Author Identifier (ORCID)
Lois Balmer: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5618-0555
Abstract
Backgrounds: Microplastics (MPs) have been increasingly detected in human tissues, raising concerns about their role in cardiovascular disease. However, their distribution in matched blood and vascular tissues, such as atherosclerotic plaques, remains poorly understood. Methods: Paired blood and carotid plaque samples were analyzed for 12 polymer types of MPs using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry among twenty patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Results: The mean concentration of total MPs was 75.2 μg/g in blood and 432.9 μg/g in plaque. Polyethylene (PE) dominated blood samples (46.5 %), followed by polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 16.8 %) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR, 16.3 %). In plaques, MPs were more evenly distributed, with polypropylene (PP, 23.1 %), PE (20.3 %), SBR (19.8 %), and PVC (18.5 %) being most common. Distinct clustering patterns were observed within each tissue, with a moderate paired correlation for total MPs (r = 0.30). Stronger correlations were found for polyurethane (PU, ρ = 0.91) and ABS (ρ = 0.54), while PC showed a negative correlation (ρ = -0.45). Several MPs were associated with lipid biomarkers, e.g., plaque PP was associated with lower HDL-C. Conclusion: These findings highlight tissue-specific MPs accumulation patterns and suggest the associations between MPs exposure and circulating lipid markers.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
9-1-2025
Volume
203
Publication Title
Environment International
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Precision Health / School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funders
The National Natural Science Foundation of China (32471535) / The “Medicine + X” Cross-Innovation Construction Project, China (2024JBGS05) / Jilin Province Science Foundation, China (YDZJ202501ZYTS769) / Yangfan Project, China (XHYF202404)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Cui, C., Guo, Z., Liu, Y., Han, N., Song, J., Chen, Y., Zheng, Y., Sheng, C., Balmer, L., Li, H., Liu, R., Liu, L., Du, J., & Wu, Z. (2025). Tissue-specific distribution of microplastics in human blood and carotid plaques: A paired sample analysis. Environment International, 203, 109743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109743