Aug 06, 2023 20:00:00

Finally, the danger of microplastics is revealed, experimental results that inflammation that causes serious damage to the human intestine occurs

Microplastics, which are finely crushed plastic particles, have been found in various parts of the body, such as

blood , lungs , and placenta . Experiments using intestinal organoids , which are mini-organs made from human cells, have shown that microplastics have an inflammatory effect on the intestine.

Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells - ScienceDirect
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2023.102680

What Microplastics Might Be Doing to Our Intestines | Tufts Now
https://now.tufts.edu/2023/06/09/what-microplastics-might-be-doing-our-intestines

Microplastics May Pose a Serious Danger to The Intestine : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/microplastics-may-pose-a-serious-danger-to-the-intestine

Microplastics exist everywhere from urban air and sea to polar ice fields, and people inhale and swallow microplastics every day. In order to investigate the effects of this microplastic on the human body, the research team of Mr. Ying Chen et al. I was.

The research team first differentiated stem cells taken from different organoids into various cells of the intestinal wall, recapitulating the complex functions of the intestine, such as nutrient absorption, mucus secretion, hormone production, and inflammatory response. I created a model.

Because many of the organ models used in these experiments are single clumps of cells that may not show a natural response or are made from cancer cells, Chen said, It's progress.'

After exposing the intestinal tract model to plastic particles

of multiple sizes, they found that the smallest nanoplastic particles were taken up by the epithelial cells lining the intestinal lining, and that the larger particles formed microfolds associated with intestinal immune responses. It was found that it is taken up by cells (M cells) and invades the intestinal tissue.

Below is a picture showing the state of the experiment, in which the microplastic particles are colored yellow, the M cells are purple, and the cell nuclei of intestinal cells are blue.

Experiments have determined that the intestinal model was damaged only when microfolded cells were present and the concentration of small plastic particles was high. It suggests the possibility of contributing to

Furthermore, we found that organoids released

pro-inflammatory cytokines at higher concentrations of nanoplastics. Cytokine release itself is a normal immune response, but if some kind of imbalance disrupts its normal function, it can lead to diseases such as inflammatory diseases (IBD) .

Co-author David Kaplan of Tufts University said: 'The results of this study suggest that using human cell organoids can better characterize the potential toxicity of microplastics, nanoplastics, and particles in general in the environment. The potential impact is even greater, as these tiny particles can be sources and vehicles for chemicals and other pollutants in the environment. will be,' he said.