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Microplastics in nucleus pulposus tissue of humans revealed by Raman mosaic imaging screening
Summary
Scientists looked at the soft, gel-like tissue inside spinal discs from 51 patients who had back surgery, and found tiny plastic particles in 5 of them—including bits of polyurethane foam and other polymers, some smaller than the width of a human hair. This is one of the first times plastics have been found in this particular part of the spine, and while it doesn't yet tell us whether these particles cause harm, it adds to growing evidence that microplastics can turn up in surprising places throughout the body. More research is needed to understand how they get there and whether they affect spinal health.
Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in various tissues, yet evidence regarding the relatively isolated nucleus pulposus (NP) remains limited. This study investigated MPs in NP tissues from 51 patients undergoing lumbar disc herniation (LDH) surgery in Wuhan, China. Samples underwent chemical digestion and filtration, followed by candidate-particle screening using an operator-assisted micro-Raman spectroscopy mosaic imaging workflow and targeted Raman spectral assignment. Microplastic-sized polymer particles were Raman-assigned in five patients, including polyurethane foam, poly (propylene glycol), poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate), polyacrylate rubber, and poly (ethylene-co-propylene). A graphite particle was also detected in one additional patient. Specifically, nine particles ranging from 37 to 280 μm were detected across six patients; notably, most were smaller than 100 μm. To reduce false-positive assignments, procedural blanks and five known surgical materials were analyzed, and particles matching these sampled materials were excluded. This study provides preliminary evidence of particulate contaminants in NP tissue, demonstrating the feasibility of detection in this understudied anatomical compartment and establishing a methodological foundation for future investigations.