Drinking water packaged in plastic bottles can contribute to the development of diabetes. Scientists from Poland and Spain discovered that microscopic particles of PET bottles penetrate the blood and spread to the pancreas, where they can damage cells and threaten insulin production. In the research, the authors build on previous work that linked small plastic particles to a number of health problems, but mostly did not demonstrate a direct causal link.
In this research, they focused on microplastics from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), i.e. the main components of plastic bottles. According to the authors, these particles have toxic effects on the pancreas. Authors from Poland and Spain published the results in the professional journal BMC Genomics.
They tested the microplastics in a pig model, which the researchers chose because of the physiological similarities between pigs and humans, particularly in terms of pancreatic function and metabolism. “Pigs were exposed to either a low or high dose of PET microplastics for four weeks,” state the authors. The low dose was 0.1 gram per day, the high one gram per day.
The results show that PET microplastics can cause significant cell death in the pancreas and seriously disrupt its function. “PET microplastics affected protein abundance in a dose-dependent manner,” the authors note, noting that the lower dose altered the abundance of seven proteins, while the higher dose altered seventeen.
The researchers also noted an abnormal accumulation of fat droplets in the pancreas, a phenomenon associated with impaired insulin secretion and impaired glucose metabolism. According to the study, PET particles can also trigger inflammatory processes at the cellular level.
The authors added that their findings point to a new pathway by which microplastics can cause metabolic disorders. At the same time, they point out that the results indicate similar impacts in humans as well, and call for further research and consideration of the health consequences of growing microplastic pollution.
