The Plastic Within: Micro- and Nanoplastics in Human Tissues and the Nutritional Context for Exposure Mitigation

CONCLUSION: The current evidence base supports aggressive exposure reduction as the most defensible “first-line” strategy. Nutritional approaches (dietary fiber, gut-barrier support, and microbiome modulation) are best framed as adjunctive, mechanistically plausible risk-mitigation strategies rather than proven methods to remove plastics from the body. Well-designed human trials and standardized analytical protocols are needed before clinical “detoxification” claims can be justified.

Resolving polymeric nanoplastics in human cumulus cells by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence and light nano-imaging

Micro- and nanoplastics have been shown to cross biological barriers, reach the female reproductive tract, and infiltrate ovarian tissue, raising critical concerns about their potential impact on reproductive health and early-life outcomes. Elucidating how nanoplastics interact with ovarian cells is therefore essential for risk assessment, but requires ultra-sensitive analytical approaches capable of resolving rare events at the nanoscale. Detecting individual polymeric nanoplastics within…

Emerging Analytical Methodologies for Micro- and Nano-Plastics Detection in Human Samples: Analytical Challenges and Health Risk Perspectives

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are increasingly detected in human tissues and biofluids, raising concerns about their potential health impacts. Yet, despite growing evidence of human exposure, reliable characterization of these particles remains a major analytical challenge. This review critically evaluates sample-preparation strategies, detection methodologies, and toxicological evidence for MNPs in human biological samples. MNPs have been detected across major human organ systems and…

Environmental influences on macrophage epigenetics and trained immunity: a review

Macrophages are central to host immunity and tissue homeostasis, exhibiting remarkable functional plasticity across a continuum of states-ranging from pro-inflammatory (M1-like) to anti-inflammatory and tissue-reparative (M2-like) phenotypes. Environmental exposures can induce persistent epigenetic changes that shape macrophage responses well beyond the acute phase, a phenomenon now recognized as trained immunity. This narrative review synthesizes current knowledge on how diverse components of…

Plastic signatures in childhood: first evidence of urinary micro- and nanoplastics in primary school children from Cyprus

CONCLUSIONS: Although direct comparisons with previous studies are limited due to methodological variability among studies and the lack of standardized protocols for MNP quantification in human urine, these findings provide preliminary evidence of urinary MNPs in children. Further large-scale studies using harmonized analytical approaches are needed to better characterize exposure patterns in pediatric populations.

Human Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics and Their Potential Neurological Implications: A Systematic Review of Emerging Evidence

The growing prevalence of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the environment elicits concerns about their possible impact on human neurological health. Although studies on animals have suggested neurotoxic effects, evidence from humans is still scarce. This systematic review gathers existing human data to assess the presence, types, detection techniques, and neurological consequences of MNPs in different biological matrices. A comprehensive review was performed on peer-reviewed research…

Network toxicology deciphers micro- and nanoplastics-mediated mixture hazard, predictive risk assessment, and regulatory translation

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants and efficient carriers of coexisting pollutants, including heavy metals, organic chemicals, and antibiotics. Their capacity to adsorb, transport, and release contaminants has raised growing concern over mixture toxicity under realistic exposure scenarios. This review systematically examines the mechanistic basis of MNPs-mediated combined toxicity and evaluates the emerging role of network toxicology as a systems-based tool…

First study on the toxicokinetic approach of MNPs in an environmentally exposed human population, through their evaluation in blood and urine samples by Pyr-GC-MS and multivariate analysis

Exposure to MNPs represents an emerging risk for human health. This study provides a comprehensive profile of ten polymers in blood and urine from 98 volunteers in an environmentally exposed population. MNPs were morphometrically characterized prior to quantification by Pyr-GC-Orbitrap-MS. Data were processed through independent bivariate and multivariate analyses to determine polymer compartmental partitioning in both matrices. All participants tested positive for at least one polymer with a…

Emerging role of microplastics and nanoplastics in children’s health

Plastics are a growing environmental and health threat. Microplastics (MPs, <5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs, <1 μm) are pervasive environmental contaminants increasingly detected within human tissues, including placenta, cord blood, breast milk, and infant stool, highlighting chronic early-life exposure. Children represent a uniquely vulnerable population due to higher intake relative to body mass, immature detoxification and immune systems, and rapid organogenesis. MPs and NPs (MNPs) can traverse…

Micro- and Nanoplastics as Emerging Drivers of Liver Injury: Exposure, Evidence, and Mechanisms

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging environmental contaminants of increasing relevance to human health. Growing evidence suggests that, following ingestion, inhalation, or, less convincingly, dermal exposure, MNPs may cross biological barriers, enter lymphatic and vascular compartments, and reach the liver. Owing to portal blood flow, sinusoidal architecture and Kupffer cell activity, the liver appears to be one of the principal sites of early particle sequestration. Human biomonitoring,…