Microplastics detected in three types of female reproductive organs using micro-Raman spectroscopy

Microplastics (MPs) are synthetic solid particles or polymer matrices that range in size from 1 μm to 5 mm. MPs are widely present in the global biosphere, leading to increasing concerns about their impact on human health. In this study, micro-Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate the presence and characteristic of MPs in adenomyosis, ovarian ectopic cysts, and uterine tube tissue samples from 60 females. MPs were detected in all human samples at an average level of 1.5 ± 1.2 particles per g of tissue (Average 1.40 ± 1.11 particles per g of tissue after blank correction.). Among these MPs, a total of 11 polymer types were identified. MPs are mainly composed of polyethylene (PE, 31 %), polypropylene (PP, 22 %) and PE-co-PP (11 %). These MPs had an average length of 15.15 ± 6.45 μm and an average width of 12.56 ± 6.65 μm, with the majority (70 %) measuring less than 20 μm in size. Most MPs were fibers (38.9 %) and fragments (24.4 %). A significant correlation (p <0.05) was found between the sizes of MPs detected across the three disease samples, with PE and PP being the most frequently identified types. This study demonstrates the presence of MPs in diseased tissues from patients with adenomyosis, ovarian ectopic cysts, and uterine tubes, providing evidence for the presence of MPs in reproductive system tissues.