New Delhi: A new study has delivered the clearest evidence yet that nanoplastics generated from everyday single-use PET bottles can directly interfere with fundamental biological systems that sustain human health.
Nanoplastics—tiny fragments formed as larger plastics break down—are increasingly being detected in human blood, lungs, placenta, and even breast milk. Yet their exact health impacts have remained poorly understood.
While earlier research largely focused on environmental pollution or broad tissue-level damage, almost nothing was known about how these particles interact with the gut microbiome, which plays a central role in regulating immunity, metabolism, and mental well-being.
A team from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, has now filled this crucial gap. In a first-of-its-kind multi-system study, researchers examined how PET-derived nanoplastics affect beneficial gut bacteria, red blood cells, and human epithelial cells—linking plastic pollution to its largely invisible biological fallout.
Using laboratory-generated nanoplastics mimicking those released from PET bottles, the scientists exposed three biological models to understand their cumulative impact. When the beneficial gut bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus was exposed to long-term doses, its growth, colonisation ability, and protective metabolic functions dropped significantly.
At the same time, the bacteria displayed heightened stress responses and became more vulnerable to antibiotics—raising concern that nanoplastics may worsen microbial imbalance and weaken the body’s natural defences.
Red blood cells, used to assess blood compatibility, showed membrane disruption and hemolytic effects at higher concentrations. Human epithelial cells—representing the body’s frontline tissues—demonstrated even more worrying responses: DNA damage, oxidative stress, programmed cell death, inflammatory signalling, and altered energy and nutrient metabolism after prolonged exposure.
Taken together, the findings suggest that nanoplastics from everyday PET bottles are not inert pollutants but biologically active particles capable of disturbing gut health, destabilising blood cells, and impairing essential cell functions.
The study, published in Nanoscale Advances, warns that chronic exposure may trigger DNA damage, inflammation, and other cellular disruptions that have long-term implications for human health.
The researchers note that nanoplastics are already turning up in food, water, and the human body, underscoring the need for stronger regulation of single-use plastics and urgent investment in safer alternatives. Beyond human health, the work also opens new pathways for studying how plastic pollution may influence agriculture, nutrition, and environmental microbial ecosystems.
