International Journal of Environmental Medicine

Microalgal fucoxanthin is a marine xanthophyll relevant to environmental medicine because it links sustainable resource recovery with prevention-oriented research on environmentally driven metabolic disorders. Methods: This critical narrative review synthesizes recent peer-reviewed studies, related reviews, and regulatory documents on fucoxanthin chemistry, microalgal sources, cultivation, downstream processing, bioavailability enhancement, safety, and translational evidence. Findings: Diatoms and haptophytes, including Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Tisochrysis lutea, Isochrysis galbana, Nitzschia laevis, Cyclotella meneghiniana, and Conticribra weissflogii, are candidate production platforms, while Poterioochromonas malhamensis currently lacks the safety and regulatory evidence required for food use. Evidence for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), obesity, diabetes, inflammation, lipid metabolism, microbiota modulation, and chemoprevention remains predominantly preclinical or is derived from macroalgal or combined marine formulations. No randomized clinical trial evaluating a standardized microalgal fucoxanthin formulation with pharmacokinetic characterization was identified in the literature reviewed. Wastewater-derived biomass faces a strict regulatory barrier to oral human use and is currently best suited to environmental and agricultural applications unless contaminant clearance and product-specific safety are demonstrated. Conclusions: Bioavailability is constrained by instability, poor aqueous dispersibility, intestinal de-esterification to fucoxanthinol, and hepatic oxidation to amarouciaxanthin A, but encapsulation and lipid-matrix systems are promising. Translation requires authenticated strains, human-grade cultivation, validated processing, product-specific toxicology, regulatory dossiers, and controlled clinical studies.

Global plastic production has increased exponentially over the past decades. Because of its widespread use and inadequate waste management, plastic pollution has also risen dramatically, becoming a major environmental health concern. Among the resulting contaminants are micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs), which are primarily generated through the fragmentation of larger plastic debris and have been associated with alterations in reproductive outcomes in model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the available evidence regarding the effects of MNPs on fertility- and fecundity-related endpoints in D. melanogaster. The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. A total of 37 records were identified, of which 11 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The available evidence suggests that MNP exposure may alter reproductive outcomes in D. melanogaster, although the evidence remains limited and heterogeneous across polymer types, particle characteristics, exposure conditions, and reproductive endpoints. Reported effects included alterations in fertility and fecundity, as well as changes in gonadal morphology, oxidative stress, mitochondria-related processes, and the expression of genes and signaling pathways associated with reproduction and development. These findings highlight several biological processes that may contribute to MNP-associated reproductive effects, while further studies are needed to clarify their relative contribution and establish causal mechanisms.

Aims: To culturally adapt the Knowing Your Limits with Cannabis for Brazil guide using the Ecological Validity Model (EVM) and an anti-racist framework responsive to prohibitionist environments. Design: Qualitative cultural adaptation study guided by the EVM, combining desk review, translation, development of an initial adaptation hypothesis and iterative participatory consultation. Setting: Two participant groups in the Baixada Santista region, Brazil: one community harm-reduction group and one university student group, both situated in a national context marked by cannabis criminalisation, racialised law enforcement and unequal exposure to institutional harm. Participants: Two participatory consultation groups were included: Group A, with 38 participants linked to a community harm-reduction collective, and Group B, with 9 university students who use cannabis. The groups had heterogeneous racial and gender composition and included people in socially vulnerable conditions. Measurements: Field diaries, session notes, participant contributions, and editorial records were analysed deductively across EVM dimensions, followed by synthesis into cross-cutting themes for adaptation. Anti-racism functioned as an interpretive criterion for examining stigma, epistemic erasure, institutional iatrogenesis, and racialised social harm during adaptation decisions and thematic synthesis. Findings: Analysis generated eight cross-cutting themes concerning risk, technicism, pretuguês, lexical choices, metaphors, speaker position, territorial safety, and contextual interpretation of CUDIT-R scores. Participants’ contributions indicated perceived gains in intelligibility and contextual relevance of the guide while emphasising integration of pharmacological guidance with harms produced through criminalisation in Brazil. Conclusions: In this study, anti-racist cultural adaptation required making social harm explicit and revising language, metaphors, and contextual assumptions within Brazilian harm-reduction guidance materials. These findings suggest that culturally adapting materials may more accurately reflect the unique context of prohibitionist and racialised environments, while their effects on equity and harm reduction require evaluation.