A research team from the Biotechnology Department of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea, the microplastics When taken orally, they accumulate in the brain and act as neurotoxic substances.. This discovery adds to other similar ones made in recent years that have revealed that microplastics have reached the bloodstream, liver and lungs of humans.
Plastic waste, which amounts to eight million tons per year, is broken down into microplastics by continuous exposure to sunlight or seawater. These parts are then consumed by lower level organisms such as plankton. thus it enters the food chain until it reaches humans.
The South Korean research team conducted an experiment. Two micrograms or less of microplastics were administered orally to mice for seven days to clarify the extent of its damage to health. The team found that the nanoplastics were 2 micrograms in size. crossed the so-called ‘blood-brain barrier’, a type of shield located in front of the brain This prevents you from absorbing hazardous materials. Until now, it was very unusual for solid bodies to cross the brain-blood-brain barrier, according to scientists.
Reduce cell proliferation
The team also revealed that microplastics accumulate in microglial cells in the brain. These are nerve tissue cells that make up 10% of brain cells. Through experiments, the team was able to confirm that fragments of up to two micrograms accumulated in the cytoplasm of microglial cells, and significantly reduced cell proliferation after tens of hours. The team explained that microglial cells perceive microplastics as an external threat. leads to apoptosis or cell death.
In experiments with mice, it was observed that the reduction in cells “indicated that microplastics can induce apoptosis in the brain by acting as neurotoxic substances when accumulated over a period of time.”
Dr Choi, Principal Investigator of DGIST’s Department of Biotechnology, commented: “The study shows that microplastics, especially 2㎛ or smaller, begin to accumulate in the brain after seven days.even after short-term ingestion, it results in apoptosis and changes in immune responses and inflammatory responses.”
The research was carried out with the support of a research grant from the ‘Parliamentary Risk Assessment’ project, one of the important projects of the DGIST Convergence Research Institute. The research was carried out by Prof. Dr. Kyungpook National University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. It was carried out in collaboration with the research teams of Jin-Kyu Park and Jee Eun Han. The results were published in the journal ‘Total Environmental Science’.
Reference work: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721058952?via%3Dihub
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