The Threat of Microplastics on Male Fertility – And Natural Antioxidants to Help Fight Back

⚕️ 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 are in our water, our food, and even the air we breathe. Although the evidence is still evolving, many scientific studies demonstrate the severe impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on male reproductive health. 

Numerous studies show that microplastics escape the gut into the bloodstream, cause oxidative stress and severe inflammation in the testicles, and disrupt hormone levels. These effects lead to damaged sperm and hormone production. 

Despite these findings, there are also many studies highlighting natural compounds, including antioxidants, that mitigate, or even reverse, the male reproductive harms caused by microplastics.

In this article, we’ll review a breakdown of the science-backed antioxidants that may alleviate male fertility from microplastic damage. This is our first article in a three-part series. You can read the second article and the third article, which each contain other antioxidants. 

How do Antioxidants Guard Men’s Reproductive Health From Microplastics? 

Before we discuss which antioxidants protect the sperm and testes from microplastic-induced damage, we need to understand how microplastics harm male reproductive health. Generally speaking, antioxidants protect testicles and sperm by:

1. Scavenging reactive oxygen species: Antioxidants neutralize the oxidative stress caused by your body’s immune reaction to microplastics
2. Inhibiting inflammation: Your body’s immune cells try and destroy the microplastics, and antioxidants help relax them 
3. Preventing cell death: Antioxidants also stop the premature death of healthy sperm and testicular cells
4. Promoting hormonal balance: Inflammation prevents testicles from properly producing hormones, so lowering inflammation mitigates this effect

So, when microplastics enter the bloodstream and travel to the testicles, they induce oxidative stress and inflammation, which leads to cell death. The combination of dying cells and inflammation leads to reduced or non-optimal hormone production, such as lowered testosterone. By using antioxidants, your body lowers the probability of inflammation leading to cell death and disrupted hormones. 

Seven Natural Antioxidants Against Microplastic-Induced Male Reproductive Damage

There are so many ways to fortify your reproductive health against environmental toxins. Plant-based compounds are easily accessible via supplementation and food commonly found at your grocery store. Published literature highlights these natural compounds:

• Astilbin: In one study, microplastics caused structural damage to testicles and decreased sperm quality. Astilbin improved sperm quality and testicle health by scavenging the reactive oxygen species and inhibiting inflammatory biomarkers like TNF-α and IL-6[1]. Astilbin is found in plants, including Smilax glabra, otherwise known as Sarsaparilla (or “sasparilla”). Outside of this, while commonly used in research, Astilbin is not commonly sold as a nutritional supplement. Because of this, drinking sarsaparilla is likely your best bet. 

• Ginkgetin: This flavonoid offset the microplastic-induced testicular toxicity by reducing biomarkers associated with oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, and cell death via apoptosis. At the same time, Ginkgetin increased antioxidant production, making it a powerful tool for fighting microplastics[2]. Ginkgetin comes from the Ginkgo biloba tree and is commonly sold as a nutritional supplement. 

• Kaempferide: A study in male rats showed that administering kaempferide significantly mitigated the reproductive toxicity of microplastics by restoring antioxidant production that had been greatly reduced. Restoring antioxidant production decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptotic biomarkers in these rats[3]. Kaempferide is commonly found in Kaempferia galanga (aromatic ginger) and marigolds, but isn’t available as a nutritional supplement. 

• Anthocyanins (e.g., Cyanindin-3-glucoside or “C3G”): Anathocyanins affect steroid receptors and have been shown to safeguard against microplastic-induced damage to the testis and sperm. C3G supplementation improved sperm count, testis weight, and spermatogenesis by reducing inflammation and protecting the blood-testis barrier in animal studies[4,5]. Anthocyanins are the pigmented compounds that define the brilliant shades of black, blue, and purple fruits and vegetables. Consuming more anthocyanin-rich fruits and vegetables may help to offset microplastic-induced harm to men’s testicles and sperm. 

• Curcumin: Curcumin, the primary bioactive compound in turmeric, has been shown to alleviate microplastic-induced testicular damage and reduced sperm count and sperm motility by restoring antioxidant enzyme activity. In addition, it suppressed inflammatory biomarkers and cell-death biomarkers. The same study showed that nano-curcumin, a more potent formulation, had even stronger effects [6]. 

• Lycopene: Lycopene supplementation was shown to mitigate polystyrene-microplastic-induced reproductive damage by improving steroid enzymes, inhibiting cell death, and reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in rat and fish studies [7,8]. Lycopene is the red carotenoid in tomatoes, watermelon, and grapefruits that gives them their rich colors. In addition to offsetting microplastic-induced damage to male reproductive health, lycopene has been shown to support cardiovascular health. It’s for these reasons that lycopene is an active ingredient in Deplasto’s supplement.

• Chlorella: Chlorella was shown to ameliorate microplastic-induced reproductive harms by improving sex hormones levels, sperm health, and histological configuration of the testicles in animal studies[8]. In this study, chlorella was more effective at doing so than Vitamin C. Chlorella is a nutrient dense algae, packed with proteins, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. It’s commonly sold as a supplement, but is also included in Deplasto’s supplement alongside lycopene and other science-backed ingredients. 

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. 

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.

References: 

1. Wang Z, Wang Y, Zhang J, Feng G, Miao S, Lu R, Tian X, Ye Y. Antioxidant Intervention Against Microplastic Hazards. Antioxidants. 2025; 14(7):797. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14070797
2. Akbar A., Ijaz M.U. Pharmacotherapeutic Potential of Ginkgetin against Polystyrene Microplastics–Instigated Testicular Toxicity in Rats: A Biochemical, Spermatological, and Histopathological Assessment. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2024;31:9031–9044. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-31662-7.
3. Ijaz, M.U.; Rafi, Z.; Hamza, A.; Sayed, A.A.; Albadrani, G.M.; Al-Ghadi, M.Q.; Abdel-Daim, M.M. Mitigative Potential of Kaempferide against Polyethylene Microplastics Induced Testicular Damage by Activating Nrf-2/Keap-1 Pathway. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 2024, 269, 115746
4. Chen W., Chu Q., Ye X., et al. Canidin-3-glucoside prevents nano-plastics induced toxicity via activating autophagy and promoting discharge. Environ. Pollut. 2021;274 doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116524
5. Chen W., Zhu R., Ye X., et al. Food-derived cyanidin-3-O-glucoside reverses microplastic toxicity via promoting discharge and modulating the gut microbiota in mice. Food Funct. 2022;13:1447–1458. doi: 10.1039/d1fo02983e.
6. Shi, Y.; Su, Z.; Zhu, S.; Zhao, X.; Zhou, J.; Wang, P.; Xia, H.; Tong, X.; Lv, F.; Gu, J. Curcumin Mitigates Microplastic-Induced Damage in Livestock and Poultry: Mechanistic Insights and Strategies for Sustainable Farming. Vet. Sci. 2025, 12, 1043. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12111043
7. 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.
8. 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
9. 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.