Plastic Particles Can Alter Sex Hormones
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Amid rising evidence that additives designed to improve plastics also disrupt sex hormones, a Rutgers laboratory trial shows that plastic itself can do likewise when inhaled at moderate levels.
Previous studies focused on chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA) that make plastics stiffer or more flexible. These findings spurred ongoing efforts to find safer plastic additives.
The Rutgers study showed that microscale and nanoscale particles (MNPs) of polyamide, a common plastic better known as nylon, produced endocrine-disrupting effects when inhaled by female lab rats in concentrations experienced by humans.
The disruption of sex hormones delivered by the endocrine system could help explain health issues such as increasing obesity and declining fertility.
“Previous research has focused almost exclusively on chemical additives,” said Phoebe Stapleton, assistant professor at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and senior author of the study published in Particle and Fiber Toxicology. “This is one of the first studies to show endocrine disrupting effects from a plastic particle itself, not based on exposure to the plasticizing chemical.”
“The other innovation was the method of exposure,” Stapleton said. “Previous studies have injected animals with the particles being studied or fed them to them. We figured out how to aerosolize the MNP to be inhaled just as we breathe it in real life. We expect many labs to use this method for experiments going forward as it better mimics actual exposure.”
Researchers used an extremely fine, commercially available, food-grade nylon powder as their model MNP. They then placed the powder onto a rubber pad and put the pad atop a bass speaker. The bass pulse sent the smallest nylon particles into the air, and air streams within the system delivered them to the rats.
The study aimed to assess the toxicological consequences of a single 24-hour exposure of MNPs to female rats in heat. After exposure, the researchers estimated the pulmonary deposits of MNPs and measured their impact on pulmonary inflammation, cardiovascular function, systemic inflammation, and endocrine disruption.
Results theorized through pulmonary modeling suggested that inhaled particles deposited in all regions of the rats' lungs without causing significant pulmonary inflammation. However, researchers noted an impairment in vascular function and a decrease in the levels of the reproductive hormone 17 beta-estradiol.
Plastics have been commonly used since shortly after World War II. According to previous Rutgers research, manufacturers have made about 9 billion metric tons of plastic in the past 60 years. About 80 percent of it is exposed to atmospheric forces that chip off invisibly small particles that float in the air we breathe.
Concern that these microplastics and nano-plastic particles could affect human health by disrupting our hormones is relatively new, Stapleton said. Still, numerous studies have provided evidence that plastic chemical additives can have such an effect.
“Unfortunately, there’s very little that people can do to reduce exposure at the moment,” Stapleton said. “You can be aware of your flooring, wear natural fibers, and avoid storing food in plastic containers, but invisibly small plastic particles are likely in nearly every breath we take.”
Reference: Cary CM, Seymore TN, Singh D, et al. Single inhalation exposure to polyamide micro and nanoplastic particles impairs vascular dilation without generating pulmonary inflammation in virgin female Sprague Dawley rats. Part Fibre Toxicol. 2023;20(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s12989-023-00525-x
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Chembe za plastiki zinaweza kubadilisha homoni za ngono Jaza fomu hapa chini ili kufungua upatikanaji wa makala zote za sauti. Wakati ushahidi unaongezeka kwamba nyongeza zilizotengenezwa kuboresha plastiki pia huvuruga homoni za ngono, jaribio la maabara ya Rutgers linaonyesha kwamba plastiki yenyewe inaweza kufanya vivyo hivyo wakati inapomezwa kwa viwango vya wastani. Utafiti wa hivi karibuni unaonyesha kuwa kemikali kama vile bisphenol-A (BPA) inaweza kuimarisha plastiki. Matokeo hayo yalisababisha jitihada za kuendelea za kutafuta viambatisho vya plastiki salama zaidi. Utafiti wa Rutgers ulionyesha kwamba chembechembe ndogo na ndogo za polyamide (MNPs), plastiki ya kawaida inayojulikana kama nylon, ilisababisha athari za kuvuruga endocrine wakati wa kuvuta panya wa maabara wa kike katika mkusanyiko uliopatikana na wanadamu. Uharibifu wa homoni za ngono zinazotolewa na mfumo wa endocrine unaweza kusaidia kuelezea masuala ya afya kama vile kuongezeka kwa unene na kupungua kwa uzazi. "Utafiti wa awali umezingatia karibu tu nyongeza za kemikali", alisema Phoebe Stapleton, profesa msaidizi katika Shule ya Rutgers Ernest Mario ya Dawa na mwandishi mwandamizi wa utafiti uliochapishwa katika Toxicology ya Chembe na Fiber. "Hii ni moja ya masomo ya kwanza kuonyesha athari za kuvuruga endocrine kutoka kwa chembe ya plastiki yenyewe, sio kulingana na mfiduo wa kemikali ya plasticizing. ""Ubunifu mwingine ulikuwa njia ya mfiduo, ""Stapleton alisema." <unk>Utafiti wa awali umeingiza wanyama na chembechembe zinazochunguzwa au kuwapa chakula. Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya hali ya hewa, tunaweza kuingiza MNP katika hewa, kama vile tunavyofanya katika maisha halisi. "Tunatarajia maabara nyingi kutumia mbinu hii kwa majaribio ya kuendelea kwani inaiga vizuri mfiduo halisi. ""Watafiti walitumia poda nzuri sana, inayopatikana kibiashara, nylon ya kiwango cha chakula kama mfano wao wa MNP." Kisha wakaweka poda hiyo kwenye kipande cha mpira na kuweka kipande hicho juu ya msemaji wa sauti ya chini. Puls ya bass ilituma chembe ndogo za nailoni hewani, na mtiririko wa hewa ndani ya mfumo huo uliwapeleka kwa panya. Utafiti huo ulilenga kutathmini athari za sumu za mfiduo wa saa moja wa MNP kwa panya wa kike katika joto. Baada ya kuambukizwa, watafiti walipima amana za mapafu ya MNPs na kupima athari zao kwenye uvimbe wa mapafu, kazi ya moyo, uvimbe wa mfumo, na usumbufu wa endocrine. Matokeo ya utafiti huo yalionyesha kwamba chembechembe zilizopumua zilikuwa zimewekwa katika sehemu zote za mapafu ya panya bila kusababisha uvimbe mkubwa wa mapafu. Hata hivyo, watafiti waligundua kupungua kwa utendaji wa mishipa ya damu na kupungua kwa viwango vya homoni ya uzazi ya 17 beta-estradiol. Plastiki zimetumiwa kwa kawaida tangu muda mfupi baada ya Vita vya Pili vya Ulimwengu. Kulingana na utafiti wa zamani wa Rutgers, wazalishaji wametengeneza karibu tani za plastiki bilioni 9 katika miaka 60 iliyopita. Karibu asilimia 80 ya hewa hiyo huathiriwa na nguvu za angahewa ambazo huondoa chembechembe ndogo zisizoonekana ambazo huelea hewani. "Hata hivyo, wasiwasi kwamba microplastics na nano-plastic inaweza kuathiri afya ya binadamu kwa kuharibu homoni zetu ni mpya, ""Stapleton alisema." Hata hivyo, uchunguzi mwingi umetoa uthibitisho kwamba viambatisho vya kemikali za plastiki vinaweza kuwa na athari kama hiyo. "Kwa bahati mbaya, kuna kidogo sana kwamba watu wanaweza kufanya ili kupunguza mfiduo kwa sasa", Stapleton alisema. "Unaweza kuwa na ufahamu wa sakafu yako, kuvaa nyuzi za asili, na kuepuka kuhifadhi chakula katika vyombo vya plastiki, lakini chembe ndogo za plastiki zisizoonekana zinaweza kuwa karibu katika kila pumzi tunayochukua. """ Mfumo wa kupumua kwa vipande vya polyamide micro na nanoplastic huathiri upanuzi wa mishipa ya damu bila kuzalisha uvimbe wa mapafu katika panya wa Sprague Dawley wa kike wa bikira. Sehemu ya Fibre Toxicol. "203: ""Sehemu ya kwanza ya makala hii imepitishwa kutoka kwa vifaa vifuatavyo." Kumbuka: vifaa inaweza kuwa ilihaririwa kwa urefu na maudhui. Kwa habari zaidi, tafadhali wasiliana na chanzo kilichotajwa.