A recent study has found that interaction of nanoplastics with a particular protein found naturally in the brain creates changes which can be linked to Parkinson’s disease and other types of dementia.
This research has been published in the Journal Science Advances and it paves the way for a new area of investigation which is fuelled by the timely impact of environmental factors on human biology.
According to the principal investigator who is a professor at Duke University School of Medicine, US, Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world.
Andrew West says that numerous lines of data suggest that environmental factors might have a prominent role in Parkinson’s disease. “But such factors have not been identified for the most part”, he added.
In a recent study, the blood of most adults contained microplastics which are plastics that have been disposed improperly break into tiny pieces which then accumulates in water and food supplies.
“Our research suggests that the rising presence of micro and nanoplastics in the environment poses a new threat linked to Parkinson’s disease risk and advancement,” stated West.
The researcher expressed concern over the escalating concentrations of these contaminants in water and food supplies, foreseeing potential risks.
The team discovered that plastic polystyrene nanoparticles, commonly found in disposable items like cups and cutlery, attract the accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein. Of particular surprise was the strong affinity between the plastic and the protein in the neuron region where these accumulations amass, specifically within the lysosome.
Throughout various models—test tubes, cultured neurons, and mouse models of Parkinson’s disease—the plastic-protein accumulations were consistently observed.
Questions persist regarding how these interactions occur in humans and whether plastic type influences this process.
“While microplastics and nanoplastics are under scrutiny for their potential impact on cancer and autoimmune diseases, the remarkable interactions witnessed in our models necessitate a closer examination of increasing nanoplastic contaminants concerning Parkinson’s disease and dementia risks,” West emphasized.
