We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Impact of a real food matrix and in vitro digestion on properties and acute toxicity of polystyrene microparticles
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined how interaction with milk as a real food matrix and subsequent digestion affects the properties and toxicity of polystyrene microparticles. The study found that milk proteins form a corona on the particles that alters their surface charge and behavior, suggesting that the food context significantly influences how microplastics behave in the gastrointestinal tract.
Although it is proved that humans ingest microplastics via food, and microplastics were found in human tissues, blood and feces, there needs to be more data on the properties and health-related effects of plastic particles that interact with food and undergo digestion. This study aimed to examine the impact of a real food matrix, milk, on the behavior and gastrointestinal fate of polystyrene microparticles (PSMP). In the presence of the food matrix, the net negative ζ-potential values of PSMP (diameter size of 1.823 μm) decreased significantly due to the formation of the corona, mostly consisting of α and β-casein fragments. Protein corona profiles and morphologies of particles incubated with whole and skim milk were found to be similar, and the protein profiles were completely altered after in vitro digestion simulation. In vitro and in vivo toxicity studies showed that neither bare PSMP nor food-interacted PSMP pose acute toxicity on the Caco-2 cell line and zebrafish embryos under the chosen experimental conditions. In summary, these results may contribute to a better understanding of changes that microplastics undergo in foods. Further studies on repeated exposure or chronic toxicity are needed to fully reveal the effect of food matrix on microplastic toxicity.
More Papers Like This
Exploring the role of real food matrices on the behavior and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics during digestion simulation
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics behave and affect cells when consumed alongside real food, using milk as the test matrix, during simulated digestion. They found that food proteins and digestive enzymes formed a coating around the nanoplastics that changed their aggregation behavior and reduced their toxicity compared to nanoplastics alone. The study suggests that the presence of food during digestion may significantly alter how nanoplastics interact with the body, an important factor often overlooked in toxicity studies.
The potential effects of in vitro digestion on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how the human digestive process changes the physical and biological properties of polystyrene nanoplastics. They found that digestive fluids altered the surface characteristics of the particles, potentially affecting how they interact with gut cells. The study suggests that the form of nanoplastics that actually reaches our intestines may behave differently than the pristine particles typically used in lab studies.
Influence of the digestive process on intestinal toxicity of polystyrene microplastics as determined by in vitro Caco-2 models
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how the human digestive process transforms polystyrene microplastics and affects their intestinal toxicity using in vitro Caco-2 cell models. The study found that digestion formed a corona on microplastic surfaces without altering their chemical composition, and that smaller particles (100 nm) showed higher toxicity than larger ones (5 micrometers) regardless of digestive treatment.
Small polystyrene microplastics interfere with the breakdown of milk proteins during static in vitro simulated human gastric digestion
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that small polystyrene microplastics interfere with the digestion of milk proteins in a simulated human stomach environment. The microplastics adsorbed the digestive enzyme pepsin onto their surface, reducing its activity and slowing the breakdown of proteins like casein and whey. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in food could impair normal digestive processes in the human gut.
Microplastics in simulated digestion: Surface modifications, enzyme interference, and chemical migration
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers simulated gastrointestinal digestion of four common plastic polymers alongside food components, finding that microplastics — especially smaller polystyrene particles — inhibit digestive enzymes in a size- and concentration-dependent manner and release phthalate plasticizers, with protein-rich conditions driving pronounced surface charge shifts indicating strong protein adsorption.
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.