The DOI matches its Crossref record; 6 of the 6 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains
Open accessAbstract
Rising global concentrations of environmental microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) drive concerns for human exposure and health outcomes. Complementary methods for the robust detection of tissue MNPs, including pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, confirm the presence of MNPs in human kidney, liver and brain. MNPs in these organs primarily consist of polyethylene, with lesser but significant concentrations of other polymers. Brain tissues harbor higher proportions of polyethylene compared to the composition of the plastics in liver or kidney, and electron microscopy verified the nature of the isolated brain MNPs, which present largely as nanoscale shard-like fragments. Plastic concentrations in these decedent tissues were not influenced by age, sex, race/ethnicity or cause of death; the time of death (2016 versus 2024) was a significant factor, with increasing MNP concentrations over time in both liver and brain samples (P = 0.01). Finally, even greater accumulation of MNPs was observed in a cohort of decedent brains with documented dementia diagnosis, with notable deposition in cerebrovascular walls and immune cells. These results highlight a critical need to better understand the routes of exposure, uptake and clearance pathways and potential health consequences of plastics in human tissues, particularly in the brain.
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Cites
Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.1700782 · Cited by 18,606
Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood
Leslie, H. A., van Velzen, M. J. M., Brandsma, S. H., Vethaak, A. D., Garcia-Vallejo, J. J., & Lamoree, M. H. (2022) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199 · Cited by 3,906 · cited 7×
“…forensic pathologist (D.F.G.) who selected consistent regions pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) has been applied to blood 9 , placentas 10 and recently major blood vessels 3,4 in a manner that appears more cumulative, quantitative and less biased when coupled with…”
InfluentialPlasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta
Ragusa, A., Svelato, A., Santacroce, C., Catalano, P., Notarstefano, V., Carnevali, O., Papa, F., Rongioletti, M. C. A., Baiocco, F., Draghi, S., et al. (2021) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.106274 · Cited by 3,474
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events
Marfella, R., Prattichizzo, F., Sardu, C., Fulgenzi, G., Graciotti, L., Spadoni, T., D’Onofrio, N., Scisciola, L., La Grotta, R., Frigé, C., et al. (2024) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa2309822 · Cited by 1,223
Microplastics detected in cirrhotic liver tissue
Horvatits, T., Tamminga, M., Liu, B., Sebode, M., Carambia, A., Fischer, L., Püschel, K., Huber, S., & Fischer, E. K. (2022) · eBioMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104147 · Cited by 778
Garcia, M. A., Liu, R., Nihart, A., El Hayek, E., Castillo, E., Barrozo, E. R., Suter, M. A., Bleske, B., Scott, J., Forsythe, K., et al. (2024) · Toxicological Sciences · doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfae021 · Cited by 308
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Cited by
Shruti, V. C., & Kutralam-Muniasamy, G. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c05922 · Cited by 16
Pulmonary toxicity of polymethyl methacrylate nanoplastics via intratracheal intubation in mice
Youn, C., Jo, Y.-J., Kwon, J., Yoon, S.-B., You, H.-J., & Kim, J.-S. (2026) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-31615-9 · Cited by 3
Metadata
- Authors
- Nihart, A. J., Garcia, M. A., El Hayek, E., Liu, R., Olewine, M., Kingston, J. D., Castillo, E. F., Gullapalli, R. R., Howard, T., Bleske, B., Scott, J., Gonzalez-Estrella, J., Gross, J. M., Spilde, M., Adolphi, N. L., Gallego, D. F., Jarrell, H. S., Dvorscak, G., Zuluaga-Ruiz, M. E., West, A. B., & Campen, M. J.
- Venue
- Nature Medicine
- Published
- 2025-02-03
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1114-1119
- ISSN
- 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-170X
- OpenAlex
- W4407087473
- Cited by
- 942
- References
- 6
- FWCI
- 207.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
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