Tissue-specific distribution of microplastics in human blood and carotid plaques: A paired sample analysis

作者：Cancan Cui, Zheng Guo, Yanxi Liu, Ning Han, Jiayin Song, Yuanmei Chen, Yulu Zheng, Chen Sheng, Lois Balmer, Haibin Li, Rui Liu, Lin Liu, Jianshi Du, Zhiyuan Wu · 发表于：Environment International · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.envint.2025.109743 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Microplastics and Plastic Pollution、Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals、Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications

BACKGROUNDS: Microplastics (MPs) have been increasingly detected in human tissues, raising concerns about their role in cardiovascular disease. However, their distribution in matched blood and vascular tissues, such as atherosclerotic plaques, remains poorly understood. METHODS: Paired blood and carotid plaque samples were analyzed for 12 polymer types of MPs using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry among twenty patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. RESULTS: The mean concentration of total MPs was 75.2 μg/g in blood and 432.9 μg/g in plaque. Polyethylene (PE) dominated blood samples (46.5 %), followed by polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 16.8 %) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR, 16.3 %). In plaques, MPs were more evenly distributed, with polypropylene (PP, 23.1 %), PE (20.3 %), SBR (19.8 %), and PVC (18.5 %) being most common. Distinct clustering patterns were observed within each tissue, with a moderate paired correlation for total MPs (r = 0.30). Stronger correlations were found for polyurethane (PU, ρ = 0.91) and ABS (ρ = 0.54), while PC showed a negative correlation (ρ = -0.45). Several MPs were associated with lipid biomarkers, e.g., plaque PP was associated with lower HDL-C. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight tissue-specific MPs accumulation patterns and suggest the associations between MPs exposure and circulating lipid markers.