Incineration-Generated Polyethylene Micro-Nanoplastics Increase Triglyceride Lipolysis and Absorption in an In Vitro Small Intestinal Epithelium Model.

ABSTRACT: Despite mounting evidence of micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) in food and drinking water, little is known of the potential health risks of ingested MNPs, and nothing is known of their potential impact on nutrient digestion and absorption. We assessed the effects of environmentally relevant secondary MNPs generated by incineration of polyethylene (PE-I), on digestion and absorption of fat in a high fat food model using a 3-phase in vitro simulated digestion coupled with a tri-culture small intestinal epithelium model. The presence of 400 μg/mL PE-I increased fat digestion by 33% and increased fat absorption by 147 and 145% 1 and 2 h after exposure. Analysis of the PE-I lipid corona during digestion revealed predominantly triacylglycerols with enrichment of fatty acids in the small intestina

SUBMITTER: DeLoid GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9559972 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature