Influence of artificial digestion on characteristics and intestinal cellular effects of micro-, submicro- and nanoplastics.

The production of plastics is rising since they have been invented. Micro, submicro- and nanoplastics are produced intentionally or generated by environmental processes, and constitute ubiquitous contaminants which are ingested orally by consumers. Reported health concerns include intestinal translocation, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and cytotoxicity.

Complex intestinal and hepatic in vitro barrier models reveal information on uptake and impact of micro-, submicro- and nanoplastics.

Plastic particles are found almost ubiquitously in the environment and can get ingested orally by humans. We have used food-relevant microplastics (2 µm polylactic acid), submicroplastics (250 nm polylactic acid and 366 nm melamine formaldehyde resin) and nanoplastics (25 nm polymethylmethacrylate) to study material- and size-dependent uptake and transport across the human intestinal barrier and liver. Therefore, different Transwell™-based in vitro (co-)culture models were used: Differentiated Caco-2 cells mimicking the intestinal enterocyte monolayer, an M-cell model complementing the Caco-2 monoculture with antigen uptake-specialized cells, a mucus model complementing the barrier with an intestinal mucus layer, and an intestinal-liver co-culture combining differentiated Caco-2 cells with differentiated HepaRG cells.

Microplastics and nanoplastics: Size, surface and dispersant - What causes the effect?

There is increasing evidence that humans are exposed to microplastic particles through contaminated food. Although suitable analytical methods are still lacking, it is likely that these contaminations also contain a nanoplastics fraction. It is known from nanotoxicology that particles may acquire altered toxicological properties with decreasing particle sizes.

NanoPASS: an easy-to-use user interface for nanoparticle dosimetry with the 3DSDD model.

Nanoparticles exhibit a specific diffusion and sedimentation behavior under cell culture conditions as used in nantoxicological in vitro testing. How a particular particle suspension behaves depends on the particular physicochemical characteristics of the particles and the cell culture system. Only a fraction of the nanoparticles applied to a cell culture will thus reach the cells within a given time frame.

Micro- and nanoplastics - current state of knowledge with the focus on oral uptake and toxicity.

The production and use of plastics has constantly increased over the last 30 years. Over one third of the plastics is used in disposables, which are discarded within three years of their production. Despite efforts towards recycling, a substantial volume of debris has accumulated in the environment and is slowly degraded to micro- and nanoplastics by weathering and aging.