0
Article Tier 2 Sign in to save

Exploring microplastic impact on whole blood clotting dynamics utilizing thromboelastography

Frontiers in Public Health 2023 19 citations

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers used a blood clotting analysis technique to study how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and surface types affect human blood clotting. They found that negatively charged particles consistently activated the clotting process, increasing both the speed and strength of clot formation in a size-dependent manner. The findings highlight that microplastic surface chemistry and particle size play important roles in how these particles might interact with blood.

Polymers
Study Type In vitro

This study investigates the influence of microplastics on blood clotting. It addresses the lack of comprehensive research on the effects of microplastic size and surface modification on clotting dynamics in human whole blood. Thromboelastography was used to examine aminated (aPS), carboxylated (cPS), and non-functionalized (nPS) polystyrene particles with sizes of 50, 100, and 500 nm. Results show that cPS consistently activated the clotting cascade, demonstrating increased fibrin polymerization rates, and enhanced clot strength in a size and concentration-dependent manner. nPS had minimal effects on clotting dynamics except for 50 nm particles at the lowest concentration. The clotting effects of aPS (100 nm particles) resembled those of cPS but were diminished in the 500 nm aPS group. These findings emphasize the importance of microplastic surface modification, size, concentration, and surface area on in-vitro whole blood clotting dynamics.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Microplastic Effects on Thrombin–Fibrinogen Clotting Dynamics Measured via Turbidity and Thromboelastography

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers found that microplastics directly altered fibrin clot formation dynamics in a human thrombin-fibrinogen model, with effects varying by plastic type, size, and concentration, suggesting potential impacts on blood clotting and cardiovascular health.

Article Tier 2

Microplastic Effects on Thrombin-Fibrinogen Clotting Dynamics Measured via Turbidity

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers found that non-modified polystyrene microplastics significantly slowed fibrin clot formation in a laboratory model — reducing clotting rate up to 27-fold — while aminated polystyrene had minimal effect, suggesting microplastic surface chemistry may influence blood coagulation dynamics.

Article Tier 2

PB1065 Microvesicles Display Opposite Coagulolytic Balances According to Their Cellular Origin and Activation Status

AI summary Read the abstract

Polystyrene microplastics activated human vascular endothelial cells, upregulating inflammation markers ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, and promoted larger and denser blood clot formation when added to whole blood perfused over collagen at concentrations found in human plasma. These results raise concern that microplastics circulating in human blood could increase the risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular events.

Article Tier 2

Towards a better understanding of protein affinity for polystyrene nanoplastics: Investigation of surface charge effects, interaction mechanisms and aggregation kinetics

AI summary Read the abstract

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) interact very differently with proteins in our blood depending on their electrical charge: positively charged particles bind proteins and clump together, while negatively charged ones stay separate. This matters because how these plastic particles behave in our body, whether they clump or spread out, could affect how they travel through blood and tissues, an important step in understanding their health risks.

Article Tier 2

Weathered microplastics in human blood: unraveling the effect of structural changes at the particle surface on coagulation and platelet activation

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers exposed human whole blood to microplastics that had been artificially aged to simulate real environmental weathering, finding that weathered plastics like polystyrene, PVC, and PET triggered significantly stronger blood clotting and platelet activation than fresh plastic particles. The findings suggest that the longer plastic sits in the environment and degrades, the more dangerous it may become to human cardiovascular health.

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.

Email me about

Share this paper