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Toxic vascular effects of polystyrene microplastic exposure
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In a study combining human patient data and rat experiments, researchers found that people with vascular calcification (hardening of arteries) had higher levels of microplastics, especially polystyrene and polypropylene, in their stool samples. In rats, polystyrene microplastic exposure caused vascular calcification, disrupted gut bacteria, and triggered intestinal inflammation. This is one of the first studies linking microplastic levels in humans to cardiovascular disease markers, suggesting that microplastic exposure may contribute to hardening of the arteries.
Polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) are some of the most common microplastic components, and the resulting pollution has become a global problem. Extensive studies have been conducted on the toxic effects of PSMPs on the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, nerves, intestines and other tissues. However, the impact of PSMPs on vascular toxicity is poorly understood at present. The aim of this study was to reveal the vascular toxicity of microplastics (MPs). Patients were assigned to a calcification group (25 patients) or a non-calcification group (22 patients) based on the presence or absence of calcification in the thoracic aorta wall. We detected 7 polymer types in human feces. Patients with vascular calcification (VC) had higher levels of total MPs, polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) in feces than patients without VC. The thoracic aortic calcification score was significantly positively correlated with the total MP abundance (Spearman r = 0.8109, p < 0.0001), PP (Spearman r = 0.7211, p = 0.0160) and PS (Spearman r = 0.6523, p = 0.0471) in feces. We then explored the effects of PSMP exposure on normal and vitamin D3 + nicotine (VDN)-treated rats. PSMP exposure induced mild VC in normal rats and aggravated VC in VDN-treated rats. PSMP exposure disturbed the gut microbiota, causing Proteobacteria and Escherichia_Shigella to be the dominant phylum and genus, respectively. It also induced intestinal inflammatory responses in normal rats, aggravated intestinal inflammation in VDN-treated rats, impaired the intestinal mucosal barrier, and increased intestinal permeability. This study provides a theoretical basis for the risk assessment of MP-induced cardiovascular disease.
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Researchers detected microplastics in all 17 human artery samples tested, including coronary arteries, carotid arteries, and the aorta. Arteries with atherosclerotic plaques (hardened, narrowed areas) contained significantly more microplastics than plaque-free arteries. This suggests that microplastic accumulation may be associated with atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in arteries that is a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.
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