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Local and systemic effects of microplastic particles through cell damage, release of chemicals and drugs, dysbiosis, and interference with the absorption of nutrients
Summary
This review describes how microplastic particles can harm human health through multiple pathways: directly damaging cells at the point of contact, releasing absorbed chemicals, disrupting gut bacteria, and interfering with nutrient absorption. Only particles smaller than 5 micrometers can cross the body's protective barriers and reach organs, but larger particles can still cause harm by acting within the digestive and respiratory tracts. The review emphasizes that actual human health impacts depend on real-world exposure levels, which are still debated.
Microplastic particles (MPs) have been detected in a variety of environmental samples, including soil, water, food, and air. Cellular studies and animal exposures reported that exposure to MPs composed of different polymers might result in adverse effects at the portal of entry (local) or throughout the body (systemic). The most relevant routes of particle uptake into the body are oral and respiratory exposure. This review describes the various processes that may contribute to the adverse effects of MPs. Only MPs up to 5 µm were found to cross epithelial barriers to a significant extent. However, MPs may also exert a detrimental impact on human health by acting at the epithelial barrier and within the lumen of the orogastrointestinal and respiratory tract. The potential for adverse effects on human health resulting from the leaching, sorption, and desorption of chemicals, as well as the impact of MPs on nutritional status and dysbiosis, are reviewed. In vitro models are suggested as a means of (1) assessing permeation, (2) determining adverse effects on cells of the epithelial barrier, (3) examining influence of digestive fluids on leaching, desorption, and particle properties, and (4) role of microbiota-epithelial cell interactions. The contribution of these mechanisms to human health depends upon exposure levels, which unfortunately have been estimated very differently.