Micro/nanoplastic-driven cardiovascular senescence and multi-target intervention by traditional Chinese medicine

Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs), pervasive environmental pollutants, accumulate in cardiovascular tissues and drive premature aging through multiscale pathophysiological cascades. This review synthesizes evidence establishing environmental phenotypic aging as a novel mechanistic link between MNP exposure and cardiovascular senescence. MNPs induce mitochondrial damage involving cristae disruption and mtDNA leakage activating cGAS-STING, epigenetic reprogramming encompassing METTL3-mediated m6A hypermethylation and SIRT1/3 suppression, telomere attrition, and NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent inflammaging. It is crucial to note that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been identified as an effective countermeasure. The multi-compound therapeutics of TCM simultaneously target oxidative stress, inflammatory fibrosis, and cell death pathways, thereby restoring cardiovascular homeostasis. By combining environmental toxicology and geroprotection research, this work establishes TCM's holistic approach as a paradigm-shifting intervention against the cardiovascular aging caused by plastic pollution, providing practical strategies to address a mounting public health crisis.