MICROPLASTIC-INDUCED ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION: AN AYURVEDIC APPROACH VIA DUSHI VISHA

Abstract

Microplastic have emerged as pervasive environmental contaminants capable of accumulating within biological system and disrupting endocrine homeostasis through oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and alteration in hormonal signaling pathways. Increasing evidence that suggest that chronic exposure to microplastics may contribute to reproductive, metabolic, thyroid and neuroendocrine disorders. However, existing biomedical models primarily focus on isolated molecular mechanism are often fail to explain the cumulative, multisystem, and long-term consequences of chronic low-dose exposure. The present review explores microplastic-induced endocrine toxicity through Ayurvedic concept of Dushi Visha, a latent and persistent toxic state characterized by chronic retention of toxic substances, progressive tissue involvement, and delayed disease manifestation. Classical description of Dushi Visha was critically analysed and correlated with contemporary evidence regarding microplastic bioaccumulation, endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, inflammation, and physiological dysregulation. The review proposes a novel conceptual framework termed Endocrine Dushi Visha Syndrome (EDVS), wherein chronic exposure to bio-persistent environmental toxicants leads to Agni impairment, Srotovaigunya, Dhatu Dushti, endocrine axis dysregulation, and progressive depletion of Ojas. Furthermore, the concept of “Toxic Biological Memory” is introduced to explain how prolonged environmental exposure may induce persistent physiological alteration long before overt disease becomes clinically apparent. The proposed model integrates Ayurvedic toxicology with modern environmental health sciences and offers a system-based perspective for understanding the chronic and potentially transgenerational effects of microplastic exposure. Although conceptual in nature, this framework generates testable hypotheses for future interdisciplinary research and highlights the potential role of Environmental Ayurvedic Toxicology as an emerging field of scientific inquiry.