Nanoplastic-driven white pollution: Biochemical insights into ecosystem and human health impacts - a critical-interpretative narrative review

Plastic production has become a global challenge, and its accelerated growth and widespread waste release justify the characterization of the current era as the "Age of Plastic". The concern is how additives or plastic degradation can impact different ecosystems and human health. Microplastics and certain plastic additives (e.g., phthalates) are already well-established in the literature as endocrine disruptors, posing a risk to human health. However, little is known about these issues regarding Nanoplastics (NPs). Therefore, this narrative review aimed to examine the potential biochemical disruptions induced by NPs across multiple organs and biological systems, while also considering their ecological, ecosystem-level, and human health risks. The NPs affect mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in experimental models and across various organs, affecting lipid, energy, and amino acid metabolism. In the environmental context, NPs can interfere with xylem/phloem transport, root absorptive function, and photosynthesis in both terrestrial and aquatic models. This raises concerns not only at the ecological levels, but also for production and the economy, with potential risks to human health through food. This review strengthens the understanding of environmental toxicology and the imminent risks of NPs on various ecosystems, highlighting the disruptions of these nanomolecules, whether isolated or adsorbed, to important catalytic pathways and metabolic pathways in an organ-wide manner.