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Microplastics are omnipresent and can be detected in many places in the human body. According to preliminary studies, this could be dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions. Experts are now presenting new findings on the influence of microplastics on the digestive tract.

A recent study has also detected microplastics in arteriosclerotic plaques and linked them to an increased risk of cardiovascular complications.

This article is based on a press release of the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS).

We breathe it in, ingest it with our food and drink it: every day we come into contact with food packaged in plastic or use plastic products such as plastic drinking bottles or lunch boxes. "Small components of these products find their way into our bodies as microplastics," says Professor Dr Birgit Terjung, Medical Director of the GFO Clinics Bonn and media spokesperson for the DGVS.

While it is already well researched that the tiny plastic particles are present in almost every organism, it is difficult to prove any health effects. "The immense variety of plastics cannot be reproduced in the laboratory, and there is also a lack of comparison subjects required for studies who are not exposed to microplastics," says Terjung, explaining the dilemma facing researchers.

Experiments can also only depict reality with difficulty because possible damage to health is not caused by acute "poisoning", but by the fact that microplastics slowly accumulate in the body over years and decades.

Particles penetrate even the smallest cell

Despite these hurdles, numerous studies are now tracing the pathways and effects of microplastics in the human body. They show that Microplastics are a health-relevant factor.

The particles enter the bloodstream via the lungs and the digestive tract and continue into cells and tissue throughout the body. The smaller the plastic particles are, the deeper they penetrate into the organism. In studies, researchers have already found microplastics in the intestines, liver, kidneys, placenta and even the brain.

A recent study has also detected the particles in arteriosclerotic plaques and linked them to an increased risk of cardiovascular complications. "In addition to the size, the type of plastic could also be decisive for the extent to which the particles are absorbed and what effect they have in the organism," explains Professor . Initial animal experiments suggest that microplastics that have aged in the wild and are therefore coated with organic molecules could pass through the intestinal wall more easily and penetrate cells more effectively.

Do microplastics promote inflammation?

The cells that absorb plastic particularly readily include macrophages, the "scavenger cells" of the immune system that actually destroy pathogens such as bacteria. These cells cannot metabolise the ingested plastic. However, cell culture experiments suggest that macrophages could produce more pro-inflammatory immune messengers under the influence of certain microplastics.

Furthermore, initial studies on small patient cohorts indicate that more plastic may be present in the damaged organ than in healthy tissue in both chronic inflammatory bowel disease and liver fibrosis.

Despite the unclear study situation, there is increasing evidence that microplastics are by no means as passive in the body as the longevity of the material might suggest.

Note by Dr Thomas Platz:
INUSpheresis, which filters the plastic particles out of the blood, could be helpful for protection.