Toxicological impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on humans: understanding the mechanistic aspect of the interaction

Abstract

Plastic is a pervasive material that has become an indispensable part of our daily lives and is used in various commercial products. However, plastic waste has significantly impacted the environment, accumulating in water and land ecosystems and harming all forms of life. When plastic degrades, it breaks down into smaller particles called microplastics (MPs), which can further breakdown into nanoplastics (NPs). Due to their small size and potential toxicity to humans, NPs are of particular concern. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the production of plastic had reached unprecedented levels, including essential medical kits, food bags, and personal protective equipment (PPE), which generate MPs and NPs when burned. MPs and NPs have been detected in various locations, such as air, food, and soil, but our understanding of their potential adverse health effects is limited. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the sources, interactions, ecotoxicity, routes of exposure, toxicity mechanisms, detection methods, and future directions for the safety evaluation of MPs and NPs. This would improve our understanding of the impact of MPs and NPs on our health and environment and identify ways to address this global crisis.

Repercussões dos microplásticos e nanoplásticos nos sistemas gastrointestinal, circulatório e respiratório: Um novo potencial de exposição

“…O contato dérmico, apesar de não ser uma das principais vias de exposição humana, também se demonstra como uma forma de contaminação por MPs e NPs (Sun et al, 2023). Isso é importante para pessoas que estão próximas de itens contaminados com MPs e NPs, como produtos cosméticos, ou para populações que nadam em água contaminada (Alqahtani et al, 2023).…”

Recent advances in microbial and enzymatic engineering for the biodegradation of micro- and nanoplastics

“…This growing research highlights the importance of further investigating the environmental and health effects of microplastics and nanoplastics. 263,264 In particular, there is an urgent demand for the advancement and improvement of enzyme-based techniques to effectively break down these prevalent pollutants.…”

Enhancing food safety and cultivated meat production: exploring the impact of microplastics on fish muscle cell proliferation and differentiation

“…From a cellular perspective, the risks of microplastics become more intricate. The direct interaction between cells and microplastics can lead to physical disruptions, such as membrane damage (Fleury and Baulin, 2021;Dai et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2022), and chemicals inherent to or leached from these plastics are known to induce oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and genotoxic effects (Hirt and Body-Malapel, 2020;Goodman et al, 2021;Alqahtani et al, 2023;Cao et al, 2023;Herrala et al, 2023;Jeyavani et al, 2023;Mattioda et al, 2023). Potential risks of such interactions encompass DNA lesions, organ dysfunctions, metabolic irregularities, immunological aberrations, neurotoxicity, and perturbations in reproductive and developmental processes (Galluzzi et al, 2018).…”