Microplastics found in multiple human organ tissues correlate with pathologies

A study led by China’s Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University conducted a metadata survey on the presence of microplastics in humans. They report a worrying relationship between micro- and nanoplastic (MNP) concentrations in injured tissues and associations with multiple health conditions.

Plastic usage has skyrocketed from 1.5 million tons in the 1950s to nearly 390.7 million tons in 2021. With increased use in consumer products, more microscopic plastic pollution circulates in soils and waterways, ultimately accumulating in the environment, food webs, and human tissues.

Consistent methods to accurately identify and quantify MNPs in human tissues are lacking. Reliable data linking MNPs to human disease are needed to assess potential risks and develop mitigation strategies.

The study is titled “Mapping micro(nano)plastics in different organ systems: Emerging relevance to human disease?” In this paper published in TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, researchers collected 61 available research papers on MNP detection in human tissues and 840 papers on MNP toxicological mechanisms.

Data were obtained from spectroscopy, microscopy, and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry studies to identify polymer types in various tissues. Toxicology studies have used cell models and animal experiments to examine oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and related signaling pathways.

Studies have documented particles found in the skin, arteries, veins, blood clots, bone marrow, testicles, semen, uterus, and placenta. MNPs have been found in the digestive system, from saliva to feces, liver, and gallstones.

Within the respiratory system, MNPs were present everywhere, including lung tissue, and fine fibers were common in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and sputum.

A positive correlation was found between particle abundance and certain diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, thrombosis, cervical cancer, and uterine fibroids.

Toxicological testing has shown the potential for oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory responses, and apoptosis of various cell types caused by MNPs, as well as organ-level concerns such as the development of neurodegenerative diseases when crossing the blood-brain barrier. It was shown.

A crucial signal in the metadata that the researchers found was that measured MNP levels tended to be higher in tissue with lesions than in tissues without lesions. These include an inflamed intestine, fibrotic lung, or cancerous growth, suggesting a potential link between MNP accumulation and local pathology. .

Lesions with high concentrations of MNPs pose an interesting “chicken and egg” question.

A quick note from the author: The egg is hundreds of millions of years older than the chicken, so there is an obvious solution to the chicken-and-egg problem. If we narrow the question down to “Which came first, the chicken or the chicken egg?”, we can deduce that the first chicken was born from the egg of its predecessor, which is not a chicken, but as to whether the “chicken egg” belongs to the chicken or not. needs further elaboration. It takes a poultry, a chicken in it, or a chicken to lay it.

In a case of “lesions or microplastics,” MNPs can contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell damage, which can cause or exacerbate tissue lesions. However, these lesions can also lead to the accumulation of more MNPs in already damaged tissue areas. Although the current findings do not indicate a direct causal relationship, they provide a good target for further research.

There are no conventional methods to remove microplastics from the environment or human tissue. While efforts are underway to find ways to mitigate the environment, developing strategies to handle the diverse particle sizes and chemistries of particles embedded in biological tissue remains a potentially unattainable challenge. It poses unfathomable challenges.

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