Tan Y H, Mokhtar N, Raja Ali R A, Gew L T
Sunway University, Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Sir Jeffrey Cheah Sunway Medical School, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Research Management Centre, Management and Science University, Malaysia.
Malays J Pathol. 2025 Aug;47(2):221-231.
Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants with growing concerns about their ingestion through food and water sources. Although animal studies suggest adverse health effects, direct mechanistic evidence in human gastrointestinal (GI) systems remains limited. In vitro models using human GI cell lines and organoids offer a physiologically relevant platform for investigating the effects of MPs and NPs on human health. However, existing findings are fragmented and lack systematic synthesis. This systematic review aims to consolidate and critically analyse current evidence on the biological effects of MPs and NPs in human GI in vitro studies.
Articles were selected from a previously conducted systematic search across Scopus and PubMed databases. Studies excluded from the prior review but relevant to MPs and NPs effects on human GI cells were re-screened under newly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
A total of 30 studies were included. MPs and NPs were shown to induce size- and concentration-dependent biological effects, including increased cellular uptake, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and apoptosis. Smaller particles consistently exhibited greater cellular internalisation and biological effects. These effects mainly occurred at high concentrations. Under chronic exposure, most studies reported minimal or no significant effects except for cell viability.
This review provides the first comprehensive synthesis of in vitro evidence on the biological effects of MPs and NPs in human GI models. It advances mechanistic understanding and outlines future directions to strengthen health risk assessment, inform strategies for disease prevention, and guide public health policies addressing microplastic exposure.
微塑料（MPs）和纳米塑料（NPs）是普遍存在的环境污染物，人们越来越担心通过食物和水源摄入它们。尽管动物研究表明存在不良健康影响，但在人类胃肠道（GI）系统中的直接机制证据仍然有限。使用人类胃肠道细胞系和类器官的体外模型为研究微塑料和纳米塑料对人类健康的影响提供了一个生理相关平台。然而，现有研究结果零散，缺乏系统的综合分析。本系统综述旨在整合并批判性分析当前关于微塑料和纳米塑料在人类胃肠道体外研究中的生物学效应的证据。
文章选自之前在Scopus和PubMed数据库中进行的系统检索。根据新定义的纳入和排除标准，对之前综述中排除但与微塑料和纳米塑料对人类胃肠道细胞影响相关的研究进行重新筛选。
共纳入30项研究。微塑料和纳米塑料被证明可诱导大小和浓度依赖性的生物学效应，包括细胞摄取增加、氧化应激、线粒体功能障碍、炎症和细胞凋亡。较小的颗粒始终表现出更高的细胞内化和生物学效应。这些效应主要在高浓度下发生。在慢性暴露下，除细胞活力外，大多数研究报告的影响最小或无显著影响。
本综述首次全面综合了微塑料和纳米塑料在人类胃肠道模型中的生物学效应的体外证据。它推进了对作用机制的理解，并概述了未来的方向，以加强健康风险评估、为疾病预防策略提供信息，并指导应对微塑料暴露的公共卫生政策。
