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Multimodal detection of microplastics in human kidney stones and multi-omics exploration of renal cell metaflammation
Summary
Scientists found tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in every kidney stone sample they studied, coming from everyday plastics like PVC and PE. These plastics appear to trigger cell stress and inflammation in kidney tissue, but the good news is that curcumin—a compound found in turmeric—showed promise in reducing this damage in lab tests. While more research is needed, this study adds to growing evidence that the plastic exposure we can't avoid in daily life may be quietly affecting our organs.
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as contaminants of increasing concern due to their propensity to accumulate in human tissues and their potential health implications. However, the long-term accumulation behavior of MPs in the kidney and their associated toxic mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we employed advanced multimodal detection techniques to quantify and characterize MPs in kidney stones, and integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses to systematically evaluate the underlying cytotoxic mechanisms. MPs were detected in all kidney stone samples examined, with a median concentration of 12.89 μg/g (3.20-23.92 μg/g). The detected particles comprised six polymer types, including polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and were predominantly irregular in shape with sizes ranging from 20 to 100 μm. Integrated multi-omics analysis revealed that chronic low-dose MP exposure significantly disrupted transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic profiles, and these alterations were closely linked to mitochondrial oxidative stress-mediated metabolic disorders and inflammatory responses. Importantly, we demonstrated that curcumin (CUR) effectively alleviated this metaflammation, providing a novel interventional strategy against MP-induced renal cytotoxicity. Collectively, our study presents the systematic quantitative and qualitative characterization of MPs in human kidney stones, offering new evidence for assessing the health impacts of renal MP exposure and establishing a foundation for understanding metaflammation mechanisms and exploring potential intervention strategies.