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Mapping the impact of microplastics exposure on enteric viral infections in intestinal organoid models
Summary
Researchers mapped the impact of microplastic and nanoplastic exposure on enteric viral infections in intestinal epithelial cells, finding that MNP exposure altered cell surface receptors and tight junctions in ways that may increase susceptibility to viral entry and intestinal infection.
Abstract Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are pervasive environmental pollutants increasingly detected in human tissues, yet their long-term health consequences remain poorly understood. The intestinal epithelium, continuously exposed to ingested MNPs and serving as a primary entry site for enteric viruses, provides a critical context to study pollutant-pathogen interactions. We used human intestinal organoids to model chronic exposure, found that prolonged NPs exposure potentially triggered mitochondrial stress and broad metabolic disruption without overt toxicity. This reprogramming altered the host-virus response and also reduced sensitivity to the antiviral treatment. These findings suggest that chronic plastic exposure may subtly but persistently reshape mucosal physiology in ways that alter host-pathogen response and therapeutic efficacy, highlighting an urgent need to address environmental pollutants in infectious disease and public health research.
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