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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
Combining Human Organoids and Organ-on-a-Chip Technology to Model Intestinal Region-Specific Functionality
Published on: May 5, 2022
Size-Dependent Internalization of Microplastics and Nanoplastics Using In Vitro Model of the Human
Hyunjin Choi1, Shohei Kaneko1, Yusei Suzuki1
1Department of Chemical System Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Abstract:
Pollution by microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) raises concerns, not only regarding their environmental effects, but also their potential impact on human health by internalization via the small intestine. However, the detailed pathways of MNP internalization and their toxicities to the human intestine have not sufficiently been understood, thus, further investigations are required. This work aimed to understand the behavior of MNPs, using in vitro human intestine models, tri-culture models composed of enterocyte Caco-2 cells, goblet-like HT29-MTX-E12 cells, and microfold cells (M cells) induced by the lymphoblast cell line Raji B. Three sizes (50, 100, and 500 nm) of polystyrene (PS) particles were exposed as MNPs on the culture model, and size-dependent translocation of the MNPs and the contributions of each cell were clarified, emphasizing the significance of the tri-culture model. In addition, potential concerns of MNPs were suggested when they invaded the circulatory system of the human body.
