ArticleFrontiers in immunology2025
Micro- and nano-plastics induce inflammation and cell death in human cells.
Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Current Evidence Linking Microplastic Exposure and Reproductive Cancers.Journal of xenobiotics · 2026Review
- Protocol to investigate the role of NETosis in health and disease via a high-throughput neutrophil-like model using quantitative imaging.STAR protocols · 2026Article
- A Bioenergetic Framework for Microplastic Accumulation in Human Tissues: A Cellular Turnover Hypothesis.Toxics · 2026Article
- Environmental Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics: Linking Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer Through Shared Biological Pathways-A Critical Review.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Micro/Nanoplastics and Periodontitis: An Environmental Microbiology Perspective on Oral Retention and Systemic Risk.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Review
- Micro- and nanoplastics as environmental modifiers of neuroimmune dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Plastic Pollution and Child Health: A Narrative Review of Micro- and Nanoplastics, Additives, and Developmental Risks.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Micro- and Nanoplastics Driving Adverse Human Health Effects.Toxics · 2025Review
- Microplastics, Nanoplastics and Heart Contamination: The Hidden Threat.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Micro- and Nanoplastics Act as Metal Carriers with the Potential to Alter Human Gene Expression Patterns-The Inferences from Bioinformatic Online Tools.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Introduction: The presence of micro- and nano-plastics (MNPLs) in the environment has increased significantly in the past decades. However, the direct impact of MNPL particles on human health remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we utilized a modified extraction method with a previously reported staining technique to develop a novel approach for identifying individual plastics in mixtures of MNPLs of commercial and environmental origins to be able to investigate their impacts on human cell inflammation and cell death. Polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the plastics analyzed. The plastic composition of the environmental MNPLs was characterized using multiple analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, confocal imaging, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Results: We found that both commercial and environmental MNPLs, especially PET, impose a strong inflammatory response on various human cells and tissues. At 1 mg/mL, they robustly stimulate inflammatory IL-1β and IL-6 secretion in a time-dependent manner. Importantly, we observed that the MNPLs induced variable inflammatory responses in cells depending on their plastic composition. Environmental samples rich in PET showed a strong dose-dependent response and induced IL-1β secretion at doses as low as 100 ng/mL. In addition, MNPLs can induce human cell death with or without obviously altering the cell morphology. Discussion: These findings are significant because they represent the first instance of authentic MNPLs being collected from ecological water samples for characterization and the first time the direct influences of commercial and environmental MNPLs have been compared in human cell studies. The methods developed in this study provide a foundation for future research to isolate MNPLs from the environment and explore their potential impacts on human health and disease development.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.