Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41403441›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in pharmacology2025

Microplastics in focus: a silent disruptor of liver health- a systematic review.

Zahra Beyzaei, Bita Geramizadeh, Zahra Bagheri, Sara Karimzadeh, Ralf Weiskirchen

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Zahra BeyzaeiTransplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Bita GeramizadehDepartment of Pathology, Medical School of Shiraz University, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Zahra BagheriHarvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
Sara KarimzadehShiraz Medical School Library, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Ralf WeiskirchenInstitute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC) RWTH University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are widespread environmental contaminants, yet their impact on human liver health is not fully understood. We conducted a systematic review of 25 experimental, observational, and organoid-based studies published between 2022 and 2025 that investigated the hepatotoxic effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics (PS-MPs/NPs). Following PRISMA guidelines, we screened 770 records from PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. After removing duplicates, conducting dual-stage screening, and assessing quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, 25 studies met our predefined inclusion criteria. Seventeen studies using human liver-derived cell lines consistently reported oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disturbances in lipid-metabolism in a size- and dose-dependent manner, with nanoplastics showing the highest toxicity. Six investigations using pluripotent-stem-cell-derived liver organoids confirmed and expanded upon these findings, demonstrating that both pristine and aged PS-MPs (1-10 µm) disrupt sulfur amino acid and iron homeostasis (e.g., increased serum cysteine, decreased hepatic cysteine, and disturbed homocysteine metabolism), impair mitochondrial bioenergetics, and lead to significant lipid accumulation after exposures lasting up to 500 h. Limited human evidence indicated transplacental transfer of PS-MP associated with elevated fetal liver enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, and γ-glutamyl transferase) in 1,057 pregnancies, and higher microplastic levels were found in cirrhotic livers compared to non-diseased livers, underscoring potential clinical implications. Current findings suggest that exposure to PS-MP/NP disrupts hepatic redox balance, metabolic function, and structural integrity across

Indexed as

hepatotoxicityhuman liver healthliver organoidsmicroplasticspolystyrene

Identifiers

PMID41403441
PMCPMC12703192

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.