Microplastics as Moving Bugs within Model Cell Tissue

To understand the impact of microplastics within human body, we conducted experiments on cell monolayers (2D) and intestinal organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells (3D). Using live cell imaging, we observe local cell responses that in animal experiments would be inaccessible. Despite the expectation that nonpolar polymer microplastics display chemical inertness, we observe cell viability reduction depending on the type of microplastic. Likewise, we observe local changes of tissue morphology, depending on the type of microplastic. The contributory mechanisms are under investigation.