We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Gut-on-a-Chip Reveals Reduced Nanoplastic-Induced Inflammation Through Enhanced Peristalsis
Summary
A gut-on-a-chip device with integrated sensors showed that nanoplastics caused cell damage, tight junction loss, and inflammatory cytokine peaks (IL-6, TNF-α) within 24 hours, but that increasing mechanical peristaltic strain from 5% to higher levels significantly reduced these inflammatory responses.
Nanoplastics (NPs) pollution threatens human health, particularly the digestive system, by exacerbating intestinal inflammation and increasing the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using a biomimetic gut-on-a-chip (GOC) with integrated sensors, we investigated NPs' effects and explored enhanced peristalsis as a potential intervention. The GOC mimicked intestinal peristalsis via periodic stretching and detected inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α over 12 days. NPs caused cell damage, tight junction protein loss, and cytokine peaks at 24 hours. Remarkably, increasing strain from 5% to 6.5% reduced IL-6 and TNF-α secretion by 2.73-fold and 3.34-fold, highlighting peristalsis’ protective role.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Gut‐on‐a‐Chip Reveals Enhanced Peristalsis Reduces Nanoplastic‐Induced Inflammation
Researchers built a miniature gut-on-a-chip device that mimics intestinal movement to study how nanoplastics affect the digestive system. They found that nanoplastic exposure caused significant inflammation and cell damage in the simulated gut lining. Notably, increasing the intensity of gut-like contractions substantially reduced the inflammatory response, suggesting that healthy intestinal movement may help protect against nanoplastic-related harm.
Toxicity and absorption of polystyrene micro-nanoplastics in healthy and Crohn’s disease human duodenum-chip models
Using an advanced gut-on-a-chip model built from human intestinal cells, researchers found that 25-nanometer polystyrene particles could cross the intestinal barrier through both passive leaking and active cell transport. The nanoplastics also turned down a gene involved in immune defense (IFI6), suggesting that even without causing obvious cell damage, nanoplastics may weaken the gut's ability to fight off infections.
Orbital shaker-driven gut-on-a-chip platform for drug-induced permeability and microenvironment studies
Researchers developed a simplified gut-on-a-chip platform using an orbital shaker instead of complex pumping systems to study drug effects on intestinal tissue. The device enabled co-culture of gut epithelial and immune cells under realistic flow conditions and was used to assess microplastic-induced changes in gut permeability. The platform offers an accessible tool for studying how environmental contaminants like microplastics affect gut barrier function.
An innovative in vitro model of IBD to assess micro-/nano-plastics intestinal toxicity.
Researchers developed an innovative in vitro intestinal inflammation model (IBD model) to assess the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations and polymer types, moving beyond the high-dose polystyrene-only studies that dominate current literature.
Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics in gastrointestinal tract on gut health: A systematic review.
This systematic review of 30 in vitro studies found that microplastics and nanoplastics cause size- and concentration-dependent damage to human gastrointestinal cells, including increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and apoptosis. Smaller particles consistently showed greater cellular uptake and biological effects, though chronic low-dose exposure generally produced minimal impacts.