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Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PD01 from high excretion donor functions as a natural defense against microplastic toxicity
Summary
Researchers found that people who naturally clear more microplastics from their bodies tend to have more of a specific gut bacteria strain, called *L. plantarum*. When they gave this bacteria to mice eating a microplastic-contaminated diet, it helped flush out up to 91% of certain plastic particles, while also protecting the gut lining and calming inflammation caused by the plastics. While early findings, this suggests a probiotic supplement could one day help our bodies get rid of the microplastics we unavoidably consume from food and water.
Microplastics (MPs) present in a wide range of foods are a food safety concern due to their potential toxicity, yet effective approaches to enhance MPs clearance in the body remain lacking. Here, we first connected MPs excretion capacity to gut microbiota composition through a cross-sectional study of 138 individuals. Differential abundance and genomic variation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum were observed between low- and high-excretion individuals. With this insight, we isolated L. plantarum PD01 from a high-excretion donor. In mice fed a mixed-MPs diet formulated to reflect human exposure, colonization with L. plantarum PD01 reduced 66.90% of PVC, 56.17% of PET, 91.35% of PS and 49.97% of PE remaining in the intestinal tract. Additionally, L. plantarum PD01 strengthened intestinal barrier integrity, promoted short-chain fatty acid production, alleviated inflammation, and restored gut microbiota dysbiosis caused by Mix-MPs. In vitro assays further validated PD01’s high capacity for MPs adsorption, protection of Caco-2 cells from MPs-induced damage, and reduction of MPs translocation in Caenorhabditis elegans . Collectively, our study uncovered specific gut microbiota features in humans with high MPs excretion and proposes a probiotic intervention strategy to reduce MPs accumulation and toxicity in the body.