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Postbiotic Binding of Micro- and Nanoplastics: In Vitro Intestinal Epithelial Protection and Proof of Concept in the Human Mouth
Summary
Scientists tested a heat-treated bacterial ingredient (a "postbiotic" called Qi601) to see if it could grab onto tiny plastic particles and keep them from getting absorbed by gut cells — and in lab tests, it worked, reducing how much plastic stuck to or entered intestinal cells. In an early human test, chewing gum containing this ingredient even captured plastic fragments released while chewing, suggesting a possible future strategy to lower our daily exposure to micro- and nanoplastics from food and other sources. That said, this is early-stage research done in cells and one small human mouth experiment, so more
Abstract Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are now recognized as ubiquitous dietary and environmental contaminants, yet practical strategies to reduce gastrointestinal exposure remain limited. This study evaluated whether Qi601, a heat-inactivated Limosilactobacillus fermentum biofilm-derived postbiotic, could bind plastic particles and reduce intestinal epithelial plastic burden. Prior probiotic studies have demonstrated live bacterial adsorption of MNPs and mitigation of MNP-associated toxicity in vivo; here, we evaluate whether a nonviable postbiotic preparation can produce analogous MNP-binding and epithelial-protective effects. Qi601 durably bound polystyrene nanoplastics under in vitro simulated digestion conditions. In Caco-2 intestinal epithelial monolayers, Qi601 reduced surface-associated and intracellular nanoplastic burden in both protection and rescue models, indicating decreased epithelial particle interaction both before and after established nanoplastic exposure. Multimodal imaging, including confocal microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, confirmed close physical association between Qi601 and nanoplastics. Finally, a first-in-human proof-of-concept chewing-gum study showed Qi601 binding in the human mouth to heterogeneous gum-derived microplastic fragments released during mastication. Together, these findings support the concept of postbiotic intervention for gastrointestinal epithelial protection against ingested MNPs.