When they are in an aqueous medium, the plastic microparticles manage to penetrate inside the cells to form small clusters there. If the phenomenon is worrying, what is even more so is that we do not know what the health risks are.
-1607941727.jpg "Microplastics present in water penetrate the body more easily")
- In water, microplastics have a better nuisance capacity, they are able to enter the cells.
- Additional studies must be carried out to understand what are the repercussions on our body of this plastic which infiltrates the cells.
Microplastics have become ubiquitous in our lives. Present in large numbers in the air, in the oceans, in the soil and in our food, they have catastrophic consequences on the environment and our health. Researchers from the University of Bayreuth (Germany) have shown that microplastics can find their way into the body more easily if they have previously been in contact with fresh or salt water. The results of this study were published on December 9, 2020 in the journal Science Advances.
Realistic test conditions
To sort through the vastness of existing microplastics, the researchers focused on plastic particles with a diameter of about three micrometers, the most present in nature. In order to best simulate real-life conditions, part of these microplastics was placed in fresh water from an artificial lake, while the rest was brought into contact with salt water from an aquarium. marine. Biomolecules, which here are mouse cells, were then deposited on the surface of the water for two weeks.
After a few weeks, the researchers came to see how the interaction between microplastics and biomolecules had gone. Thanks to a contrast agent applied to the biomolecules, the researchers highlighted the actin filaments, structures inside the cells. The goal here is to see if the microplastics have penetrated inside the cell or if they have remained on the periphery. Peering inside through a microscope, the researchers were shocked to find that microplastics were present in abundance. In their conclusion, they even speak of “black holes” to evoke these clumps of plastic.
Microplastics inside cells
“Fluorescent labeling of actin filaments allowed us to see exactly which particles were internalized by the cells. Thanks to spectroscopic methods, we verified that these particles were indeed microplastics – or more precisely, polystyrene particles – and not accidental impurities.emphasizes Holger Kress, professor of biological physics at the University of Bayreuth. Our study supports the hypothesis that microplastics that have been exposed to the natural environment – and are therefore coated with biomolecules – not only pass through the digestive tract when ingested with food, but can also be incorporated into tissues. . The coating of biomolecules can act as a kind of Trojan horse that allows plastics to be internalized in living cells. The precise damage that particles can cause here has not yet been sufficiently studied. In addition, it is still unclear which properties of microplastics are actually responsible for the negative effects.”
Indeed, unlike the other results, in the control group, consisting of microplastic particles immersed in ultrapure water, the insertion of microplastics into the cells did not occur. It turned out that these unprocessed microplastics were only occasionally absorbed by the cells.
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