The smallest plastic particles of micrometric size are everywhere, in the oceans, in the air, they have even been sighted in the human placenta. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Fleury at the chair of Prof. Ralf Seemann at Saarland University is investigating the influence of microplastics on cell membranes. Microplastics stretch the membranes of human red blood cells, thereby greatly reducing their mechanical stability.
A possible toxic effect of microplastics on human cells is currently being discussed. Microplastics are a priori not lethal immediately after ingestion into living organisms. However, scientific findings clearly indicate that microplastics can lead to inflammation in cells. However, the possibility of inflammation of a cell membrane through a purely physical effect is completely ignored by the vast majority of studies. In the studies, however, it was observed that the membranes of artificial cells and red blood cells stretch in the presence of microplastics. Apparently, the membrane of human red blood cells spontaneously inflames. The theoretical physicist Dr. Vladimir Baulin from the University of Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, has developed a model of exactly how plastic particles affect cell membranes. A mechanical stretching of the cell membrane is predicted.
Source: University of Saarland
