Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications
Although microplastics have been detected in human blood, placenta and other tissues. In this study, for the first time, we characterized the presence and variation of microplastic deposition patterns in three human skeletal tissues, namely the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs. Forty microp...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Environment International |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000674 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849720480525713408 |
|---|---|
| author | Qiaoyi Yang Ye Peng Xiaodong Wu Xiaorui Cao Peng Zhang Zhuowen Liang Jiawei Zhang Yongfeng Zhang Peipei Gao Yunfang Fu Peng Liu Zipeng Cao Tan Ding |
| author_facet | Qiaoyi Yang Ye Peng Xiaodong Wu Xiaorui Cao Peng Zhang Zhuowen Liang Jiawei Zhang Yongfeng Zhang Peipei Gao Yunfang Fu Peng Liu Zipeng Cao Tan Ding |
| author_sort | Qiaoyi Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although microplastics have been detected in human blood, placenta and other tissues. In this study, for the first time, we characterized the presence and variation of microplastic deposition patterns in three human skeletal tissues, namely the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs. Forty microplastic fragments were observed in 24 samples from the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral disc, ranging from 25.44 to 407.39 μm in diameter. The deposition abundance of microplastics in the human intervertebral disc (61.1 ± 44.2 particles/g) was higher than those in the bone (22.9 ± 15.7 particles/g) and cartilage tissue (26.4 ± 17.6 particles/g). The average sizes of microplastics in intervertebral discs (159.5 ± 103.8 μm) and bone (138.86 ± 105.67 μm) were larger than that in the cartilage tissue (87.5 ± 30.7 μm). The most frequently identified polymers were polypropylene (35 %), ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (30 %), and polystyrene (20 %). The in vivo experiment suggested that microplastics invaded the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs through blood circulation after 4 weeks of exposure. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Type Ⅰ procollagen amino-terminal peptide (PINP), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b) were elevated compared with those in the control group (p < 0.05). Our study suggests that microplastics invade the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs through the blood supply, causing distinct patterns of microplastic accumulation in these regions. Microplastic invasion can affect skeletal health by influencing the expression of inflammatory and bone morphogenetic cytokines. These findings provide insights into investigating the impact of microplastics on human skeletal health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-74dfb977caee4dcda52c55a015ba5d5c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj-art-74dfb977caee4dcda52c55a015ba5d5c2025-08-20T03:11:55ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202025-02-0119610931610.1016/j.envint.2025.109316Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implicationsQiaoyi Yang0Ye Peng1Xiaodong Wu2Xiaorui Cao3Peng Zhang4Zhuowen Liang5Jiawei Zhang6Yongfeng Zhang7Peipei Gao8Yunfang Fu9Peng Liu10Zipeng Cao11Tan Ding12Department of Health Education and Management and the Ministry of Education Key Lab of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Air Force Medical Center, Beijing 100142, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Health Education and Management and the Ministry of Education Key Lab of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaDepartment of Health Education and Management and the Ministry of Education Key Lab of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, ChinaKey Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Correspondence authors.Department of Health Education and Management and the Ministry of Education Key Lab of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, China; Correspondence authors.Department of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, China; Correspondence authors.Although microplastics have been detected in human blood, placenta and other tissues. In this study, for the first time, we characterized the presence and variation of microplastic deposition patterns in three human skeletal tissues, namely the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs. Forty microplastic fragments were observed in 24 samples from the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral disc, ranging from 25.44 to 407.39 μm in diameter. The deposition abundance of microplastics in the human intervertebral disc (61.1 ± 44.2 particles/g) was higher than those in the bone (22.9 ± 15.7 particles/g) and cartilage tissue (26.4 ± 17.6 particles/g). The average sizes of microplastics in intervertebral discs (159.5 ± 103.8 μm) and bone (138.86 ± 105.67 μm) were larger than that in the cartilage tissue (87.5 ± 30.7 μm). The most frequently identified polymers were polypropylene (35 %), ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (30 %), and polystyrene (20 %). The in vivo experiment suggested that microplastics invaded the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs through blood circulation after 4 weeks of exposure. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Type Ⅰ procollagen amino-terminal peptide (PINP), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b) were elevated compared with those in the control group (p < 0.05). Our study suggests that microplastics invade the bone, cartilage, and intervertebral discs through the blood supply, causing distinct patterns of microplastic accumulation in these regions. Microplastic invasion can affect skeletal health by influencing the expression of inflammatory and bone morphogenetic cytokines. These findings provide insights into investigating the impact of microplastics on human skeletal health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000674MicroplasticSkeletal systemBlood circulationInflammationBone morphogenesis |
| spellingShingle | Qiaoyi Yang Ye Peng Xiaodong Wu Xiaorui Cao Peng Zhang Zhuowen Liang Jiawei Zhang Yongfeng Zhang Peipei Gao Yunfang Fu Peng Liu Zipeng Cao Tan Ding Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications Environment International Microplastic Skeletal system Blood circulation Inflammation Bone morphogenesis |
| title | Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications |
| title_full | Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications |
| title_fullStr | Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications |
| title_short | Microplastics in human skeletal tissues: Presence, distribution and health implications |
| title_sort | microplastics in human skeletal tissues presence distribution and health implications |
| topic | Microplastic Skeletal system Blood circulation Inflammation Bone morphogenesis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000674 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT qiaoyiyang microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT yepeng microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT xiaodongwu microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT xiaoruicao microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT pengzhang microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT zhuowenliang microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT jiaweizhang microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT yongfengzhang microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT peipeigao microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT yunfangfu microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT pengliu microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT zipengcao microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications AT tanding microplasticsinhumanskeletaltissuespresencedistributionandhealthimplications |