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Mapping the impact of microplastics exposure on enteric viral infections in intestinal organoid models
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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.
More Papers Like This
Mapping the impact of prolonged microplastics exposure on enteric viral infections using human intestinal organoids
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Using human intestinal organoids exposed to micro- and nanoplastics over extended periods, researchers found that chronic exposure disrupted mitochondrial function and reprogrammed antiviral immune responses, reducing the effectiveness of antiviral treatments against echovirus and rotavirus. This reveals a previously underappreciated way that microplastic accumulation in the gut may worsen infectious disease outcomes and impair therapeutic responsiveness.
Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells.
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Researchers exposed human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models with and without M cells to polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics, finding that nano-plastics caused greater disruption of barrier integrity and uptake than micro-plastics, and that M cell-containing models showed enhanced particle translocation compared to standard epithelial models.
Enteric virus infection was boosted by the accumulation of micro- and nano-particles in host cells
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Researchers discovered that polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics can boost viral infection by promoting the release of virus-carrying extracellular vesicles from host cells. In experiments with murine norovirus, pre-exposure to the plastic particles enhanced viral spread while simultaneously suppressing key immune responses. The study identifies a previously unrecognized mechanism by which environmental plastic pollution could increase vulnerability to enteric virus infections.
Impact of Nanoplastic Particles on Intestinal Epithelium Health Using a Vascularized Gut-on-aChip Model
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Researchers developed a vascularized gut-on-a-chip model to assess how nanoplastic particles affect the intestinal barrier, focusing on bioaccumulation, translocation across epithelial and endothelial layers, and disruption of mucus and immune interfaces under physiologically relevant conditions.
Mapping the biological effects of micro- and nanoplastics in mammalian intestinal models: a scoping review.
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This review summarizes 90 studies on how tiny plastic particles affect gut health, mostly using lab-grown human intestinal cells rather than live animals. Most research used one plastic type (polystyrene) and nanosized particles, finding effects like cell stress, inflammation, and disruption of the gut's protective barrier.
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.