In a recent study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers investigated the impact of microplastics on blood flow and neurobehavioral functions in mice. Using advanced imaging techniques, they observed that microplastics obstruct cerebral blood vessels by causing individual immune cells to become trapped in capillaries. The findings revealed a novel mechanism through which microplastics indirectly disrupt vascular and neurological functions without crossing the blood-brain barrier.
Microplastics and human health
Microplastics originate from plastic degradation and are being recognized as environmental pollutants with potential health risks to humans and ecosystems. These particles can enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, or medical devices. Research shows that microplastics can cross biological barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier, and interact with various physiological systems, including the immune and cardiovascular systems.
While nanoscale plastics have been linked to neurological disorders (e.g., exacerbating α-synuclein pathology associated with Parkinson’s disease) and inflammation, the impact of micron-sized microplastics remains unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that microplastics can induce immune responses, alter cellular functions, and affect blood perfusion, potentially leading to organ dysfunction. However, the specific mechanisms of microplastic-induced vascular or neurological disruptions, particularly in vivo, are poorly understood.
About the study
The present study employed various in vivo and ex vivo methods to investigate how microplastics affect blood flow and neurobehavioral functions in mice. Eight-week-old male mice were housed under controlled conditions and used as the study model. The researchers intravenously injected fluorescently labeled polystyrene microplastics of three sizes — 5 µm (micron-sized), 2 µm, and 80 nm (nanoscale) — into mice at concentrations designed to mimic human exposure levels.
The study used advanced imaging techniques, including laser speckle contrast imaging and miniature two-photon microscopy, to visualize the microplastics within cerebral blood vessels. These methods provided high-resolution, real-time tracking of microplastic movements and vascular interactions.
Blood samples were also collected for flow cytometry analysis to identify the immune cells responsible for microplastic uptake and obstruction. Specifically, the cells labeled with fluorescent microplastics were sorted and characterized to understand the role of immune cells, such as neutrophils and macrophages, in the phagocytosis of microplastics. Phagocytosis altered immune cell morphology, increasing their size (forward scatter) and reducing granularity (side scatter), which contributed to vascular blockages.
Additionally, behavioral experiments, including open-field, Y-maze, rotarod, and rod-hanging tests, were conducted to evaluate the neurobehavioral effects of microplastics in mice. These tests assessed exploratory behavior, memory, motor coordination, and endurance after microplastic exposure.
Laser speckle imaging was also performed to measure cerebral blood perfusion at various time points post-injection to determine how microplastics affected vascular flow. The combination of imaging, behavioral, and cellular analyses provided a comprehensive understanding of how microplastics interact with the vascular and neurological systems.
Key findings
The study found that microplastics disrupt vascular and neurobehavioral functions by causing immune cells that ingested them to become mechanically trapped in narrow cerebral vessels. The researchers observed individual immune cells (termed MPL-Cells) laden with microplastics obstructing blood flow, particularly in capillaries.
These obstructions reduced cerebral blood perfusion within 30 minutes, with the most significant effects in smaller vessels. Unlike classical blood clots, these blockages stemmed from physical cell entrapment rather than platelet activation or clotting cascades.
The behavioral experiments demonstrated that mice exposed to microplastics exhibited decreased locomotion, impaired memory, and reduced motor coordination. Open-field and Y-maze tests showed significant reductions in movement speed and spatial memory, while rotarod and rod-hanging tests indicated decreased motor skills and endurance. Although neurobehavioral impairments resolved within four weeks, some vascular obstructions persisted at lower densities.
Further analysis indicated that larger microplastics (5 µm) caused prolonged obstructions, while smaller particles (2 µm and 80 nm) were cleared faster. The results from flow cytometry revealed that phagocytosis of microplastics altered immune cells’ morphology and adhesive properties, contributing to vascular blockages. These findings suggested that microplastics’ size, concentration, and interactions with immune cells are critical factors in their impact on vascular and neurological health.
The study emphasized the potential health risks of microplastics, particularly their ability to obstruct blood vessels and disrupt brain function. However, the authors cautioned that translating these findings to humans requires further research due to differences in vascular size and physiology between mice and humans.
Conclusions
To summarize, the findings revealed the mechanisms through which microplastics obstruct blood flow and impair neurobehavioral functions via immune cell entrapment in cerebral vessels. Factors such as particle size were also found to influence these effects, with smaller microplastics causing less obstruction.
While the neurobehavioral impairments due to microplastics in mice were largely reversible, residual vascular obstructions persisted even after behavioral recovery. The findings emphasized the need for further research on the long-term health risks posed by microplastics, particularly in individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions or narrowed blood vessels.
- Huang, H., Hou, J., Li, M., Wei, F., Liao, Y., & Xi, B. (2025). Microplastics in the bloodstream can induce cerebral thrombosis by causing cell obstruction and lead to neurobehavioral abnormalities. Science Advances, 11(4), eadr8243. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adr8243, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr8243

News
The CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations
This story was originally published on ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. ProPublica — Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [...]
Light-Driven Plasmonic Microrobots for Nanoparticle Manipulation
A recent study published in Nature Communications presents a new microrobotic platform designed to improve the precision and versatility of nanoparticle manipulation using light. Led by Jin Qin and colleagues, the research addresses limitations in traditional [...]
Cancer’s “Master Switch” Blocked for Good in Landmark Study
Researchers discovered peptides that permanently block a key cancer protein once thought untreatable, using a new screening method to test their effectiveness inside cells. For the first time, scientists have identified promising drug candidates [...]
AI self-cloning claims: A new frontier or a looming threat?
Chinese scientists claim that some AI models can replicate themselves and protect against shutdown. Has artificial intelligence crossed the so-called red line? Chinese researchers have published two reports on arXiv claiming that some artificial [...]
New Drug Turns Human Blood Into Mosquito-Killing Weapon
Nitisinone, a drug for rare diseases, kills mosquitoes when present in human blood and may become a new tool to fight malaria, offering longer-lasting, environmentally safer effects than ivermectin. Controlling mosquito populations is a [...]
DNA Microscopy Creates 3D Maps of Life From the Inside Out
What if you could take a picture of every gene inside a living organism—not with light, but with DNA itself? Scientists at the University of Chicago have pioneered a revolutionary imaging technique called volumetric DNA microscopy. It builds [...]
Scientists Just Captured the Stunning Process That Shapes Chromosomes
Scientists at EMBL have captured how human chromosomes fold into their signature rod shape during cell division, using a groundbreaking method called LoopTrace. By observing overlapping DNA loops forming in high resolution, they revealed that large [...]
Bird Flu Virus Is Mutating Fast – Scientists Say Our Vaccines May Not Be Enough
H5N1 influenza is evolving rapidly, weakening the effectiveness of existing antibodies and increasing its potential threat to humans. Scientists at UNC Charlotte and MIT used high-performance computational modeling to analyze thousands of viral protein-antibody interactions, revealing [...]
Revolutionary Cancer Vaccine Targets All Solid Tumors
The method triggers immune responses that inhibit melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, lung carcinoma, and ovarian cancer. Cancer treatment vaccines have been in development since 2010, when the first was approved for prostate cancer, followed [...]
Scientists Uncover Hidden Protein Driving Autoimmune Attacks
Scientists have uncovered a critical piece of the puzzle in autoimmune diseases: a protein that helps release immune response molecules. By studying an ultra-rare condition, researchers identified ArfGAP2 as a key player in immune [...]
Mediterranean neutrino observatory sets new limits on quantum gravity
Quantum gravity is the missing link between general relativity and quantum mechanics, the yet-to-be-discovered key to a unified theory capable of explaining both the infinitely large and the infinitely small. The solution to this [...]
Challenging Previous Beliefs: Japanese Scientists Discover Hidden Protector of Heart
A Japanese research team found that the oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG) may protect heart tissue by modifying a key protein, potentially offering a novel therapeutic approach for ischemic heart failure. A new study [...]
Millions May Have Long COVID – So Why Can’t They Get Diagnosed?
Millions of people in England may be living with Long Covid without even realizing it. A large-scale analysis found that nearly 10% suspect they might have the condition but remain uncertain, often due to [...]
Researchers Reveal What Happens to Your Brain When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep
What if poor sleep was doing more than just making you tired? Researchers have discovered that disrupted sleep in older adults interferes with the brain’s ability to clean out waste, leading to memory problems [...]
How to prevent chronic inflammation from zombie-like cells that accumulate with age
In humans and other multicellular organisms, cells multiply. This defining feature allows embryos to grow into adulthood, and enables the healing of the many bumps, bruises and scrapes along the way. Certain factors can [...]
Breakthrough for long Covid patients who lost sense of smell
A breakthrough nasal surgery has restored the sense of smell for a dozen long Covid patients. Experts at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust successfully employed a technique typically used for correcting blocked nasal passages, [...]