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Background: The increasing presence of plastics in the human diet is raising public concern about the potential risks posed by nanoplastic (NP) particles, which can emerge from the degradation of plastic debris. NP ingestion poses particular risks to individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as compromised epithelial barriers may facilitate NP translocation.
Methods: In vitro, bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were exposed to 25 nm polymethacrylate (PMMA) or 50 nm polystyrene (PS) particles to assess morphological changes and alterations in pro- and anti-inflammatory gene expression. In vivo, mice received PMMA NP particles for 6 months before acute dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis was induced to investigate NP impacts on intestinal health and inflammation.
Results: PMMA and PS NP exposure in BMDMs induced morphological changes indicative of a proinflammatory phenotype characterized by enlarged amoeboid cell shapes. It also triggered an inflammatory response, indicated by increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as and . Unexpectedly, long-term PMMA NP administration did not affect the intestinal epithelial barrier or exacerbate acute DSS-induced colitis in mice. Colonoscopy and histological analysis revealed no NP-related changes, suggesting adverse effects on intestinal health or inflammation.
Conclusion: Our findings from animal models offer some reassurance to IBD patients regarding the effects of NP ingestion. However, variations in lifestyle and dietary habits may lead to significantly higher plastic intake in certain individuals, raising concerns about potential long-term gastrointestinal effects of lifelong plastic consumption.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nano14161350 | DOI Listing |
Arq Gastroenterol
September 2025
Escola Superior de Ciências da Saúde, Fundação de Ensino e Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Brasília, DF, Brasil.
Objectives: This study aimed to translate the Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score into Brazilian Portuguese, adapting it culturally and validating it semantically.
Methods: The process followed international guidelines for translation, back-translation, cultural adaptation, and semantic validation, involving a committee of specialists and a pre-test with 10 Brazilian pediatric patients with neurogenic bowel dysfunction (mean age: 11 years). Participants were divided into two groups, depending on whether they used transanal irrigation for intestinal management.
Arq Gastroenterol
September 2025
The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine, Editorial Department, Tokyo, Japan.
Background: This study aims to analyze research trends and emerging insights into gut microbiota studies from 2015 to 2024 through bibliometric analysis techniques. By examining bibliographic data from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection, it seeks to identify key research topics, evolving themes, and significant shifts in gut microbiota research. The study employs co-occurrence analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and burst detection analysis to uncover latent patterns and the development trajectory of this rapidly expanding field.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2025
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Food intake is a key regulator of the digestive system function; however, little is known about organ- and sex-specific differences in food-driven regulation. We placed male and female C57Bl/6 mice on time-restricted feeding (TRF), limiting access to food to an 8-hour window. Food was added either at dark (ZT12) or light (ZT0) onset for 14 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2025
Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology & Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and reactive intermediates, such as methylglyoxal, are formed during thermal processing of foods and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a series of chronic inflammatory diseases. AGEs are thought to directly interact with the intestinal epithelium upon ingestion of thermally processed foods, but their effects on intestinal epithelial cells are poorly understood. This study investigated transcriptomic changes in human intestinal epithelial FHs 74 Int cells after exposure to AGE-modified human serum proteins (AGE-HS), S100A12, a known RAGE ligand, and unmodified human serum proteins (HS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Pathog
September 2025
Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, Australia.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells and play a key role in facilitating the sexual transmission of HIV, functioning as a delivery system responsible for trafficking the virus from exposed barrier sites to their key target cells, CD4 T cells. Although the role of DCs in HIV transmission is well established, the recent advent of high-parameter, single-cell detection technologies, coupled with improved cell isolation techniques, has led to the rapid reclassification of the DC landscape, particularly within human barrier tissues. The identification of new subsets introduces the challenge of incorporating previously understood transmission principles with new, cell-specific, functional nuances to identify the key DCs responsible for facilitating HIV infection.
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