ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2023
Melatonin Alleviates Intestinal Barrier Damaging Effects Induced by Polyethylene Microplastics in Albino Rats.
Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Molecular and Cellular Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular, Nervous, Urinary, Digestive, and Reproductive System Diseases: A Global Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Colonic Barrier Dysfunction and Inflammation Induced by Nano-/Micro-Plastics Fibers in Mice via the FAK/NF-κB/iNOS and TLR4/NF-κB/iNOS Pathways.Journal of applied toxicology : JAT · 2026Article
- Microplastics as Vectors Influencing Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Endocrine Function During Early Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Pimenta racemosa extract ameliorates chemically induced ulcerative colitis in rats by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Article
- Nocturnal Melatonin Deficiency in Colorectal Cancer: Independent Predictive Value Beyond Sleep Quality.The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Melatonin Alleviates the Damage of Polystyrene Microplastics to Porcine Oocytes by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Damage, and Regulating Autophagy and Apoptosis Levels.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Micro- and Nanoplastics as Disruptors of the Endocrine System-A Review of the Threats and Consequences Associated with Plastic Exposure.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Novel hypothesis and therapeutic interventions for irritable bowel syndrome: interplay between metal dyshomeostasis, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2025Review
- Reduced Glutathione Promoted Growth Performance by Improving the Jejunal Barrier, Antioxidant Function, and Altering Proteomics of Weaned Piglets.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Green Synthesis of Chitosan/Silver Nanoparticles UsingPharmaceutics · 2024Article
- Sex-Specific Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic and Lead(II) Co-Exposure on the Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolome in C57BL/6 Mice.Metabolites · 2024Article
- The impact of microplastics polystyrene on the microscopic structure of mouse intestine, tight junction genes and gut microbiota.PloS one · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
There have been concerns about the potential health risks posed by microplastics (MP). The detection of MP in a variety of food products revealed that humans are ingesting MP. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data about their impacts, as well as their uptake, on intestinal barrier integrity. This study examined the toxic effects of oral administration of two doses of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MP) (3.75 or 15 mg/kg/day for 5 weeks; mean particle size: 4.0-6.0 µm) on the intestinal barrier integrity in rats. Moreover, the effect of melatonin treatment with MP exposure was also assessed. The PE-MP particle uptake, histopathological changes, Alcian blue staining, Muc2 mRNA, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α), and cleaved caspase-3, as well as tight junction proteins (claudin-1, myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK), occludin, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1)) were assessed. Oral administration of PE-MP resulted in apparent jejunal histopathological alterations; significantly decreased mucin secretion, occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1 expression; and significantly upregulated MLCK mRNA, IL-1β concentration, and cleaved caspase-3 expression. Melatonin reversed these altered parameters and improved the PE-MP-induced histopathological and ultrastructure changes. This study highlighted the PE-MP's toxic effect on intestinal barrier integrity and revealed the protective effect of melatonin.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.