We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
New Insights in Microplastic Cellular Uptake Through a Cell-Based Organotypic Rainbow-Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Intestinal Platform
AI summary Read the abstract
Using a lab model of rainbow trout intestine, researchers showed that microplastics (1-5 micrometers) can break through the gut barrier by disrupting the tight junctions that hold intestinal cells together. The plastic particles were then taken up by both surface cells and deeper tissue cells through a process called macropinocytosis. This helps explain how microplastics in food can cross the gut wall and potentially spread to other organs.
Microplastics (MPs) in fish can cross the intestinal barrier and are often bioaccumulated in several tissues, causing adverse effects. While the impacts of MPs on fish are well documented, the mechanisms of their cellular internalization remain unclear. A rainbow-trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) intestinal platform, comprising proximal and distal intestinal epithelial cells cultured on an Alvetex scaffold, was exposed to 50 mg/L of MPs (size 1-5 µm) for 2, 4, and 6 h. MP uptake was faster in RTpi-MI compared to RTdi-MI. Exposure to microplastics compromised the cellular barrier integrity by disrupting the tight-junction protein zonula occludens-1, inducing significant decreases in the transepithelial-electrical-resistance (TEER) values. Consequently, MPs were internalized by cultured epithelial cells and fibroblasts. The expression of genes related to endocytosis (cltca, cav1), macropinocytosis (rac1), and tight junctions' formation (oclna, cldn3a, ZO-1) was analyzed. No significant differences were observed in cltca, oclna, and cldn3a expression, while an upregulation of cav1, rac1, and ZO-1 genes was detected, suggesting macropinocytosis as the route of internalization, since also cav1 and ZO-1 are indirectly related to this mechanism. The obtained results are consistent with data previously reported in vivo, confirming its validity for identifying MP internalization pathways. This could help to develop strategies to mitigate MP absorption through ingestion.
More Papers Like This
An inverted in vitro triple culture model of the healthy and inflamed intestine: Adverse effects of polyethylene particles.
AI summary Read the abstract
Using a laboratory model of the human intestinal lining, researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics affect intestinal cells and found they disrupted the barrier function of the gut wall. A compromised intestinal barrier allows larger molecules and particles to pass into the body, which could amplify the health effects of microplastic ingestion.
Size-Dependent Internalization of Microplastics and Nanoplastics Using In Vitro Model of the Human Intestine—Contribution of Each Cell in the Tri-Culture Models
AI summary Read the abstract
Using a lab model of the human intestine, researchers showed that smaller plastic nanoparticles (50 nm) crossed the gut lining more easily than larger ones, with specialized immune-sensing cells playing a key role in uptake. The particles that got through could potentially enter the bloodstream. This study helps explain how the tiniest plastic particles in food and water might get inside the human body.
Mechanisms of ingested polystyrene micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) uptake and translocation in an in vitro tri-culture small intestinal epithelium
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used a sophisticated laboratory model of the human small intestine to study how micro- and nanoplastics cross the gut barrier after simulated digestion. They found that smaller nanoplastics were absorbed more efficiently than larger microplastics, and the particles used multiple cellular pathways to cross the intestinal lining. The study provides new evidence about the mechanisms by which ingested plastic particles could potentially reach the bloodstream.
Mapping the impact of microplastics exposure on enteric viral infections in intestinal organoid models
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers mapped the impact of microplastic and nanoplastic exposure on enteric viral infections in intestinal epithelial cells, finding that MNP exposure altered cell surface receptors and tight junctions in ways that may increase susceptibility to viral entry and intestinal infection.
Demonstrating the translocation of nanoplastics across the fish intestine using palladium-doped polystyrene in a salmon gut-sac
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used palladium-doped polystyrene nanoplastics to quantitatively measure nanoplastic uptake across the fish intestine in a salmon gut-sac model. The study found that between 200 and 700 million nanoplastics entered the intestinal tissue within four hours, with a fraction passing completely through the gut wall, providing evidence that nanoplastics can potentially distribute throughout the body.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.