Nanoplastic Impact on the Gut-Brain Axis: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

[Hoopoe]

The widespread usage of plastic places a significant burden on the environment and impacts numerous aquatic and terrestrial species. Humans in particular can be affected by plastic pollution, predominantly via inhalation and ingestion, as well as trophic transfer along the food chain. Under natural conditions synthetic materials undergo degradation into micro- and nanoparticles, especially prone to interact with biological systems. Organisms exposed to nanoplastic accumulate it in multiple tissues, including the gut and the brain. This phenomenon raises a question about the impact of nanoparticulate plastics on the communication pathways between these organs. The aim of this review is to explore an unsettling possibility of the influence of nanoplastic on the gut-brain axis and provide a comprehensive summary of available data regarding this subject. The scarce but consistent evidence shows that exposure to plastic nanoparticles can indeed affect both the digestive and the nervous system. Reported outcomes include microbiota alterations, intestinal barrier permeability, oxidative stress, inflammation, neurotoxicity and behavioral disturbances. Taking into consideration these alarming observations and the ubiquitous presence of plastics in human environment, more research is urgently needed in order to identify any potential threats that nanoplastic exposure can pose to the functioning of the gut-brain axis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8657997/

 

[rvallee]

It's really wild that news that not only plastic nanoparticles but all sorts of industrial chemicals have been found in every human tissue, including placental tissue, and barely anyone knows about it. And yet environmental causes of illness and disease are basically treated as a joke, the mindless obsession with psychomumbojumbo has hogged all the resources and attention.

As a result of the lack of interest, there's been basically no research on the impact. Although quite frankly I'm not even sure if medicine is capable of that anymore, current medical science obviously falls completely flat with complex problems like this. The entire process of medical research depends on isolated unique factors and that's impossible here. If it's too hard to tell the difference, efforts don't even get started, which locks in place the inability to tell the difference. It's basically recursive failure: you fail because you failed and will fail again because of that failure.

This is the stuff that could be (not saying it is, could be) end of civilization, say like Children of men, and we wouldn't know it until it's too late because no one's checking it. Instead this crap will be submerged in quackery before anyone starts noticing anything.