REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Bone Research
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1658056
Potential Threats of Environmental Microplastics to the Skeletal System: Current Insights and Future Directions
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Orthopedics,, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
- 2Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
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Micro-and nanoplastics (MNPs) , as emerging environmental pollutants, have attracted global attention due to their pervasive presence in ecosystems and human living environments. Plastic additives confer high durability, and MNPs derived from environmental degradation can enter the human body via inhalation or ingestion. Smaller particles are capable of penetrating biological barriers and accumulating in various tissues. Recent studies have revealed that beyond their known accumulation in the digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems, MNPs may also reach the bone microenvironment via systemic circulation. The bone microenvironment, composed of diverse cell types and extracellular matrix components, is essential for maintaining bone formation, remodeling, and immune regulation. Emerging evidence indicates that MNPs can infiltrate the bone marrow, disrupt its homeostasis, and accumulate within the musculoskeletal system, potentially impairing bone metabolism and function. This review summarizes the sources and metabolic pathways of MNPs and elucidates their impact on the bone microenvironment, with a focus on mechanisms involving chemical toxicity, inflammation, and metabolic dysregulation. The findings provide a theoretical foundation and research direction for evaluating the risks of MNPs exposure to skeletal health.
Keywords: Microplastics, nanoplastics, Bone microenvironment, osteoblast, osteoclast, environmental toxicology
Received: 03 Jul 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Mu, Wang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Wei-zhou Wang, Department of Orthopedics,, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
Xi Li, Department of Orthopedics,, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.