Posted by Turkish Media
Apr 23, 2024
A Turkish study has established the existence of microplastics in brain cells. The observation by Turkish scientists will shed light on whether these products, when used daily, could be a factor in Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), strokes and brain hemorrhages in the future.
The research, conducted by Emrah Çeltikçi (Gazi University, Neurosurgery) and Sedat Gündoğdu (Çukurova University, Fisheries Faculty), was included in a documentary in Canada and published as an article in The New York Times.
In his response, Çeltikçi pointed out that humans have been intertwined with plastic for a hundred years. “For example, when water is put into a plastic bottle, small pieces of plastic begin to separate and most of the separated pieces consist of parts too small to see with the eye, called nano.” They can therefore pass unhindered to any part of the body. “These are called microplastics.”
International working group
Çeltikçi said he had contacted the International Working Group on Microplastics in 2022 and reviewed the studies conducted. He said that he investigated this after there was no research in the scientific literature showing whether microplastics are found in the brain due to environmental factors.
Microplastics are found in both damaged and undamaged brain cells. “Brains are very different from other organs. There is a blood-brain barrier in the brain. Not everything in the blood goes exactly to the brain. For example, in the liver there is no barrier between the blood vessels and the liver, but there is in the brain. There is even filtering during the transfer of blood in the brain.”
He continued: “When brain cells come into direct contact with blood, even healthy blood, it can damage the brain. That is why we wanted to see whether microplastics end up in the brain and whether the blood-brain barrier prevents this.”
The Turkish scientist pointed out that he had started a study with Gündoğdu and further emphasized: “In a preliminary study, we examined the MRI images of stage four tumors that the brain itself produces. These tumors normally destroy the blood-brain barrier by disrupting it.”
“From the studies we found that there were microplastics everywhere in the damaged and undamaged brain cells. We are currently continuing to collect samples as part of the study and will work on 50 different samples one by one.” Çeltikçi then stated that it has been shown that microplastics are present in brain cells. The question now is whether microplastics cause diseases.
Comments from many countries
The Turkish scientist said that they had been approached by a group preparing a documentary about the effects of plastics in Canada. After hearing of his discovery, they made contact and the Canadians traveled to Turkey.
Çeltikçi said their research was quickly heard around the world and his team received multiple offers from countries, especially the US and Canada, to continue research and development in their countries.
“The preliminary results of the study have been completed as a scientific article and have been submitted for publication in an international medical journal. The research was included in the documentary ‘Plastic People’, after which it was immediately published as an article in The New York Times. It reported that a study conducted in Turkey shows that plastic has now entered the brain.”
© Turkishmedia.nl – All rights reserved | AA | Published: 04/23/2024
