INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH & MEDICAL RESEARCH
ISSN(p in ): 2833-213X, ISSN(online): 2833-2148
Volume 04 Issue 11 No embe 2025
DOI : 10.58806/ijhm .2025. 4i11n01
Page No. 586-593
586Page www.ijhm .com 5 220be No em 11 Issue 4IJHMR, Volume 0
E ec s o Mic oplas ics on Human Physiology: Mechanisms o Toxici y and
Heal h Risks
Rosane Rezende de Souza Giuliani¹, Felipe San os Teixei a Ma iniano², Nicole Mio o Medei os³, Lo enzo
F ancesco Giuliani⁴, Leocadia Felix de A aujo⁵, Ra aela Gonçal es Bueno⁶, Ca los Hen ique Ba is a Figuei edo
de Mendonça⁸, Thiago Augus o Roche i Beze a ⁶,⁷
1G adua ed in Medicine. Head o he Hema ology Se ice a he Po uguese Bene icen Socie y o San os, São Paulo, B azil.
P o esso o Hema ology a he Uni e si y o Ribei ão P e o (UNAERP), São Paulo, B azil.
2Residen physician in In e nal Medicine, Bene icência Po uguesa Hospi al o San os, São Paulo, B azil.
3G adua ed in Medicine om he Uni e si y o Vale do Sapucaí (Uni ás), Minas Ge ais, B azil. Hema ology and Hemo he apy a
he Ama al Ca alho Hospi al, Jaú, São Paulo, B azil. Physician a he Bene icência Po uguesa Hospi al in San os and p o esso a
he Uni e si y o Ribei ão P e o (UNAERP), São Paulo, B azil.
4Residen physician. Specialis in Anes hesia, Resusci a ion, In ensi e Ca e, and Pain a he Uni e si y o Rome "La Sapienza,"
Rome, I aly.
5G adua ed in Medicine om he Fede al Uni e si y o F on ei a Sul – UFFS. Passo Fundo, Rio G ande do Sul
6Medical s uden a he Uni e si y o Ribei ão P e o, Gua ujá campus.
7Doc o o Medical Sciences, Ribei ão P e o School o Medicine, Uni e si y o São Paulo.
8G adua ed in Medicine om he Fede al Uni e si y o Ro aima, B azil
ABSTRACT:This sys ema ic e iew aimed o analyze he e ec s o mic oplas ics on human physiology, emphasizing oxici y
mechanisms and heal h isks. The sea ch was conduc ed in he PubMed, Scopus, Web o Science, Embase, and SciELO da abases,
co e ing s udies published be ween 2000 and 2025. Fo y-eigh s udies we e included ha add essed he p esence o mic oplas ics
in human issues and luids, hei pa hophysiological mechanisms, and possible clinical ou comes. The esul s showed ha
mic oplas ics a e p esen in blood, placen a, and ep oduc i e issue samples, demons a ing hei abili y o c oss biological ba ie s
and in e ac wi h cells and o ganelles. The mos consis en mechanisms desc ibed in ol e oxida i e s ess, sys emic in lamma ion,
mi ochond ial dys unc ion, endoc ine dys egula ion, and ep oduc i e changes. In i o and in i o assays indica ed inc eased
p oduc ion o eac i e oxygen species, ac i a ion o in lamma o y cy okines, and DNA damage. Recen e idence also sugges s
e ec s on he gu mic obio a and e al de elopmen , wi h a highe mic oplas ic load obse ed in placen as om p ema u e bi hs.
Despi e ad ances in esea ch, he e a e signi ican me hodological limi a ions, such as a lack o s anda diza ion in de ec ion
echniques, con ol o en i onmen al con amina ion, and a sca ci y o longi udinal s udies e alua ing he dose- esponse ela ionship.
I is concluded ha mic oplas ics ep esen an eme ging con aminan wi h po en ial sys emic and mul i-o gan impac , posing a
g owing conce n o public heal h. Mo e s ingen en i onmen al policies, popula ion biomoni o ing, and he de elopmen o
s anda dized analy ical me hodologies a e needed o mo e accu a ely assess he biological e ec s o hese pa icles. Unde s anding
o he isks associa ed wi h mic oplas ics mus be expanded h ough in e disciplina y app oaches ha in eg a e oxicology, cell
biology, epidemiology, and en i onmen al heal h.
KEYWORDS: mic oplas ics; oxici y; in lamma ion; oxida i e s ess; endoc ine dys unc ion; human heal h.
INTRODUCTION
The p esence o mic oplas ics in he en i onmen and hei ela ionship wi h human heal h ha e eme ged as one o he
mos ele an scien i ic conce ns o he 21s cen u y. The e m "mic oplas ics" was i s desc ibed by Richa d C. Thompson and
colleagues in 2004, when hey obse ed mic oscopic plas ic agmen s dispe sed in ma ine en i onmen s. This disco e y e ealed
a new dimension o plas ic pollu ion, highligh ing pa icles smalle han 5 mm, capable o en e ing ood chains and, po en ially, he
human body (Thompson e al., 2004).
In he 2010s, he ocus o esea ch shi ed om eco oxicology o human exposu e, iden i ying se e al ou es o con ac ,
such as ood and wa e in ake, dus inhala ion, and de mal abso p ion. The Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) epo published in
E ec s o Mic oplas ics on Human Physiology: Mechanisms o Toxici y and Heal h Risks
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2019 ep esen ed a miles one, ecognizing he widesp ead p esence o mic oplas ics in d inking wa e and emphasizing he u gency
o assessing hei heal h isks, despi e he sca ci y o consis en oxicological da a (WHO, 2019).
Me hodological ad ances in he ollowing yea s allowed o he de ec ion o hese pa icles in human biological samples.
In 2021, Ragusa e al. iden i ied mic oplas ics in human placen as using Raman mic oscopy, sugges ing hei ansloca ion h ough
biological ba ie s and aising hypo heses abou possible in lamma o y and oxida i e e ec s on ma e nal- e al issues (Ragusa e
al., 2021).
In 2022, a pionee ing s udy led by Leslie e al. demons a ed he p esence o mic oplas ics in human blood, p o ing he
abili y o hese pa icles o c oss epi helial memb anes and en e he sys emic ci cula ion. Mos o he agmen s iden i ied
co esponded o polyme s such as PET (polye hylene e eph hala e), PE (polye hylene), and PS (polys y ene), ein o cing he
ubiqui y o hese ma e ials in e e yday p oduc s (Leslie e al., 2022).
Also in 2022, he s udy called "Plas icen a" u he in es iga ed he placen al impac , de ec ing mic oplas ics inside
syncy io ophoblas cells and associa ing hese pa icles wi h ul as uc u al changes in o ganelles. This e idence suppo ed he
hypo hesis ha mic oplas ics may in e e e wi h essen ial cellula p ocesses, including signaling and edox homeos asis (Ragusa e
al., 2022).
In 2024, new e idence b oadened he ield o conce n when Leona d e al. and o he esea che s iden i ied mic oplas ics
in human and dog es icles. These indings aised ques ions abou possible co ela ions be ween exposu e o mic oplas ics and
changes in ep oduc i e unc ion, al hough he causal ela ionship emains unde in es iga ion (Leona d e al., 2024).
Recen esea ch om 2025 also poin s o a possible associa ion be ween ma e nal exposu e o mic oplas ics and p ema u e
bi hs, wi h highe concen a ions o hese pa icles obse ed in placen as om p egnancies wi h ad e se ou comes. Al hough
p elimina y, hese da a ein o ce he need o longi udinal s udies o cla i y he ela ionship be ween mic o/nanoplas ic load and
obs e ic ou comes (Mul icen e s udy, 2025).
F om a pa hophysiological poin o iew, he cu en li e a u e p oposes se e al mechanisms o oxici y: gene a ion o
oxida i e s ess, induc ion o in lamma o y esponses, mi ochond ial dys unc ion, cell apop osis, and dis up ion o epi helial
ba ie s, especially in he espi a o y and in es inal mucosa. In addi ion o he pa icles hemsel es, chemical addi i es p esen in
plas ics and pollu an s adso bed on hei su aces, such as ph hala es and bisphenol A, can po en ia e cy o oxic and endoc ine e ec s
(Tyc e al., 2025).
Ano he widely discussed issue is he endoc ine-dis up ing e ec associa ed wi h mic oplas ics. Recen s udies highligh
ha compounds eleased by plas ic deg ada ion ac as ho mone dis up o s, in e e ing wi h p ocesses such as e ili y, e al g ow h,
and ene gy me abolism, e en a low concen a ions (Tyc e al., 2025).
Despi e ad ances, human isk assessmen is s ill limi ed by me hodological gaps, especially ega ding he quan i ica ion o
in e nal dose and long- e m e ec s. The WHO (2019, upda ed 2022) ein o ces he need o s anda dize analy ical me hods, de elop
exposu e bioma ke s, and p omo e obus popula ion s udies o elucida e he eal magni ude o he impac o mic oplas ics on human
heal h (WHO, 2019; WHO, 2022).
Two decades a e he ini ial desc ip ion o he phenomenon, esea ch on mic oplas ics has e ol ed om en i onmen al o
biological and clinical analysis. Cu en scien i ic p io i ies include he s udy o nanoplas ics, he iden i ica ion o windows o
ulne abili y (p egnancy, childhood, and senescence), in e ac ion wi h he gu mic obio a, and he de e mina ion o conc e e clinical
ou comes, such as espi a o y, ca dio ascula , and ep oduc i e diseases. This scien i ic ajec o y e eals he g owing u gency o
unde s and and mi iga e he isks o in isible bu biologically ac i e pollu ion (Thompson, 2024).
OBJECTIVES
Gene al Objec i e
To in es iga e, h ough a sys ema ic e iew o he li e a u e, he e ec s o mic oplas ics on human physiology, wi h an
emphasis on he mechanisms o cellula , molecula , and sys emic oxici y, as well as he po en ial isks o human heal h esul ing
om di ec and indi ec exposu e o hese pa icles.
Speci ic Objec i es
✓ Map he main ou es o human exposu e o mic oplas ics, including inges ion, inhala ion, and skin abso p ion.
✓ Iden i y and syn hesize e idence on he p esence o mic oplas ics in human issues and luids, such as blood, placen a, and
ep oduc i e o gans.
✓ Desc ibe he pa hophysiological mechanisms associa ed wi h mic oplas ic oxici y, highligh ing p ocesses o oxida i e s ess,
in lamma ion, endoc ine dys unc ion, and immunological changes.
✓ E alua e he clinical and subclinical e ec s associa ed wi h ch onic exposu e, conside ing ep oduc i e, me abolic,
neu ological, and ca dio ascula ou comes.
✓ Iden i y knowledge gaps and p opose ecommenda ions o u u e esea ch in public heal h and en i onmen al oxicology.
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METHODOLOGY
Type o S udy
This is a sys ema ic e iew o he li e a u e, p epa ed in acco dance wi h he P e e ed Repo ing I ems o Sys ema ic
Re iews and Me a-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines, wi h he pu pose o ga he ing, c i ically e alua ing, and syn hesizing
a ailable scien i ic e idence on he physiological and oxic e ec s o mic oplas ics on he human body.
Sea ch S a egy
The bibliog aphic sea ch was conduc ed be ween Janua y and Sep embe 2025 in he PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web
o Science, ScienceDi ec , Embase, and SciELO da abases.
Con olled and uncon olled desc ip o s (DeCS/MeSH) we e used, combined by he Boolean ope a o s AND and OR,
including:
“mic oplas ics,” “human exposu e,” “ oxici y mechanisms,” “oxida i e s ess,” “in lamma ion,” “endoc ine dis up ion,” “human
heal h,” and “sys emic e ec s.”
The s a egies we e adap ed o each da abase in o de o maximize he sensi i i y and speci ici y o he sea ch.
Inclusion C i e ia
The ollowing we e included:
✓ O iginal a icles, sys ema ic e iews, me a-analyses, and expe imen al in i o and in i o s udies wi h ansla ional ele ance;
✓ Publica ions be ween 2000 and 2025;
✓ S udies a ailable in English, Po uguese, o Spanish;
✓ Resea ch add essing physiological, cellula , o sys emic e ec s o mic oplas ics in humans o animal models wi h alida ed
ex apola ion o humans.
Exclusion C i e ia
The ollowing we e excluded:
✓ Duplica e wo ks o hose wi hou access o he ull ex ;
✓ Isola ed case epo s wi hou ep oducible me hodology;
✓ Exclusi ely en i onmen al s udies, wi hou co ela ion wi h human physiological e ec s;
✓ Opinion a icles, edi o ials, and na a i e e iews wi hou me hodological igo .
S udy Selec ion
The sc eening was conduc ed in h ee s ages:
✓ Reading o i les and abs ac s o exclude i ele an s udies;
✓ Comple e eading o eligible ex s;
✓ Applica ion o inclusion/exclusion c i e ia and inal consensus.
Disag eemen s we e esol ed by a hi d e iewe . The p ocess will be ep esen ed in a PRISMA lowcha , indica ing he
numbe o a icles iden i ied, excluded, and included.
Da a Ex ac ion and Analysis
F om each included s udy, he ollowing we e ex ac ed:
✓ Au ho s, yea o publica ion, and coun y;
✓ Type o s udy and sample (human o expe imen al);
✓ Type and size o mic oplas ic analyzed;
✓ Obse ed pa hophysiological mechanisms;
✓ Main clinical and labo a o y ou comes;
✓ Conclusions and me hodological limi a ions.
Da a analysis was desc ip i e and compa a i e, emphasizing con e gences and di e gences in he indings. When
applicable, quan i a i e esul s we e o ganized in o e idence syn hesis ables, and ca ego ical a iables we e g ouped acco ding o
exposu e ou es and a ec ed physiological sys ems.
Me hodological Quali y Assessmen
The quali y o he s udies was assessed using he Joanna B iggs Ins i u e (JBI) and Newcas le-O awa Scale (NOS) ools,
acco ding o he me hodological design (obse a ional, expe imen al, o e iew).
The s eng h o e idence was g aded acco ding o he GRADE (G ading o Recommenda ions, Assessmen , De elopmen ,
and E alua ion) sys em.
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E hical aspec s
As his is a sys ema ic e iew based on p e iously published li e a u e, he s udy did no equi e app o al om a Resea ch
E hics Commi ee, in acco dance wi h Resolu ion CNS No. 510/2016 o he B azilian Minis y o Heal h.
RESULTS
The sys ema ic sea ch o he PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web o Science, ScienceDi ec , Embase, and SciELO da abases
ini ially esul ed in 1,274 publica ions.
A e emo ing 273 duplica es, 1,001 s udies emained o sc eening by i le and abs ac . O hese, 742 we e excluded
because hey did no di ec ly add ess human exposu e o mic oplas ics. A ull eading o 259 a icles led o he exclusion o 211
because hey did no mee he inclusion c i e ia (absence o biological analysis, exclusi ely en i onmen al ocus, o na a i e e iew
wi hou ep oducible me hodology). Thus, 48 s udies we e included in he inal quali a i e analysis, comp ising 14 sys ema ic
e iews, 20 obse a ional s udies, 9 in i o expe imen al s udies, and 5 in i o s udies wi h physiological ex apola ion o humans.
1. P esence o mic oplas ics in human issues and luids
Consis en e idence demons a es he bioaccumula ion o mic oplas ics in di e en human issues. Recen s udies ha e
con i med he p esence o plas ic pa icles in human placen as (Ragusa e al., 2021; Ragusa e al., 2022), blood (Leslie e al., 2022),
and es icles (Leona d e al., 2024), indica ing mul iple ou es o exposu e and sys emic dis ibu ion. The mos equen ly iden i ied
pa icles we e polye hylene (PE), polyp opylene (PP), polys y ene (PS), and polye hylene e eph hala e (PET), wi h sizes anging
om 1 µm o 200 µm, de ec ed by echniques such as Raman mic oscopy, FTIR, and mass spec ome y.
A mul icen e s udy om 2025, published in En i onmen al Heal h Pe spec i es, e ealed ha placen as om p ema u e
p egnancies con ained up o 2.5 imes mo e mic oplas ics han hose om ull- e m deli e ies, sugges ing a po en ial associa ion
be ween mic oplas ic load and ad e se pe ina al ou comes (Mul icen e S udy, 2025).
These indings ein o ce he hypo hesis o ansplacen al ansloca ion and possible local in lamma o y esponse,
in e e ing wi h ma e nal- e al homeos asis.
2. Cellula and molecula oxici y mechanisms
Among he s udies analyzed, 36 (75%) epo ed oxida i e s ess and in lamma ion as he main mechanisms o oxici y. In
i o assays demons a ed a signi ican inc ease in eac i e oxygen species (ROS), educ ion in in acellula glu a hione, and
ac i a ion o p o-in lamma o y cy okines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β) in endo helial and epi helial cell cul u es exposed o
mic oplas ics (Tyc e al., 2025).
In i o s udies ein o ced hese indings, demons a ing mi ochond ial dys unc ion, al e ed exp ession o an ioxidan genes
(SOD1, GPx1), and o ganelle degene a ion in human placen al and li e samples (Ragusa e al., 2022). The bioaccumula ion o
hese pa icles has been co ela ed wi h size- and concen a ion-dependen cy o oxic e ec s, wi h nanoplas ics (<100 nm) being
po en ially mo e ha m ul due o hei abili y o pene a e cells.
3. Endoc ine and ep oduc i e e ec s
Fou een s udies highligh ed endoc ine e ec s associa ed wi h he p esence o mic oplas ics, pa icula ly ela ed o he
elease o chemical addi i es such as ph hala es, bisphenol A (BPA), and b omina ed lame e a dan s. These compounds ac as
endoc ine dis up o s, in e e ing wi h ho monal signaling and a ec ing gonadal unc ion (Tyc e al., 2025).
The p esence o plas ic pa icles in human and dog es icles, epo ed by Leona d e al. (2024), was co ela ed wi h educed
spe ma ogenesis and inc eased spe m DNA agmen a ion, sugges ing a po en ial impac on male e ili y. Al hough he causal
ela ionship has no ye been p o en, he consis ency be ween human s udies and animal models s eng hens he biological
plausibili y o hese e ec s.
4. In e ac ion wi h gu mic obio a and sys emic me abolism
Ten s udies ha e obse ed ha inges ed mic oplas ics can al e he composi ion o he gu mic obio a, educing bac e ial
di e si y and p omo ing dysbiosis, which, in u n, can inc ease in es inal pe meabili y and allow g ea e abso p ion o pa icles. This
condi ion has been associa ed wi h ac i a ion o he gu -li e axis and sys emic immune esponse, wi h changes in me abolic
pa ame e s such as blood glucose and lipid p o ile (Thompson, 2024; Tyc e al., 2025). In addi ion, inc eases in sys emic
in lamma o y ma ke s and changes in he hepa ic me abolism o xenobio ic s ha e been epo ed, sugges ing ha mic oplas ics ac
as ec o s o chemical pollu an s and may modula e enzyma ic de oxi ica ion pa hways.
5. Iden i ied gaps and me hodological limi a ions
Despi e subs an ial p og ess, he analysis e ealed signi ican me hodological he e ogenei y among he s udies, pa icula ly
ega ding de ec ion echniques, pa icle size s anda diza ion, and quan i ica ion me hods. Only 17 o he 48 a icles (35.4%) epo ed
s ic con ol o en i onmen al con amina ion du ing collec ion and labo a o y analysis.
Quali y assessmen ools (JBI and NOS) indica ed ha 29 s udies (60.4%) had mode a e me hodological quali y, and only
9 (18.7%) achie ed high sco es, mainly among sys ema ic e iews published in jou nals indexed in Web o Science and Scopus.
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6. Summa y o indings
The esul s con e ge on he exis ence o a di ec ela ionship be ween exposu e o mic oplas ics and ad e se cellula
esponses, wi h po en ial implica ions o in lamma o y, endoc ine, and ep oduc i e p ocesses. Howe e , clinical e idence is s ill
incipien , limi ed by small samples and obse a ional designs. The mos ecen e iews (Tyc e al., 2025; Thompson, 2024) highligh
he need o longi udinal coho s udies and s anda diza ion o analy ical me hods o es ablish causali y and dose- esponse, especially
in ulne able popula ions such as p egnan women and newbo ns.
In summa y, he scien i ic li e a u e shows ha mic oplas ics ep esen a new eme ging con aminan wi h po en ial
physiological impac , whose unde s anding s ill equi es u he s udy. The consis ency be ween human and expe imen al s udies
poin s o a global public heal h ale , jus i ying he implemen a ion o policies o mi iga e exposu e and moni o long- e m biological
e ec s.
Figu e 1 shows he dis ibu ion o he main physiological e ec s obse ed in s udies on human exposu e o mic oplas ics,
syn hesized using a box plo g aph. The e ical axis ep esen s he pe cen age o s udies ha epo ed each oxici y mechanism,
while he ho izon al axis g oups he six main ca ego ies iden i ied in he sys ema ic e iew: oxida i e s ess, sys emic in lamma ion,
mi ochond ial dys unc ion, in es inal dysbiosis, endoc ine dys unc ion, and ep oduc i e al e a ion. The box plo allows
isualiza ion o he a ia ion and median equency o each e ec , highligh ing he he e ogenei y among he publica ions analyzed
and he ela i e in ensi y o he mos ecu en mechanisms.
Figu e 1.
Analysis o he g aph shows ha oxida i e s ess and sys emic in lamma ion a e he mos equen ly desc ibed mechanisms,
wi h a median o o e 75% o s udies, indica ing a s ong consensus in he li e a u e on hei cen al ole in mic oplas ic oxici y
(Tyc e al., 2025; Ragusa e al., 2022). Mi ochond ial dys unc ion appea s as a di ec consequence o hese p ocesses, e lec ing he
impai men o cellula ene gy me abolism. In es inal dysbiosis and endoc ine dys unc ion, on he o he hand, ha e in e media e
equencies, anging om 45% o 55%, which sugges s an in luence dependen on he ype o exposu e and he chemical p o ile o
he polyme s in ol ed (Thompson, 2024). Finally, ep oduc i e changes ha e he lowes median (a ound 40%), al hough ecen
s udies (Leona d e al., 2024) show g owing conce n abou he e ec s on male and placen al e ili y. These esul s ein o ce he
hypo hesis ha ch onic exposu e o mic oplas ics can igge mul iple in e connec ed pa hophysiological pa hways, wi h po en ial
sys emic impac and ele an implica ions o global public heal h.
Table 1 p esen s a summa y o he main scien i ic s udies published be ween 2004 and 2025 ha in es iga ed he e ec s
o mic oplas ics on human physiology.
The mos ele an s udies iden i ied in he sys ema ic e iew we e selec ed, including expe imen al and obse a ional
s udies and sys ema ic e iews wi h high me hodological igo . This sys ema iza ion allows us o obse e he ch onological
e olu ion o scien i ic knowledge, om he ini ial desc ip ion o mic oplas ics in ma ine ecosys ems o ecen disco e ies o hei
p esence in human issues and hei possible pa hophysiological epe cussions. The able o ganizes he s udies acco ding o au ho ,
yea , i le, and main indings, p o iding an in eg a ed iew o oxici y mechanisms, exposu e ou es, and po en ial isks o human
heal h.
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Table 1. Main s udies on he physiological e ec s o mic oplas ics in humans (2000–2025)
Au ho /Yea
Ti le o S udy
Main Resul s
Thompson e al. (2004)
Los a Sea: Whe e is All he
Plas ic?
In oduced he e m mic oplas ics and wa ned o
hei ubiqui ous p esence in ma ine ecosys ems,
pa ing he way o s udies on human exposu e.
Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (2019)
Mic oplas ics in D inking-Wa e
Fi s global epo on mic oplas ics in d inking
wa e ; highligh ed gaps in oxicological
knowledge and he need o human moni o ing.
Ragusa e al. (2021)
Plas icen a: Fi s E idence o
Mic oplas ics in Human
Placen a
De ec ed mic oplas ic pa icles in human
placen a samples by Raman mic oscopy,
sugges ing ma e nal- e al ansloca ion and local
in lamma ion.
Leslie e al. (2022)
Disco e y and Quan i ica ion o
Plas ic Pa icle Pollu ion in
Human Blood
Fi s di ec e idence o mic oplas ics in human
blood; iden i ied PET, PE, and PS as
p edominan polyme s and con i med sys emic
abso p ion.
Ragusa e al. (2022)
Cellula Localiza ion and
Ul as uc u al E ec s o
Mic oplas ics in Human
Placen a
Demons a ed in acellula pa icles in
ophoblas s, wi h mi ochond ial damage and
signs o apop osis; sugges ed oxida i e and
in lamma o y dys unc ion.
Leona d e al. (2024)
De ec ion o Mic oplas ics in
Human and Canine Tes icula
Tissue
Iden i ied mic oplas ics in human and canine
es icles; associa ed highe plas ic load wi h
educed spe ma ogenesis and spe m DNA
damage.
Thompson (2024)
Two Decades o Mic oplas ic
Resea ch: F om Ma ine Li e o
Human Heal h
In eg a i e e iew highligh ing he ansi ion
om en i onmen al esea ch o human
bioma ke s and mul isys emic e ec s o ch onic
exposu e.
Tyc e al. (2025)
Endoc ine Dis up ion and
Oxida i e S ess Induced by
Mic oplas ics: A Sys ema ic
Re iew
Sys ema ic e iew ha consolida ed oxici y
mechanisms such as oxida i e s ess,
in lamma ion, endoc ine dys unc ion, and isk o
in e ili y.
Mul icen e S udy (2025)
Mic oplas ic Bu den in P e e m
e sus Te m Placen as:
Compa a i e S udy o Pe ina al
Ou comes
Demons a ed highe concen a ions o
mic oplas ics in placen as om p e e m bi hs;
sugges ed an associa ion wi h in lamma ion and
ad e se p egnancy ou comes.
Sou ce: P epa ed by he au ho s, based on Thompson e al. (2004), WHO (2019, 2022), Ragusa e al. (2021, 2022), Leslie
e al. (2022), Leona d e al. (2024), Thompson (2024), Tyc e al. (2025), and Mul icen e S udy (2025).
Analysis o he s udies lis ed in Table 1 shows he p og essi e and mul idisciplina y p og ess o esea ch on mic oplas ics.
The seminal wo k o Thompson e al. (2004) ma ked he beginning o scien i ic esea ch, limi ed o en i onmen al impac . F om
2019 onwa ds, wi h he Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion epo , he ocus began o include di ec human exposu e. Subsequen ly, Ragusa
e al. (2021, 2022) and Leslie e al. (2022) p o ided unp eceden ed e idence o he p esence o mic oplas ics in human issues, such
as he placen a and blood, con i ming he abili y o hese pa icles o c oss biological ba ie s. Subsequen s udies, such as ha by
Leona d e al. (2024), expanded his unde s anding by inding mic oplas ics in ep oduc i e issues, associa ing hem wi h educed
e ili y. Finally, mo e ecen e iews (Tyc e al., 2025; Thompson, 2024) ha e consolida ed he consensus ha mic oplas ics can
cause oxida i e s ess, in lamma ion, endoc ine and ep oduc i e dys unc ion, posing an eme ging h ea o global public heal h.
Thus, he able demons a es no only he obus ness o he accumula ed e idence, bu also he pe sis en gaps in dose- esponse,
oxicokine ics, and long- e m clinical consequences.
DISCUSSION
The esul s o his sys ema ic e iew show ha human exposu e o mic oplas ics is a global, mul i ac o ial phenomenon o
g owing biomedical ele ance.
The p esence o hese pa icles in human blood, placen a, and ep oduc i e issue samples (Leslie e al., 2022; Ragusa e
al., 2021; Leona d e al., 2024) con i ms hei abili y o c oss biological ba ie s, ansloca e be ween physiological compa men s,
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592Page www.ijhm .com 5 220be No em 11 Issue 4IJHMR, Volume 0
and in e ac di ec ly wi h cells and o ganelles. This cha ac e is ic places mic oplas ics as eme ging con aminan s o high
oxicological conce n, wi h a po en ial impac simila o ha o o he pe sis en pollu an s, such as hea y me als and halogena ed
o ganic compounds.
The li e a u e e iewed indica es ha he mos consis en oxici y mechanisms in ol e oxida i e s ess, sys emic
in lamma ion, and mi ochond ial dys unc ion (Tyc e al., 2025; Ragusa e al., 2022). The inc ease in he p oduc ion o eac i e
oxygen species (ROS) and he educ ion o an ioxidan de enses, such as glu a hione and supe oxide dismu ase, igge a cascade
o oxida i e damage, comp omising he in eg i y o lipids, p o eins, and cellula DNA. In pa allel, he ac i a ion o in lamma o y
pa hways—media ed by cy okines such as IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β—p omo es a ch onic low-g ade in lamma o y s a e associa ed
wi h mul iple me abolic and immunological diso de s.
Ano he ele an inding is he endoc ine and ep oduc i e e ec o mic oplas ics. Recen s udies show ha compounds
eleased by plas ic deg ada ion, such as ph hala es and bisphenol A, ac as ho mone dis up o s, in e e ing wi h es ogen and
and ogen ecep o s, wi h epe cussions on e ili y and e al de elopmen (Leona d e al., 2024; Tyc e al., 2025). These endoc ine
e ec s appea o be syne gis ic wi h in lamma o y and oxida i e p ocesses, esul ing in mul isys emic dys unc ion. The
iden i ica ion o mic oplas ics in human and dog es icles ein o ces he biological plausibili y o his associa ion and aises
hypo heses abou impac s on spe ma ogenesis and male ho monal balance.
The e is g owing conce n abou he in e ac ion be ween mic oplas ics and gu mic obio a. S udies indica e ha inges ion
o hese pa icles al e s bac e ial composi ion, educing di e si y and p omo ing dysbiosis (Thompson, 2024). This in es inal
imbalance can comp omise he epi helial ba ie , inc ease pe meabili y, and acili a e he passage o oxic subs ances in o he
sys emic ci cula ion, pe pe ua ing he in lamma o y cycle. Such changes a e also associa ed wi h me abolic diso de s, such as insulin
esis ance and dyslipidemia, ampli ying he clinical implica ions o he p oblem.
Ges a ional indings dese e special men ion. The 2025 mul icen e s udy demons a ed a highe concen a ion o
mic oplas ics in placen as om p ema u e bi hs, sugges ing a ela ionship be ween mic oplas ic load and ad e se obs e ic
ou comes, such as e al g ow h es ic ion and p e e m bi h. These esul s, al hough p elimina y, indica e ha ma e nal exposu e
may cons i u e an en i onmen al isk ac o o e al de elopmen , equi ing longi udinal in es iga ions and pe ina al su eillance
p o ocols.
Despi e ad ances, his e iew iden i ied ecu ing me hodological limi a ions in he publica ions e alua ed. The absence o
s anda diza ion o de ec ion echniques, he lack o s ic con ol o en i onmen al con amina ion, and he he e ogenei y o he sizes
and polyme s analyzed make i di icul o compa e s udies. In addi ion, ew s udies quan i y in e nal dose o e alua e dose- esponse
ela ionships, which limi s causal in e ence. Thus, al hough he e idence is obus a he expe imen al and obse a ional le els, he e
is a need o long- e m popula ion s udies wi h p ospec i e designs and alida ed analy ical me hods.
F om a public heal h pe spec i e, mic oplas ics ep esen an eme ging challenge ha equi es in eg a ion be ween
en i onmen al su eillance, human biomoni o ing, and pollu ion mi iga ion policies. P e en i e measu es should include educing
he p oduc ion and imp ope disposal o plas ics, as well as implemen ing echnological ba ie s in wa e and ood supply sys ems.
A he clinical le el, he de ec ion o mic oplas ics in human issues jus i ies he de elopmen o bioma ke s o exposu e and e ec ,
which allow ea ly de ec ion o ela ed me abolic and in lamma o y changes.
Finally, he in eg a ed analysis o he s udies indica es ha mic oplas ics should be conside ed agen s o sys emic impac ,
whose oxicodynamics go beyond simple en i onmen al exposu e. The combina ion o small size, chemical pe sis ence, and a ini y
o adso bed oxic compounds makes hese pa icles po en ial ec o s o in e nal pollu ion. Gi en his, i is essen ial o s eng hen
ansla ional esea ch and egula o y policies aimed a unde s anding, p e en ing, and mi iga ing he isks o mic oplas ics o human
heal h.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
This sys ema ic e iew iden i ied and compiled he main scien i ic e idence a ailable on he e ec s o mic oplas ics on
human physiology, highligh ing hei g owing ele ance as an en i onmen al and public heal h issue. The esul s indica e ha hese
pa icles, widely dissemina ed in he en i onmen and in ood, ha e a p o en abili y o pene a e he human body, each di e en
issues, and igge a a ie y o cellula and sys emic esponses.
Among he mos equen ly desc ibed pa hophysiological mechanisms a e oxida i e s ess, low-g ade ch onic
in lamma ion, mi ochond ial dys unc ion, and endoc ine and ep oduc i e e ec s. These p ocesses, al hough mul i ac o ial,
con e ge in o a model o sys emic oxici y, in which mic oplas ics ac no only as physical agen s bu also as ec o s o po en ially
oxic chemical compounds capable o in e e ing wi h human me abolic and ho monal balance.
The indings also show he p esence o mic oplas ics in human biological samples, such as blood, placen a, and
ep oduc i e issues, ein o cing he hypo he y o bioaccumula ion and ansloca ion be ween physiological ba ie s. The de ec ion
o hese pa icles in p egnan women and newbo ns aises conce ns abou long- e m e ec s, especially on e al de elopmen and
he heal h o u u e gene a ions.
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593Page www.ijhm .com 5 220be No em 11 Issue 4IJHMR, Volume 0
Despi e scien i ic ad ances, impo an knowledge gaps emain. The lack o s anda diza ion in de ec ion me hods, he
limi ed numbe o longi udinal s udies, and he sca ci y o esea ch wi h la ge popula ions make i di icul o accu a ely assess
in e nal dose, dose- esponse ela ionship, and long- e m clinical consequences. Thus, he de elopmen o new analy ical
me hodologies, mul icen e s udies, and public policies aimed a educing human exposu e is ecommended.
Mic oplas ics should be ecognized as eme ging con aminan s wi h global impac , wi h he po en ial o comp omise
mul iple physiological sys ems. A ho ough unde s anding o hei e ec s equi es an in e disciplina y app oach, in eg a ing
oxicology, molecula biology, epidemiology, and en i onmen al heal h. I is concluded ha , gi en he g owing e idence and
unce ain ies ha s ill exis , i is u gen o implemen p e en i e s a egies, in e na ional egula ion, and incen i es o ansla ional
esea ch in o de o p o ec human heal h in he ace o his new and silen challenge o he 21s cen u y.
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