Papers

Microplastics: What happens in the human digestive tract? First evidences in adults using in vitro gut models

Researchers used an advanced artificial gut model to study what happens when polyethylene microplastics pass through the human digestive tract under conditions mimicking repeated exposure. They found that microplastics altered the composition of gut bacteria and affected the intestinal barrier without causing overt toxicity. This is among the first studies to simulate realistic human digestive exposure to microplastics, suggesting subtle but meaningful effects on gut health.

Exposure to polyethylene microplastics alters immature gut microbiome in an infant in vitro gut model

Researchers used an artificial infant gut model to study how chronic exposure to polyethylene microplastics affects the developing intestinal microbiome. They found that microplastics shifted gut microbial composition, increasing the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae while decreasing beneficial butyrate production. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion may disrupt the gut microbiome of infants, though no significant damage to the intestinal barrier was observed.

In vitro models of gut digestion across childhood: current developments, challenges and future trends

Researchers review the development of in vitro gut digestion models for children from birth to age three, summarizing how gut anatomy, physiology, and microbiota evolve during this period and how existing static and dynamic model systems can simulate these compartments to study nutrition, drug delivery, and environmental contaminant exposure.

Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics exacerbates the effects of a Western-style diet on the digestive tract of adult male mice

Researchers investigated how oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics interacts with a Western-style diet to affect the digestive tract of mice over 90 days. The study found that microplastics exacerbated diet-related intestinal disruption, suggesting that dietary context plays an important role in determining the health impact of microplastic ingestion.

Fate and impact of nanoplastics in the human digestive environment after oral exposure: A common challenge for toxicology and chemistry

How scientific networks can help advancing both scientific knowledge and public policies: the case study of the “Plastics, Environment and Health” network

This paper describes the French interdisciplinary research network on plastics, environment, and health, which was established in 2019 to coordinate research across ecotoxicology, chemistry, physics, and social science. The network has facilitated collaborations, standardized methods, and produced policy-relevant findings on plastic pollution across soil, air, water, and human health impacts.

A Western-style diet shapes the gut and liver responses to low-dose, fit-for-purpose polystyrene nanoplastics in mice

A subchronic mouse study found that low-dose polystyrene nanoplastics designed to mimic real-world particle characteristics impaired gut and liver health in a non-monotonic, diet-dependent manner, with Western-style diet amplifying the effects.

Impact of Microplastics in Human Health

Plastic ingestion in oceanic-stage loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) off the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Researchers analysed gastrointestinal tracts of 24 juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) collected in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre near the Azores, finding that 20 of 24 individuals had ingested plastic debris, highlighting the vulnerability of oceanic-stage juveniles to plastic pollution.

Impact of Microplastics in Human Health

A device to simulate contaminant transfer and surface and subsurface flow through intact soil monoliths

Researchers designed a laboratory device to study the movement of agricultural contaminants through intact, undisturbed soil monoliths, allowing simultaneous monitoring of surface and subsurface flow. The device aims to better understand how pollutants transfer between environmental compartments in natural soil structures.