Higher abundance of micro- and nanoplastics in inflammatory tissues from patients with intestinal erosion

Higher abundance of micro- and nanoplastics in inflammatory tissues from patients with intestinal erosion

The detrimental effects of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) on human health have been the subject of intense research in recent years, but there is little data on how MNPs affect intestinal health. Six participants with colonic or terminal ileal erosion were enrolled, and one erosive tissue sample plus one adjacent non-erosive tissue sample were collected from each participant. Pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was utilized to determine the MNP content of these tissues…
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Microplastics and nanoplastics in humans: exposure pathways, biological mechanisms, and implications for health risk assessment

Microplastics and nanoplastics in humans: exposure pathways, biological mechanisms, and implications for health risk assessment

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are ubiquitous contaminants, but their implications for human internal exposure, biological effects, and health risk assessment remain incompletely defined. Although many reviews summarize environmental occurrence and ecological impacts, fewer integrate human exposure pathways with mechanistic toxicological evidence and safety-relevant uncertainties. This review synthesizes evidence on inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure, emphasizing particle…
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Nanoplastics forming micro-sized agglomerates and exacerbating neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease

Nanoplastics forming micro-sized agglomerates and exacerbating neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease

Micro/nanoplastics are quietly infiltrating human bodies through dietary intake, water consumption, and dermal exposure. Here, we assessed the interaction of nanoplastics (NPs) with β-amyloid (Aβ), helping to understand the likely mechanisms of NPs accumulation in brain and potential impacts on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). SH-SY5Y cells served as an in vitro model of AD and were treated with fluorescently labeled NPs (NPf). In in vivo study, 5XFAD mice were fed with environmentally relevant doses…
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Prenatal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused testicular development toxicities and relative mechanisms in male offspring mice from embryo to adulthood

Prenatal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused testicular development toxicities and relative mechanisms in male offspring mice from embryo to adulthood

Polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) are extensively present in the environment. Population studies have confirmed the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in human blood and placental tissues, and animal experiments found PS-NPs had potential developmental and reproductive toxicity. However, the continuous effects of prenatal PS-NPs exposure on testicular differentiation and development in offspring from embryo to adult are not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate potential toxicity of…
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Microplastics, the gut microbiome and ageing: mechanisms and intervention strategies

Microplastics, the gut microbiome and ageing: mechanisms and intervention strategies

As a pervasive global environmental concern, micro- and nanoplastic (MNPs) pollution leads to widespread systemic human exposure via three main routes: oral ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that MNPs are strongly associated with ageing and age-related pathologies, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. Meanwhile, the gut microbiome, an intensely studied regulatory mediator, plays a critical role in modulating human ageing. This…
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Polystyrene nanoplastics are associated with telomere-associated alterations and senescence-related changes in intestinal epithelial cells involving PPARalpha-POT1 regulation

Polystyrene nanoplastics are associated with telomere-associated alterations and senescence-related changes in intestinal epithelial cells involving PPARalpha-POT1 regulation

Nanoplastics have emerged as important environmental contaminants with potential risks to animal and human health; however, their effects on intestinal epithelial cells remain unclear. In this study, polystyrene nanoplastics (PS) were used to investigate cytotoxic mechanisms in porcine intestinal epithelial cells(IPI-2I). PS exposure was associated with oxidative stress, as evidenced by elevated reactive oxygen species levels, altered oxidative stress-related indicators, and mitochondrial…
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Micro- and nanoplastics as environmental modifiers of neuroimmune dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease

Micro- and nanoplastics as environmental modifiers of neuroimmune dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the aggregation of α-synuclein, with increasing evidence implicating environmental factors and neuroimmune dysfunction in its pathogenesis. Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), ubiquitous environmental pollutants generated from plastic degradation, have recently emerged as potential biological stressors capable of entering the human body and accumulating in sensitive tissues,…
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Ovarian toxic effects of micro- and nanoplastics (Review)

Ovarian toxic effects of micro- and nanoplastics (Review)

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) have become widespread contaminants with notable impacts on reproductive health. MNPs have been found in human specimens, including follicle fluid, causing concerns regarding their negative impact on female fertility. The present review aimed to comprehensively examine the ovarian deleterious impacts of MNPs, and to analyze their toxicological mechanisms, impact on folliculogenesis and oocyte quality, transgenerational effects and influencing factors….
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Polyamide and polyvinyl chloride microplastics induce cytotoxicity and cytokine release in primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells

Polyamide and polyvinyl chloride microplastics induce cytotoxicity and cytokine release in primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells

Our daily and continuous exposure to airborne micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) together with the limited information on their potential hazards, warrants the need for more information on MNP-toxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of diverse size ranges of amorphous MNPs from environmentally relevant polymers, on Air-Liquid-Interface (ALI)-cultured Normal Human Bronchial Epithelial cells (NHBEs) by analyzing immunological response parameters 24 h after exposure. In addition, we have…
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