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Intestinal Microplastic Retention Reshapes Gut Microbial Ecology through Surface-Associated Colonization and Additive Leaching
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Researchers used an advanced gut simulation model to study how retained PET microplastics affect the human intestinal microbiome. They found that microplastics promoted colonization by potentially harmful bacteria on their rough, hydrophobic surfaces while displacing beneficial gut microbes. Additionally, chemical additives leaching from the plastics independently shifted microbial composition, suggesting that microplastics may alter gut ecology through both physical and chemical mechanisms.
Microplastics (MPs) have attracted increasing attention due to their potential impacts on the human gut microbiota, yet the mechanisms governing MP-microbiota interactions remain insufficiently resolved. Here, we employed the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem, a dynamic host-free in vitro model, to investigate how intestinally retained poly(ethylene terephthalate) MPs influence gut microbial communities. We show that MP retention is associated with two separable processes: surface-mediated spatial redistribution of microbes and additive-associated perturbations. Compared with additive-eluted MPs and inert SiO2 particles, MPs exhibited greater surface roughness and hydrophobicity, promoting selective colonization by hydrophobic, potentially pathogenic, and organic-degrading taxa. This surface-associated colonization coincided with the displacement of luminal keystone taxa and pronounced restructuring of microbial co-occurrence networks, reflected by reduced negative cohesion and altered community stability. In parallel, leachable MP-associated additives independently shifted microbial composition and predicted functional potential, including enrichment of pathways related to xenobiotic degradation. This work provides mechanistic insight into how retained MPs may condition gut microbial ecosystems and underscores the importance of considering MP-associated microbial perturbations in gut-relevant exposure assessments.
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Researchers simulated gastrointestinal digestion and found that PET microplastics altered human gut microbiota community composition, and provided first evidence of plausible partial polymer biodegradation during passage through the human digestive tract.
PET microplastics affect human gut microbiota communities during simulated gastrointestinal digestion, first evidence of plausible polymer biodegradation during human digestion
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Using a simulated human digestive system, researchers tracked what happens to PET microplastics as they pass through the stomach and intestines. The microplastics were structurally changed during digestion and appeared to alter the composition of gut bacteria, with some microbes forming biofilms on the plastic surfaces. This is the first evidence that microplastics may be partially broken down during human digestion and could disrupt the gut microbiome, which plays a critical role in overall health.
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Researchers investigated the impact of microplastics on human gut microbiota using in vitro gut models, providing early experimental evidence of how microplastic exposure may disrupt intestinal microbial communities. The study offers foundational data on microplastic-microbiome interactions that are difficult to study directly in humans.
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Researchers used a simulated human gut model to show that intestinal microbiota accelerates the release of phthalate plasticizers from microplastics, and these released phthalates inhibit microbial metabolic activity and differentially affect luminal versus mucosal gut bacteria.
Impact of polyethylene microplastics on human gut microbiota as assessed in an in vitro gut model
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Scientists used a lab-based model that mimics the human gut to test how tiny plastic particles (microplastics) affect our gut bacteria, the microbes that help digest food and support overall health. The study found that exposure to these plastic particles can change the balance of gut bacteria, which matters because an unhealthy gut microbiome has been linked to issues like digestive problems, weakened immunity, and inflammation. Since microplastics are increasingly found in our food and water, this research adds to growing evidence that we should take their potential health effects seriously.
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