Thin Zar Soe, Chew Jactty, Ong Timothy Yu Yee, Raja Ali Raja Affendi, Gew Lai Ti
Sir Jeffrey Cheah Sunway Medical School, Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, No. 5, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia.
Gut Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, 56000, Malaysia.
BMC Gastroenterol. 2025 Aug 13;25(1):583. doi: 10.1186/s12876-025-04140-2.
Global plastic waste production remains a critical environmental issue. Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles less than 5 mm, are now pervasive across ecosystems. Humans are exposed to MPs via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact raising concerns about their health impacts. This systematic review investigates the influence of MPs on the human gut microbiome, focusing on changes in microbial composition, diversity, and metabolic pathways based on 12 studies identified through Scopus and PubMed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Findings show that exposure to MPs such as polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polylactic acid (PLA), induces gut dysbiosis, marked by a loss of beneficial genera, and enrichment of pathogenic species. MPs also impair short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, alter metabolic functions, and modulate immune pathways, contributing to intestinal diseases, metabolic syndrome, and chronic inflammation. The extent of disruption is influenced by MP-specific properties such as type, size, and concentration. These results suggest that MPs are emerging environmental risk factors with tangible implications for human health. To fully understand the health concerns associated with MPs long-term, human-relevant studies with standardized methodologies are urgently needed to define safe exposure levels and guide policies aimed at reducing MP-related health risks.
全球塑料垃圾产量仍然是一个严峻的环境问题。微塑料(MPs),即小于5毫米的塑料颗粒,如今在整个生态系统中无处不在。人类通过摄入、吸入和皮肤接触接触到微塑料,这引发了人们对其健康影响的担忧。本系统综述基于通过Scopus和PubMed按照系统评价与Meta分析的首选报告项目(PRISMA)指南确定的12项研究,调查了微塑料对人类肠道微生物群的影响,重点关注微生物组成、多样性和代谢途径的变化。研究结果表明,接触聚乙烯(PE)、聚苯乙烯(PS)、聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯(PET)、聚氯乙烯(PVC)和聚乳酸(PLA)等微塑料会导致肠道菌群失调,表现为有益菌属的减少和致病菌种的富集。微塑料还会损害短链脂肪酸(SCFA)的产生,改变代谢功能,并调节免疫途径,从而导致肠道疾病、代谢综合征和慢性炎症。破坏程度受微塑料的特定属性(如类型、大小和浓度)影响。这些结果表明,微塑料正在成为对人类健康有切实影响的环境风险因素。为了全面了解与微塑料相关长期健康问题,迫切需要采用标准化方法进行与人类相关的研究,以确定安全暴露水平并指导旨在降低与微塑料相关健康风险的政策。
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