Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier: Effects of SSRIs and HDPE/PP Microplastics as Neurotoxic Drivers of Abnormal Brain Tumor Growth in Xenopus laevis

Hernandez Frias, Darline Krystal

Peacock Scholarship

Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier: Effects of SSRIs and HDPE/PP Microplastics as Neurotoxic Drivers of Abnormal Brain Tumor Growth in Xenopus laevis

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Abstract

The global rise in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use, combined with increasing environmental exposure to micro- and nanoplastics (commonly known as daily use plastics), present a complex and very much underexplored challenge in neurodevelopmental toxicology and in the biology of the brain, leading to malignant and benign brain tumor growth as well as neurodevelopmental concerns (Ferreira et al., 2023). SSRIs such as fluoxetine are commonly prescribed for long-term treatment of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders, and are typically stored in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers with polypropylene (PP) containers and caps (Wang et al., 2025). This creates an alarming co-exposure scenario involving both pharmacological medications and plastic-derived containers in which they are stored and dispensed. Recent studies have demonstrated that microplastics can cross neuro-biological barriers including the blood-brain barrier, and may lead to brain chemical stress (or impairment), neuroinflammation, and endocrine disruption as stated by Huang et al. in an article published in 2025. Meanwhile, SSRIs have been shown to alter neurodevelopmental signaling pathways, mitochondrial function, and cellular metabolism (Liu et al., 2021). Although there are many findings regarding the effects of these medications in brain development, the joint effects of SSRIs and plastic containers are scarcely researched. The literature-review paper aims to investigate the independent and combined effects of SSRIs and HDPE/PP micro and nanoplastics on the early development of the brain when using Xenopus laevis, as a vertebrate model system (Zhang, et al., 2025). In Zhang et al.'s research, behavior and biological ends of the brain were studied, including abnormalities in the structure of the brain, and many other indicators of cellular dysfunction. These results, acquired from Zhang et al.'s reedy project, demonstrates that the the joint and combined exposure of microplastics and nanoplastics, alongside SSRIs pharmaceuticals lead to significant disturbance in the brain biological system of the model. These findings proved and suggested that a combined interaction such as this negatively influenced the neurodevelopment of the model.

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