Micro-nanoplastic induced cardiovascular disease and dysfunction: a scoping review
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O'Callaghan, Liam A
Blum, Ciara
Horobin, Jarod
Tajouri, Lotti
Olsen, Matthew
Van Der Bruggen, Natalia
McKirdy, Simon
Alghafri, Rashed
Tronstad, Oystein
Suen, Jacky
Fraser, John F
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Abstract
Background: The human bioaccumulation of micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) is increasingly being recognised in the aetiology and pathophysiology of human disease. Objective: This systematic scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive investigation of studies examining the impacts of MNPs on the human cardiovascular system. Methods: Five databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE) were systematically searched. Results: Forty-six articles were identified, 13 of which investigated the presence of MNPs within the human cardiovascular system, including atherosclerotic plaques, saphenous vein tissue, thrombi and venous blood. The effect of MNPs on cell lines suggest MNPs are cytotoxic, immunotoxic, and genotoxic. Significance: The findings of this review, when evaluated together with additional studies utilising animal models, suggest MNPs may contribute to global cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In particular, the ability of MNPs to induce endothelial damage, oxy-LDL formation, foam cell development and apoptosis, as well as to alter the clotting cascade, has potential implications for vascular diseases. In addition, MNPs may play a role in the aetiology and progression of congenital heart abnormalities, infective pathologies and cardiomyopathies. Despite an increasing awareness of the ability for MNPs to result in cardiovascular disease and dysfunction, a limited amount of research has been conducted to date characterising the presence of MNPs in the human cardiovascular system. Reseach is required to understand the extent of this rapidly emerging issue and to develop strategies that will support clinicians to appropriately manage and educate their patients in the future. (Figure presented.)
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Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
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35
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5
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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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Goldsworthy, A; O'Callaghan, LA; Blum, C; Horobin, J; Tajouri, L; Olsen, M; Van Der Bruggen, N; McKirdy, S; Alghafri, R; Tronstad, O; Suen, J; Fraser, JF, Micro-nanoplastic induced cardiovascular disease and dysfunction: a scoping review, Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2025, 35 (5), pp. 746–769