A Noninvasive Quantitative Method for Evaluating Intestinal Exposure to Microplastics Based on the Excretion and Metabolism Patterns of Microplastics and Their Additives

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) pose potential health risks to the intestinal tract and gut microbiota, a topic that has garnered significant attention. However, the absence of quantitative assessment methods for human gut MP exposure impedes related health risk assessments. Here, we performed long-term continuous exposure experiments on mice using MPs that mimic actual human exposure characteristics. The daily excretion of fecal MPs and the concentrations of phthalates (PAEs) and their metabolites (mPAEs) in serum and urine were detected. The cumulative excretion rate of fecal MPs remains stable at about 93%. A significant linear correlation was observed between MP exposure and concentration of mPAEs in urine for both low MP (LMP; 150 μg of MPs/d) ( R 2 = 0.90) and high MP (HMP; 360 μg of MPs/d) groups ( R 2 = 0.97). Moreover, a strong correlation was found between daily PAEs exposure and total MP-associated PAEs exposure in both LMP ( R 2 = 0.77) and HMP ( R 2 = 0.88) groups. Based on these findings, we established a noninvasive model and evaluated multiple MP exposure parameters in the human gut across 6 continents, 30 countries, and 133 individuals. This study offers novel insights for the quantitative assessment of in vivo MP exposure and provides technical support for assessing the health risks of MPs.