The Impact of Microplastics on Male Fertility – And Eight Antioxidants That May Support You

⚕️ MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen, diet, or supplement use, especially if you have existing medical conditions or take medications. The information presented here should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Microplastics have been found in our water, our food, and even the air we breathe. Although human studies are limited, studies in animals and cell cultures show the harmful impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on male sex hormones, fertility, and reproductive health. Specifically, microplastics negatively affect male testicles and sperm. 

Studies suggest that microplastics can leave the digestive tract, enter the bloodstream, cause oxidative stress and severe inflammation in male sex organs, and ultimately disrupt balanced hormones. 

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. These same studies also show that there are many natural antioxidants that slow, or even reverse, harm to male fertility. 

In this article, we’ll review a breakdown of the science-backed antioxidants that may alleviate male fertility from microplastic damage. This is our third article on the topic. So, if you want a longer list of antioxidant compounds, check out this article and this article. 

The Role of Antioxidants in Combating Microplastic-Induced Damage to Male Reproductive Wellness

Before diving into specific antioxidants, we should review how microplastics damage male reproductive health. Generally, antioxidants protect testicles and sperm through this pathway:

1. Scavenging reactive oxygen species: Microplastics cause your body to produce defensive compounds called reactive oxygen species. At low levels, they tell your body that you’re hosting an unwelcome guest, and that immune cells should come fight them. At high levels, they cause damage to your own cells, proteins, and DNA. Antioxidants help to prevent harm to your own cells. 
2. Inhibiting inflammation: Once your immune cells respond, they create cytokines, which can destroy unwanted guests. However, as with oxidative stress, if this goes on for too long, it can have negative effects on your own body. Moreover, it takes a lot of energy to maintain an inflammatory state. Antioxidants can calm this inflammation. 
3. Preventing cell death: Overactive states of oxidative stress and inflammation can kill your own cells. Antioxidants also stop the premature death of healthy sperm and testicular cells. 
4. Promoting hormonal balance: Over time, oxidative stress and inflammation prevent testicles from properly producing hormones. So, antioxidants help mitigate these downstream effects. 

In summary, when microplastics enter the bloodstream and relocate to the testicles, they induce oxidative stress and inflammation. This leads to cell death. The combination of dying cells and inflammation leads to reduced or nonoptimal hormone production. By maintaining strong levels of antioxidants, your body lowers the probability of inflammation leading to cell death and disrupted hormones.

Eight Natural Antioxidants For Microplastic-Induced Male Reproductive Damage

• Chlorella: In one animal study, chlorella lowered microplastic-induced reproductive harms via improving sex hormone levels, sperm health, and the structural health of the testicles[1]. Chlorella is a nutrient-packed ocean algae, loaded with proteins, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. It’s commonly sold as a supplement, but is also a key ingredient in Deplasto’s supplement. The next antioxidant is also included in Deplasto. 

• Lycopene: In two animal studies, lycopene was shown to mitigate polystyrene-microplastic-induced reproductive damage by boosting steroid enzymes, preventing premature cell death, and lowering oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers [1,2]. Lycopene is the red carotenoid found in tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruits. Along with offsetting microplastic-induced damage to male reproductive health, lycopene has been well-studied for cardiovascular health. It’s for these reasons that lycopene is a key ingredient in Deplasto’s supplement. 

• Fucoidan: Another ocean-derived antioxidant shown to counteract microplastic-induced oxidative stress, fucoidan comes from an edible seaweed or brown algae. In a study involving rats, fucoidan “protected against testicular damage” caused by polystyrene microplastics[3]. It also increased testosterone levels and antioxidant production, while lowering reactive oxygen species and inflammatory biomarkers. 

• Naringin: A potent bioflavonoid found in citrus fruits, such as grapefruits and oranges, naringin normalizes disrupted testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels, mitigated oxidative stress, and attenuated spikes in inflammatory biomarkers that were caused by microplastics[4]. Grapefruit extract, a key ingredient in Deplasto’s supplement, commonly contains naringin. 

• Rhamnetin: A naturally occurring flavonoid, rhamnetin alleviated the microplastic-induced testicular damage by restoring antioxidant levels, proper hormone production, and sperm quality in a rat study[5]. Rhamnetin is a derivative of quercetin, a common supplement, and can be extracted from plants, most commonly being cloves. 

• Resveratrol: A popular polyphenol found in grapes, red wine, and berries, resveratrol improved hormone production and spermatogenesis and lowered oxidative stress in a rat study[7]. 

• Yishen Tongluo Formula: A common Traditional Chinese Medicine that was shown to repair DNA damage to sperm that was caused by polystyrene microplastics in one study[8]. This formulation contains a number of different, common herbs like Astragalus membranaceus, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Epimedium brevicornu, and Rehmannia glutinosa. 

• Astragalin: Lastly, although not directly shown to reduce testicular or sperm inflammation or damage, astragalin was shown to reduce liver inflammation following microplastic exposure in rats[6]. Astragalin is a flavonoid found in green tea seeds, mulberry leaves, and other plants. 

These are only a handful of the antioxidants, amino acids, prebiotics and probiotics, and other natural extracts that have been studied alongside microplastics. Because research into the biological effects of microplastics is still evolving, it’s impossible to claim that these compounds have legitimate medical effects. Additionally, the impact of microplastics on male fertility is still being studied. 

Significantly more research is needed to demonstrate this, and regulatory authorities must back any claims, none of which are being made here in this article. For more information on microplastics and nanoplastics, you can check out our extensive library of posts, or refer directly to the FDA’s resources, posted here.

The Benefits of the Deplasto Platform

While it’s nearly impossible to completely avoid microplastics, you don’t have to passively accept that your reproductive health may be under attack. There are tons of simple, small actions that you can take to reduce plastic use in your life and, consequently, do your best to avoid microplastics. 

The Deplasto platform, consisting of a scientifically-backed nutritional supplement, an iOS app for tracking daily microplastic intake, and a portfolio of lifestyle recommendations intended to help you minimize microplastics. 

Our nutritional supplement is formulated to support your body’s natural detoxification pathways, including oxidative stress management, cellular repair, and antioxidant support. Our microplastic intake app enables you to estimate and track your daily microplastic intake, with each datapoint backed by scientific studies. Our lifestyle recommendations, found in our blogs and in our eBook, have a plethora of actions and advice designed to help you make small changes to minimize microplastics. 

Overall, we believe that the best way to eliminate microplastics begins with you and the small changes you make to your daily life. Over time, collectively, we can make a significant difference.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before beginning any new supplement regimen, especially if you are actively trying to conceive or manage a health condition. None of the statements in this article have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any products discussed here are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease.

References: 

1. Obukohwo, O.M., Abodunrin, O.A., Ejiro, O.P., Rume, R.A., Edesiri, T.P., 2024. Lycopene supplement mitigates polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs)-induced reproductive alteration in rats via modulation of steroidogenic enzymes, inhibition of apoptosis and oxido-inflammatory reaction. Kuwait J. Sci. 51, 100244. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.kjs.2024.100244.
2. El-Din H. Sayed A, Hamed M and Ismail RF (2022) Natural Antioxidants can Improve Microplastics-Induced Male Reproductive Impairment in the African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus). Front. Environ. Sci. 9:811466. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2021.811466
3. Yi-Yuh Hwang, Sabri Sudirman, En-Yu Wei, Zwe-Ling Kong, Deng-Fwu Hwang. Fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus enhances antioxidant activity and prevents reproductive dysfunction in polystyrene microplastic-induced male rats. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 170, 2024, 115912, ISSN 0753-3322, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115912.
4. Kehinde SA, Fatokun TP, Olajide AT, Praveena SM, Sokan-Adeaga AA, Adekunle AP, Fouad D, Papadakis M. Impact of polyethylene microplastics exposure on kallikrein-3 levels, steroidal-thyroidal hormones, and antioxidant status in murine model: protective potentials of naringin. Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 10;14(1):23664. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74637-5. PMID: 39390134; PMCID: PMC11467413.
5. Hamza, A., et al., 2023. Rhamnetin alleviates polystyrene microplastics-induced testicular damage by restoring biochemical, steroidogenic, hormonal, apoptotic, inflammatory, spermatogenic and histological profile in male albino rats. Hum. Exp. Toxicol. 42, 9603271231173378.
6. Hamza, A., Ijaz, M.U., Ehsan, N., Khan, H.A., lkahtani, S., Atique, U., 2023. Hepatoprotective effects of astragalin against polystyrene microplastics induced hepatic damage in male albino rats by modulating Nrf-2/ Keap-1 pathway. J. Funct. Foods 108, 105771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.105771.
7. Archana D, Supriya C, Girish BP, Kishori B, Reddy PS. Alleviative effect of resveratrol on polyvinyl chloride-induced reproductive toxicity in male Wistar rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 2018 Jun;116(Pt B):173-181. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.04.026. Epub 2018 Apr 11. PMID: 29654847.
8. FDA. “Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 24 July 2024, www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-foods.