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Research Article: Higher abundance of micro- and nanoplastics in inflammatory tissues from patients with intestinal erosion

Date Published: 2026-07-10

Abstract:
The detrimental effects of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) on human health have been the subject of intense research in recent years, but there is little data on how MNPs affect intestinal health. Six participants with colonic or terminal ileal erosion were enrolled, and one erosive tissue sample plus one adjacent non-erosive tissue sample were collected from each participant. Pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was utilized to determine the MNP content of these tissues after pathological examination investigation verified the existence of inflammation in the erosive tissue samples. Our results revealed that MNPs were present in all intestinal samples, with a total MNP concentration of 1758.15 (664.07) mg/kg in inflammatory tissues and 611.49 (510.64) mg/kg in non-inflammatory intestinal tissues; the difference was statistically significant ( p < 0.05). Three types of MNPs were identified: polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polystyrene (PS). PE and PVC exhibited a 100% detection rate in all tissue samples, whereas PS was found in 16.67% of samples. Correlation analysis revealed marginal associations of intestinal MNP levels with age, drinking water source and diarrhea. This work provides preliminary baseline data and hints at a weak link between MNP exposure and intestinal inflammation.

Introduction:
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are a general term for microplastics (less than 5 mm in diameter) and nanoplastics (1–100 nm in diameter) ( 1 , 2 ). MNPs that have been discovered in beverages, salt, terrestrial and aquatic creatures, and other dietary matrices imply that humans may be exposed to MNPs via the food chain ( 3 ). MNPs can accumulate in intestinal tissues in addition to being absorbed through the digestive system, according to recent studies that found MNPs in human feces and intestinal tissues ( 4 , 5…

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