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Abstract Tu0030: Carotid Plaque Microplastics are Associated with Clinical Symptoms and Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Macrophage Immunomodulatory Effects
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This conference abstract reports findings from a study linking micronanoplastic content in carotid artery plaques with clinical symptoms and with altered immune signaling mediated by mesenchymal stem cells. Patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis had higher plaque microplastic loads, and stem cells modulated the inflammatory response in ways that differed based on microplastic presence.
Introduction: Micronanoplastics (MNPs) in human tissues are a recently recognized fact and the clinical effects have not yet been studied. Recent reports in asymptomatic carotid stenosis indicate an association between atherosclerotic plaque MNPs, immune cell deposition and poor long-term clinical outcomes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) modulate immune signaling and plaque stability. A mechanism for how MNPs affect atherosclerotic lesions has yet to be proposed and the association of MNPs with carotid symptom status as well as gene expression has not been investigated. Hypothesis: We evaluated the hypothesis that carotid plaque MNP concentrations are positively related to clinical symptoms and perturbations in MSC-immune cell signaling. Methods: Whole carotid plaques were collected during carotid endarterectomy for carotid stenosis and flash frozen. Symptomatic subjects had stroke, TIA or amaurosis fugax. Age-matched control non-atherosclerotic carotid arteries were obtained from fresh cadaveric donors. Quantitative MNP concentrations were determined by pyrolysis-GC/MS. Electron microscopy documented MNP size and morphology. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) differentiated clustered cell types and permitted comparative gene expression by MNP concentration and symptom status. ELISA quantified plaque TNF-α and IL-6. Results: A total of 48 carotid specimens were analyzed. Mean MNP concentrations in control arteries were 57 µg/g. Plaques from subjects with asymptomatic carotid stenosis had significantly more MNPs with mean 895 µg/g (+16 fold, P<0.001) and those from symptomatic carotid stenosis had the highest MNP concentrations at 2888 µg/g (+51 fold, P<0.001). Polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common polymers. scRNAseq reveals two-fold downregulation of heat shock protein modulator FKBP5 in both MSCs and macrophages from high plastics lesions (P<0.001). In MSCs, genes for cytoskeletal stabilizing proteins TPM1 and HIP1R were upregulated (P<0.001) while anti-inflammatory gene CD163 was downregulated in macrophages from high plastics plaques (P<0.001). Plaque TNF-α ranged from 129 to 784 pg/mL and did not correlate with MNP concentration. Conclusions: These data provide the first evaluation of the effects of microplastics in carotid atherosclerotic plaques and demonstrate a clear association with symptom status. Lesion MSC and macrophage signaling differs based on MNP concentration, suggesting a possible mechanism for plaque instability.
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Abstract Tu0030: Carotid Plaque Microplastics are Associated with Clinical Symptoms and Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Macrophage Immunomodulatory Effects
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Tiny plastic particles (called microplastics) can build up in the fatty plaque that clogs neck arteries, and this study found that higher levels of these plastics were linked to patients actually having stroke-like symptoms, not just silent artery blockages. The researchers also looked at how the body's stem cells and immune cells respond to these plastic deposits, suggesting a possible reason why plastic buildup might make plaque more dangerous. This adds to growing concerns that the microplastics we're exposed to daily may play a real role in heart and blood vessel disease, though more research is needed to confirm exactly how.
Abstract 16911: Burden of Micro(nano)plastics and Complicated Plaque Phenotype in Human Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques
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Researchers examined plaque tissue removed from 22 human carotid arteries, measuring tiny plastic particles of different sizes. Plaques with complications like rupture or hemorrhage had higher levels of nanoplastics (smaller particles), but not microplastics, compared to plaques without these features. Polyvinyl chloride was the most common plastic type found.
William M. Feinberg Lecture: Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis: Current and Future Considerations
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This review of asymptomatic carotid stenosis management identifies microplastics and nanoplastics as an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease, alongside traditional atherosclerotic factors. The author notes that strategies to limit microplastic exposure will be important for stroke prevention, as no specific medical therapies currently exist to counteract microplastic-related vascular damage.
P69 | Microplastics and Atherosclerosis: Evidence of Microplastics in Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques
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This conference abstract reports the detection of multiple types of microplastics in human coronary, carotid, and aortic arteries, finding higher MP concentrations in arteries with atherosclerotic plaques than in plaque-free aortic tissue, suggesting a link between microplastic accumulation and arterial disease.
Presence of microplastics in carotid plaques linked to cardiovascular events
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Researchers found that patients with carotid artery disease who had detectable microplastics and nanoplastics within their carotid plaques faced a significantly higher risk of death or major cardiovascular events compared to patients whose plaques contained no detectable plastic particles.
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