Wang YF, Wang XY, Chen BJ, Yang YP, Li H, Wang F. Impact of microplastics on the human digestive system: From basic to clinical. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(4): 100470 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i4.100470]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Fan Wang, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China. wangfan1965@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 28, 2025; 31(4): 100470 Published online Jan 28, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i4.100470
Impact of microplastics on the human digestive system: From basic to clinical
Ya-Fen Wang, Xin-Yi Wang, Bang-Jie Chen, Yi-Pin Yang, Hao Li, Fan Wang
Ya-Fen Wang, Xin-Yi Wang, Fan Wang, Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China
Bang-Jie Chen, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China
Yi-Pin Yang, First Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230000, Anhui Province, China
Hao Li, Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China
Co-first authors: Ya-Fen Wang and Xin-Yi Wang.
Co-corresponding authors: Bang-Jie Chen and Fan Wang.
Author contributions: Wang YF, Wang XY, Wang F, and Chen BJ designed the study and wrote the actual manuscript; Yang YP and Li H were responsible for preparing the figures; Wang F and Chen BJ revised and polished the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Wang YF and Wang XY jointly took charge of design of the study and co-authored the initial draft of the manuscript, they made equal and significant contributions to the successful completion of the project, thus being recognized as co-first authors. Both Wang F and Chen BJ have played important and indispensable roles in the design of the research and manuscript polishing as the co-corresponding authors. Wang F conceptualized, designed, supervised the whole process of the research, and was responsible for submission of the current version of the manuscript. Chen BJ was responsible for figure re-plotting, comprehensive literature search, and preparation of the current version of the manuscript. This collaboration between Wang F and Chen BJ is crucial for the publication of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Fan Wang, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China. wangfan1965@126.com
Received: August 17, 2024 Revised: October 8, 2024 Accepted: December 3, 2024 Published online: January 28, 2025 Processing time: 134 Days and 21.6 Hours
Abstract
As a new type of pollutant, the harm caused by microplastics (MPs) to organisms has been the research focus. Recently, the proportion of MPs ingested through the digestive tract has gradually increased with the popularity of fast-food products, such as takeout. The damage to the digestive system has attracted increasing attention. We reviewed the literature regarding toxicity of MPs and observed that they have different effects on multiple organs of the digestive system. The mechanism may be related to the toxic effects of MPs themselves, interactions with various substances in the biological body, and participation in various signaling pathways to induce adverse reactions as a carrier of toxins to increase the time and amount of body absorption. Based on the toxicity mechanism of MPs, we propose specific suggestions to provide a theoretical reference for the government and relevant departments.
Core Tip: This paper is a review of the damage caused by microplastics (MPs) to human digestive system organs and the related mechanisms. As an emerging pollutant, MPs have caused irreversible damage to the environment and human body. This paper analyzes and summarizes the mechanism of action of MPs on human digestive organs, and puts forward suggestions for relevant departments to reduce MPs pollution.
