A group of researchers from the CSIC has discovered that ingesting microplastics reduces the bacterial diversity of the colon microbiota, in addition to producing an alteration of the balance in the microorganisms present.
EHEC bacteria with high resistance to antibiotics. EFE Manfred Rohde
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that ingesting PET microplastics (associated with the food chain) reduces the abundance of bacteria known for their positive effects on health and increases the presence of other microbial groups related to pathogenic activity.
“Given the possible chronic exposure to these particles through our diet, the results obtained suggest that their continued intake could alter the intestinal balance and, therefore, health,” explains Victoria Moreno, from the Food Sciences Research Institute (CIAL) of the CSIC.
The study, in which the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemicals (ICP) and the Institute of Ceramics and Glass (ICV) of the CSIC have also participated, is the first that has evaluated the impact of the ingestion of microplastics in the digestive tract and the human gut microbiota.
Knowing what happens in our body and the consequences that these materials can cause us in the short, medium and long term is important since, according to the most recent calculations, on average, each person could ingest between 0.1 and 5 grams of microplastics each week through food and drink.
In addition, the study has shown for the first time that these microplastics can undergo biotransformations throughout the gastrointestinal tract and reach the colon in a structurally different way than the original.
“All these observed mechanisms and factors, which are just beginning to be studied, will contribute to finding out if microplastics can remain in the human body and potentially accumulate in some organs and tissues,” he concludes.
To carry out the research, the CSIC team has designed a protocol for simulating the ingestion and digestion of microplastics under physiological conditions, which can be extrapolated to the study of other types of plastic and particle sizes.
“Using the in vitro model of gastrointestinal digestion patented by the CSIC, we were able to house the human colonic microbiota during the intervention with microplastics,” explains Victoria Moreno.
This protocol, combined with the use of electron microscopy and spectroscopy, has made it possible to monitor changes in the structure and morphology of microplastics in the digestive tract.
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