Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Perinatal Period: Emerging Evidence on Maternal Exposure, Placental Transfer, and Fetal Health Outcomes

This review summarizes emerging evidence that microplastics can cross the placenta and reach developing babies, having been detected in maternal blood, placental tissue, amniotic fluid, cord blood, and breast milk. The tiny plastic particles may damage the placenta, disrupt hormones, alter immune responses, and potentially affect fetal growth and brain development. While more research is needed, the findings raise serious concerns about microplastic exposure during pregnancy and its implications for infant health.

2025 Sarvodaya International Journal of Medicine 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Placental Exposure to Nanoplastics Threatening the Maternal and Fetal Health

This review examines how nanoplastics reaching the placenta threaten maternal and fetal health, summarizing evidence from animal and in vitro studies showing that placental nanoplastic accumulation disrupts nutrient transport, immune function, and fetal development.

2025 Health Dynamics
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Exposure During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Risks to Maternal and Fetal Health

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how microplastic exposure during pregnancy may affect mothers and developing babies. Studies suggest microplastics can cross the placental barrier, raising concerns about potential effects on fetal development, though more human research is needed to confirm specific risks.

2025 Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review of the Placental Translocation of Micro- and Nanoplastics

Nine out of eleven studies confirmed that micro- and nanoplastics can cross the placental barrier, with translocation depending on particle size, charge, chemical modification, and protein corona formation. Animal and in vitro studies showed emerging evidence of placental and fetal toxicity from plastic particle exposure.

2023 Current Environmental Health Reports 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Breach of Security? Placental Uptake of Micro- and Nanoplastic Particles

This review examines emerging evidence for placental uptake of micro- and nanoplastic particles, exploring whether the placenta's barrier function can be breached by these contaminants during pregnancy. The review raises concerns about potential fetal exposure to plastic particles and the implications for developmental health.

2022 Environmental Health Perspectives 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: A threat to Fetoplacental unit and Reproductive systems

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics may harm the placenta and reproductive system, particularly during pregnancy. The authors highlight that these tiny plastic particles have been found in placental tissue and may interfere with fetal development, though they note that much more research is needed to understand the full risks to mothers and babies.

2025 Toxicology Reports 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The Invisible Threat: Microplastics in Human Blood and Placenta

This review summarized current evidence on microplastic detection in human blood and placenta, discussing what is known about how these particles enter the bloodstream and reach fetal tissue. The authors highlight the potential implications for maternal and fetal health.

2024 Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Maternal Nanoplastic and Microplastic Particle Exposure on Mammal’s Offspring

This review summarizes research on how a mother's exposure to nanoplastics and microplastics during pregnancy can affect her developing baby. Studies show that these tiny plastic particles can cross the placenta and reach the fetus, potentially harming brain development, the reproductive system, metabolism, and the immune system of offspring. The review calls for more research using realistic exposure levels to better understand the risks of prenatal microplastic exposure to human babies.

2024 Cells 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental human placental models for studying uptake, transport and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics

This review describes experimental human placental models available for studying how micro- and nanoplastics cross the maternal-fetal barrier, including cell cultures, organ-on-chip devices, and tissue perfusion systems. Researchers note that while microplastics have been detected in human placenta, the potential effects on pregnancy and fetal development remain largely unexplored. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and calls for urgent research into the reproductive health risks of plastic particle exposure.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 73 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Editorial: Maternal-fetal interface: new insight in placenta research, volume II

This editorial compiles research showing that microplastics have been detected in human placental tissue and induce cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and metabolic disturbances in placental explants. The collection of studies underscores that environmental contaminants including microplastics represent a significant and urgent threat to placental function and fetal development.

2025 Frontiers in Endocrinology 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impact of Microplastics on Pregnancy and Fetal Development: A Systematic Review

A systematic review of 12 studies confirmed the presence of microplastics ranging from 2.1 to 100 micrometers in human placentas and fetal tissue. Microplastic levels correlated with reduced birthweight, affected gestational age, diminished microbiome diversity, and impaired fetal growth and development, with lifestyle choices influencing placental microplastic burden.

2024 Cureus 21 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Health Implications of Microplastic Exposure in Pregnancy and Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how microplastic exposure during pregnancy and early childhood may affect health. The evidence shows that microplastics can reach the placenta and may cause oxidative stress and inflammation, raising concerns about potential effects on fetal development and infant health during these vulnerable life stages.

2025 International Journal of Women s Health 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse effects of a realistic concentration of human exposure to microplastics on markers of placental barrier permeability in pregnant rats

Researchers exposed pregnant rats to polystyrene microplastics at concentrations realistic for human exposure and examined effects on the placenta. They found that the microplastics accumulated in placental tissue, caused oxidative stress, triggered cell death, and reduced the expression of proteins that maintain the placental barrier. The study provides the first evidence that realistic levels of microplastic exposure can compromise the protective barrier between mother and developing offspring.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological interactions between nanomaterials and placental development and function following oral exposure

Researchers reviewed animal studies on orally ingested nanomaterials (including nanoplastics) and found that while the placenta is generally an effective barrier preventing fetal transfer, nanomaterials accumulating in placental tissue can impair placental development and function, with potential downstream effects on fetal health.

2019 Reproductive Toxicology 22 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impact of prenatal micro/nanoplastics exposure on intrauterine development and growth: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how exposure to micro- and nanoplastics during pregnancy may affect fetal development and growth. The research gathered evidence showing that tiny plastic particles can reach the placenta and potentially disrupt normal intrauterine development. While more research is needed, these findings raise important questions about protecting pregnant women from microplastic exposure through food, water, and air.

2026 Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics and Fetal Health: Challenges in Assessment and Evidence from Epidemiological Studies

This review examines the emerging evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can reach the developing fetus during pregnancy, with animal studies showing potential effects on neurological development and placental blood flow. The study also highlights major challenges in accurately detecting and measuring these tiny particles in biological tissues from mothers and babies. The authors call for standardized methods and more human studies to better understand the risks of prenatal microplastic exposure.

2025 Toxics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Fetus Exposure to Drugs and Chemicals: A Holistic Overview on the Assessment of Their Transport and Metabolism across the Human Placental Barrier

This review examines the various experimental methods used to study how drugs and chemicals cross the placental barrier and reach the developing fetus. Understanding how contaminants including microplastics can pass from mother to baby is essential for protecting fetal health and developing safer guidelines for chemical exposure during pregnancy.

2024 Diseases 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic inhalation during pregnancy: Impacts on uteroplacental function and offspring health

This review examined evidence that inhaled micro- and nanoplastics during pregnancy accumulate in placental and fetal tissues, impair uteroplacental blood flow and immune function, and are associated with adverse developmental outcomes in offspring, identifying inhalation as a critical but understudied exposure route.

2025 Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and the Placenta: A Call to Action for Perinatal Research

This commentary reviewed evidence that microplastics have been detected in human placental and neural tissues and discussed their potential effects on fetal development, including systemic inflammation, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disruption. The authors called for multidisciplinary perinatal research to understand and mitigate microplastic exposure during pregnancy.

2025 American Journal of Perinatology
Article Tier 2

Bridging the Gaps between Microplastics and Human Health

This review summarizes how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through breathing, eating, drinking, skin contact, and even transfer from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Once inside, these particles can cross tissue barriers and potentially affect cellular processes important for fetal development. While the health effects are still being studied, the evidence so far points to real concerns about reproductive and developmental impacts from our daily plastic exposure.

2024 Microplastics 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics exposure: implications for human fertility, pregnancy and child health

This review examines growing evidence that microplastics accumulate in the human placenta and may affect pregnancy outcomes and child development. Given that exposure during pregnancy can program lifelong health in offspring, the presence of these tiny plastic particles in reproductive tissues raises important concerns about fertility, pregnancy complications, and children's health.

2024 Frontiers in Endocrinology 115 citations
Article Tier 2

Year 116 of the plastic age: a Pandora’s box as a time bomb for pregnancy? Review of clinical and fundamental data on prenatal exposure to plastics

This review examined evidence for micro- and nanoplastic presence in the human placenta and assessed implications for pregnancy outcomes, synthesizing in vitro, ex vivo, and epidemiological data. Multiple plastic types were detected in placental tissue from the basal plate to fetal membranes, and the authors raised concerns about placental dysfunction and fetal developmental risk.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Quantification and visualization of micro- and nano-plastics transfer from maternal to fetal: A rat model study

Using europium-labeled nanoplastics and microplastics administered to pregnant rats, researchers quantitatively tracked maternal-to-fetal transfer using electron microscopy and mass spectrometry, providing first direct quantitative evidence of how these particles cross the placental barrier.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics at the Placenta–Fetal Interface: Emerging Chemical Toxicology Concerns

Researchers reviewed how nanoplastics interact with trophoblasts at the placenta-fetal interface, identifying plastic additives, surface chemistry, and adsorbed protein coronas as drivers of oxidative stress and disrupted cellular function, and calling for advanced placental models to guide developmental toxicity risk assessment.

2026 Chemical Research in Toxicology