The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure
Abstract As the production, usage, and disposal of plastics increase, the microplastics generated—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm—increases, exacerbating environmental pollution. In turn, various organisms become increasingly exposed to contaminated environments, potentially affecting humans thr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Discover Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06470-y |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841544400909369344 |
|---|---|
| author | Yujeong Lee Minkyoung Sung Soo-Eun Sung Joo-Hee Choi Kyung-Ku Kang Jae Woo Park Ye-jin Kim Sijoon Lee |
| author_facet | Yujeong Lee Minkyoung Sung Soo-Eun Sung Joo-Hee Choi Kyung-Ku Kang Jae Woo Park Ye-jin Kim Sijoon Lee |
| author_sort | Yujeong Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As the production, usage, and disposal of plastics increase, the microplastics generated—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm—increases, exacerbating environmental pollution. In turn, various organisms become increasingly exposed to contaminated environments, potentially affecting humans through the food chain. Crucial findings from in vivo experiments indicate histopathological changes caused by microplastics impact the morphology and physiological function of organisms. This study describes the histopathological changes induced by microplastics across the circulatory, nervous, digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems and explains associated functional alterations. Except in the nervous system, the main morphological changes involve degenerative changes throughout the body, such as apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. Most changes were induced by inflammatory responses to microplastics, leading to fibrosis and subsequent functional impairments. Various studies confirm that microplastics stimulate cells, leading to increased reactive oxygen species production, inflammation, and cell death. Consequently, these morphological changes impair related systemic functions. This review highlights fundamental morphological changes in organs and cells due to microplastics and discusses the limitations involving systems showing no changes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f3a27c7f134745ff927f3dbe6617169c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 3004-9261 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-f3a27c7f134745ff927f3dbe6617169c2025-01-12T12:35:02ZengSpringerDiscover Applied Sciences3004-92612025-01-017111410.1007/s42452-025-06470-yThe histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposureYujeong Lee0Minkyoung Sung1Soo-Eun Sung2Joo-Hee Choi3Kyung-Ku Kang4Jae Woo Park5Ye-jin Kim6Sijoon Lee7Preclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationPreclinical Research Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation FoundationAbstract As the production, usage, and disposal of plastics increase, the microplastics generated—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm—increases, exacerbating environmental pollution. In turn, various organisms become increasingly exposed to contaminated environments, potentially affecting humans through the food chain. Crucial findings from in vivo experiments indicate histopathological changes caused by microplastics impact the morphology and physiological function of organisms. This study describes the histopathological changes induced by microplastics across the circulatory, nervous, digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems and explains associated functional alterations. Except in the nervous system, the main morphological changes involve degenerative changes throughout the body, such as apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. Most changes were induced by inflammatory responses to microplastics, leading to fibrosis and subsequent functional impairments. Various studies confirm that microplastics stimulate cells, leading to increased reactive oxygen species production, inflammation, and cell death. Consequently, these morphological changes impair related systemic functions. This review highlights fundamental morphological changes in organs and cells due to microplastics and discusses the limitations involving systems showing no changes.https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06470-yMicroplasticsHistopathologyDegenerative changesOrgan systems |
| spellingShingle | Yujeong Lee Minkyoung Sung Soo-Eun Sung Joo-Hee Choi Kyung-Ku Kang Jae Woo Park Ye-jin Kim Sijoon Lee The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure Discover Applied Sciences Microplastics Histopathology Degenerative changes Organ systems |
| title | The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure |
| title_full | The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure |
| title_fullStr | The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure |
| title_full_unstemmed | The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure |
| title_short | The histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure |
| title_sort | histopathological and functional consequences of microplastic exposure |
| topic | Microplastics Histopathology Degenerative changes Organ systems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06470-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yujeonglee thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT minkyoungsung thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT sooeunsung thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT jooheechoi thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT kyungkukang thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT jaewoopark thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT yejinkim thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT sijoonlee thehistopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT yujeonglee histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT minkyoungsung histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT sooeunsung histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT jooheechoi histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT kyungkukang histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT jaewoopark histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT yejinkim histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure AT sijoonlee histopathologicalandfunctionalconsequencesofmicroplasticexposure |