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  • Perspective
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Microplastics, nanoplastics and liver disease: an emerging health concern?

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Human liver tissue has been found to contain microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs), with evidence that hepatic MNP accumulation has markedly increased over the past 10 years, prompting critical questions regarding their potential causal role in liver disease. In cell-based and murine models, MNP exposure can trigger oxidative stress, fibrogenesis and inflammation, pathological features that resemble those of advanced liver disease, suggesting shared mechanistic pathways. Furthermore, the capacity for MNPs to act as vectors for microbial pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and carcinogenic additives might have important implications for liver pathology. This Perspective examines emerging evidence on the consequences of MNPs for liver health and disease, introducing the concept of plastic-induced liver injury. By highlighting critical methodological bottlenecks, key knowledge gaps and unmet research priorities, it lays out a road map for the emerging field of environmental hepatology.

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Fig. 1: Microplastics and nanoplastics and the liver and the emergence of environmental hepatology.
Fig. 2: Human tissue bioaccumulation: consequences of a plastic diet.
Fig. 3: Emerging molecular and cellular pathways linking microplastics and nanoplastics to plastic-induced liver injury.
Fig. 4: Interdisciplinary framework for liver-focused microplastic and nanoplastic research.

Data availability

Liver mortality data in Fig. 1a were obtained from Our World in Data218 and global plastic waste data from Plastics Europe219; the full dataset is available online as Supplementary Table 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Environmental Hepatology, Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

    Shilpa Chokshi, Ashwin Dhanda & Matthew E. Cramp

  2. South West Liver Unit, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth, UK

    Ashwin Dhanda & Matthew E. Cramp

  3. School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

    Richard Thompson

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All authors contributed substantially to the content. S.C. developed central concepts, led the writing and created figures. A.D. contributed to the writing of sections and to figure development. M.E.C. and R.T. contributed to the writing of sections. All authors reviewed/edited the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Shilpa Chokshi.

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R.T. is an unremunerated co-coordinator of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology thanks Luc van de Laan, who co-reviewed with Xincheng Li; Ramon Bataller; and Matthew Campen for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Chokshi, S., Dhanda, A., Cramp, M.E. et al. Microplastics, nanoplastics and liver disease: an emerging health concern?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-026-01188-7

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