A new study conducted in mice found that microplastics can spread from the gut to vital organs in the body, such as the brain.
- Microplastics are tiny
plastic particles that often make their way into many substances, including
food.
- Researchers are
interested in understanding how consuming microplastics may influence
bodily health and functioning.
- A new study conducted
in mice found that microplastics can spread from the gut to vital organs
in the body, such as the brain, liver, and kidneys.
Humans and animals are often exposed
to microplastics because they are present in many substances.
As researchers seek to understand the
impact of microplastics, evidence is
building about the effects of exposure to these substances and how that
may influence
health outcomes.
A study published April 10 in Environmental
Health PerspectivesTrusted Source examined
how consuming microplastics in amounts similar to those found in our
environment affected mice.
According to the study authors, ingested microplastics spread from the
gut to the brain, liver, and kidneys.
“Our findings suggest that
microplastic exposure can lead to metabolic changes in these tissues,
indicating potential systemic effects,” study author Marcus Garcia, PharmD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University
of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, told Medical News Today.
“The implications of our findings for
human health are substantial.”
Microplastics spread from the gut to the brain, other organs
Microplastics have become highly
prominent in the environment, including in soil, food,
and water.
The authors of the present study
define microplastics as plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. They
wanted to find out how different types of microplastics influenced body organs
in mice.
The study authors attempted to
replicate consumption of microplastics in a quantity that is similar to human
exposure. Mice were exposed to different amounts of polystyrene or mixed
polymer microspheres through oral gastric feeding.
After mice were fed microplastics,
the researchers examined serum, brain, liver, kidney, and colon tissues to
identify the presence of microplastics.
Researchers identified microplastics
in multiple organs including the brain, liver, and kidneys of exposed mice.
These findings show how microplastics are capable of spreading to other,
distant areas of the body.
After microplastic exposure, they also found that specific metabolic
changes occurred in the colon, liver, and brain.
These changes depended on how much
exposure the mice received and what type of microplastic they were exposed to.
“By exposing mice to levels of
microplastics similar to human ingestion, we discovered that these particles
can indeed migrate from the gut into organs such as the liver, kidney, and
brain,” Garcia explained.
“Previous
research from our group has demonstrated that microplastics can disrupt immune
function. This could be a problem when dealing with infections or could
possibly worsen conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases. Additionally, our
study was performed over a 4-week period, showing significant alterations in
metabolism. This brings insight into the long-term accumulation of
microplastics in the body, raising concerns about chronic exposure.
Furthermore, our study revealed substantial metabolic alterations linked to
various metabolic and immune disorders, including changes in amino acid, lipid,
and hormone metabolism.”
Dr. Heather Leslie, an independent scientist specializing in
analyzing microplastics and additives in humans (and ecosystems) based in
Amsterdam, not involved in the study, said an important finding of the study is
that “laboratory dosed microplastics near the upper particle size limit for
crossing gut epithelial layers are not only absorbed after ingestion, but also
deposited in organs.”
“This demonstrates in controlled
conditions what happens in the body with ‘wild’ microplastics, my term for
those microplastics we encounter in our living environment,” Leslie said.
“That is significant because once in
place, common microplastic types can start interfering with the biology, as the
metabolomics work in the same study showed for multiple organs.”
More studies on effects of microplastics needed
Despite the implications of these
findings, the research does have limitations.
First, the researchers used mice for
this study, so future research is needed to see if these findings can apply to
humans.
Also, the researchers utilized
microplastics that did not contain chemical additives common in microplastics
that may make consuming microplastics worse. Future research can consider how
these chemicals may affect the impact of microplastics on people.
The study did not investigate
clearance rates of microplastics, which may influence their impact. Researchers
only evaluated the prefrontal cortex of mice’s brains, and they couldn’t
precisely note microsphere location. Thus, it’s possible that microplastics
didn’t cross the blood-brain barrier.
Researchers further note that their
analysis of microplastics was also limited. Future research can focus on better
ways to identify and measure microplastics and plasticizers in tissues.
“Further research is critical to answer many questions on how
microplastic accumulation plays a role in human health,” Garcia noted.
“We need to understand their overall impact better and the factors influencing their uptake. Currently, we are exploring how microplastics make their way into the brain. Additionally, we are utilizing newly established techniques to investigate the accumulation of microplastics in the human brain, liver, and kidney tissues. These techniques allow us to isolate microplastics from biological tissues and quantify them using pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry.”— Marcus Garcia, PharmD, study author.
Addressing concerns about exposure to microplastics
This study adds to existing
literature about the scope and influence of microplastics, but more work needs
to be done to fully understand the effects.
In the meantime, there are a few ways
to reduce your risk of exposure to these substances.
For instance, recent evidence suggests that boiling water and pouring it
through a coffee filter may help eliminate many of the microplastics found in
water. If research continues to confirm these findings, this could become a
more common practice.
Leslie proposed additional
suggestions for reducing your risk of microplastics exposure:
- choose plastic-free clothing and
other goods
- opt for whole, minimally processed
foods
- drinking filtered water
“At this point I think we’re in need
of a clear intention to take responsibility for ourselves, and act in
accordance with our individual unwillingness to be polluted by microplastics.
This translates into decisions we make when we’re buying anything that’s
shedding plastic particles on us that we do not need or want,” Leslie said.
“It’s about taking small steps to design these things into your life and
you’ll start to feel a shift. It’s fun to experiment with saying ‘no’ if it’s
something you previously believed you were obliged to own,” Leslie added.
Non-study author Tracey
Woodruff, PhD, professor and director with Environmental Research
and Translation for Health (EaRTH) Center at the University of California, San
Francisco, told MNT the current evidence shows that policy makers must act as
soon as possible to prevent human exposure to microplastics from increasing
further.
“We know
that plastic production is expected to grow rapidly in the next decade and that
is going to mean more microplastics. Government actions are the most equitable
and efficient way to ensure people [do] not get exposed. In the meantime,
people can limit their use of plastics, and can switch to glass/ceramic and
metal containers for water and storage containers. Also actions like washing
hands and wet mop and heap filter vacuums keeps dust exposures down where MPs [microplastics]
and other chemicals like to congregate.”– Tracey Woodruff, PhD, environmental
research professor.
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