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Polytetrafluoroethylene utensils as a source of micro- and nanoplastics: Insights from a Drosophila model.
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Fruit flies fed tiny plastic particles from non-stick cookware material showed damage to their gut lining, bacteria, and cells, along with widespread changes in gene activity related to metabolism, immune function, and cell health. Smaller particles caused more gene changes than larger ones, and particles eventually spread into body fluids and affected blood cells.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), widely used in household products and cookware, can release particles into food, posing potential health risks. The biological interactions of the resulting micro- and nanoplastics (MNPLs) remain poorly understood but can be clarified by linking structural and physiological effects with transcriptomic changes. Here, Drosophila was used as an in vivo model to assess size-dependent responses to PTFE micro- (MPLs) and nanoscale (NPLs) particles. Following oral exposure, PTFE-MNPLs accumulated in the midgut lumen and interacted with gut components, leading to particle erosion, fragmentation, and the release of secondary ultrafine particles. Internalised particles adhered to and damaged gut bacteria, penetrated the intestinal barrier, and compromised epithelial integrity by impairing microvilli, lysosomes, and mitochondria, ultimately entering circulation and interacting with haemocytes. Associated physiological disturbances, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, and DNA damage, were reflected in transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses, revealing coordinated molecular alterations underlying the observed tissue damage. Analysis also revealed extensive size- and concentration-dependent gene expression changes, with up to 2897 differentially expressed genes for NPLs and a core set of 110 genes consistently affected across treatments, highlighting the common molecular impact of PTFE-MNPL exposure. These genes were enriched in pathways governing metabolism, mitochondrial function, redox balance, immunity, neurodegeneration, apoptosis, intracellular trafficking, and cell migration. Our findings provide a comprehensive view of MNPLs' biological interactions, linking their physical properties to physiological effects across multiple levels and supported by transcriptomic analysis, particularly for the poorly studied PTFE particles.
More Papers Like This
Hazard impacts of polytetrafluoroethylene micro-nanoplastics: in vivo study
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Nonstick cookware coatings (PTFE, like Teflon) can shed tiny plastic particles, and this study found that when fruit flies were exposed to them, the particles caused oxidative stress, DNA damage, and cell damage—with smaller nanoscale particles causing even more harm than larger microscale ones. While this research was done in flies, not humans, it adds to growing evidence that everyday nonstick products may be a hidden source of micro- and nanoplastic exposure with real biological effects, making it worth watching as scientists investigate what this means for human health.
Metabolic effects of dietary exposure to polystyrene microplastic and nanoplastic in fruit flies
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Researchers used fruit flies as a model organism to study the metabolic effects of ingesting polystyrene microplastic and nanoplastic particles at environmentally relevant doses. They found that both particle sizes disrupted metabolic processes, with nanoplastics causing more pronounced changes in energy storage and lipid metabolism. The study suggests that dietary exposure to plastic particles, even at levels found in the environment, can meaningfully alter metabolic physiology.
Mechanistic insights into the biological effects of environmentally relevant pharmaceutical-loaded real-life polypropylene microplastics in Drosophila melanogaster.
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Fruit fly larvae fed real-world plastic particles (polypropylene) carrying common drugs (paracetamol, ciprofloxacin) showed the particles moving from the gut into body fluids, causing gut cell damage and oxidative stress. Adding the drugs to the plastic did not worsen these effects compared to plastic alone, and it reduced a drug-specific effect paracetamol caused on its own.
Size-dependent toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics: insights from the Drosophila melanogaster model
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This review of fruit fly studies reveals a clear pattern: the smaller the plastic particle, the more dangerous it is to living organisms. While large plastic pieces mostly get stuck in the gut causing local irritation, the tiniest nanoplastics can slip into cells and even DNA, triggering inflammation, organ damage, and effects that may pass on to offspring—and they can team up with heavy metal pollutants to cause even more harm. Since fruit flies share many genes with humans, these findings suggest we should pay special attention to the smallest, often invisible plastic particles in our environment, as they may pose the greatest
Size-dependent and sex-specific negative effects of micro- and nano-sized polystyrene particles in the terrestrial invertebrate model Drosophila melanogaster
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Fruit flies exposed to low doses of polystyrene micro and nanoparticles for 28 days showed tissue damage in their gut, ovaries, and testes, with smaller particles causing more harm. The plastics triggered oxidative stress and cell death in gut tissue, though reproduction was not significantly affected at these doses. This study, using a well-established model organism, suggests that even low-level, long-term exposure to tiny plastic particles can damage internal organs, with potential implications for other species including humans.
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