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Polystyrene Microplastics Exacerbate Candida albicans Infection Ability In Vitro and In Vivo
Summary
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics can worsen Candida albicans fungal infections in both cell culture and animal models. In lab tests with human intestinal cells and in wax moth larvae, the presence of microplastics promoted more severe infection outcomes. The study provides new experimental evidence that microplastic exposure may increase vulnerability to opportunistic fungal infections.
Plastic pollution is an important environmental problem, and microplastics have been shown to have harmful effects on human and animal health, affecting immune and metabolic physiological functions. Further, microplastics can interfere with commensal microorganisms and exert deleterious effects on exposure to pathogens. Here, we compared the effects of 1 µm diameter polystyrene microplastic (PSMPs) on Candida albicans infection in both in vitro and in vivo models by using HT29 cells and Galleria mellonella larvae, respectively. The results demonstrated that PSMPs could promote Candida infection in HT29 cells and larvae of G. mellonella, which show immune responses similar to vertebrates. In this study, we provide new experimental evidence for the risk to human health posed by PSMPs in conjunction with Candida infections.