoplastic exposure through food, noting that plastic particles can carry physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The study suggests that ingested plastics could contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses, and may even influence food allergy development by altering gut permeability and intestinal microbiome balance.

2022 Frontiers in Nutrition 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Epithelial Barrier: Protector and Trigger of Allergic Disorders

This review explores the epithelial barrier hypothesis, which proposes that disruption of skin, lung, and gut epithelial barriers by environmental exposures such as microplastics and pollutants drives the rising incidence of allergic and inflammatory diseases.

2022 Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology 18 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Climate change and the epithelial barrier theory in allergic diseases: A One Health approach to a green environment

This review links climate change and increased environmental pollution to the weakening of epithelial barriers in the skin, gut, and lungs, contributing to the rise of allergic diseases worldwide. The paper specifically identifies microplastics alongside other pollutants as agents that damage epithelial barriers, suggesting a mechanism by which microplastic exposure could contribute to allergies and autoimmune conditions.

2023 Allergy 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics on immunity

This review examines the growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics can affect the immune system, covering studies in marine organisms, mammals, and human cell lines. Researchers found that these particles can trigger inflammation, alter immune cell function, and disrupt immune signaling pathways. The study underscores the need for more immunological research to fully understand how plastic particle exposure may compromise immune health in humans.

2022 Frontiers in Toxicology 154 citations
Article Tier 2

The Emerging Threat of Micro- and Nanoplastics on the Maturation and Activity of Immune Cells

This review examines how micro and nanoplastics affect the immune system, focusing on their impact on immune cell development and function. Studies show that these tiny plastic particles can alter how immune cells mature and respond to threats, potentially weakening the body's defenses or triggering excessive inflammation. Since humans are constantly exposed to microplastics through food, water, and air, understanding these immune effects is critical for assessing long-term health risks.

2024 Biomolecules & Therapeutics 13 citations