Health effects of microplastics
1 Purpose
Microplastic particles, that is debris from plastics of less than 5 mm size, are present almost everywhere. Very little is known about their health effects in terrestrial animals and humans. The purpose of the project is to study the effect of well-defined microplastic particles (MPs) on the gastrointestinal permeability and the accumulation of MPs in other organs in terrestrial animals, with the rat as model organism.
2 Distress
Animal will be treated well and protected from the unnecessary suffering.
The experiments will be mild (short-term mild pain or distress, no significant impairment of the wellbeing or general conditions of the animals) and terminal (non-recovery). Animals will receive MPs with their normal food, and we will investigate the uptake and distribution of MPs in blood, the gut and other organs. For this purpose, urine and faeces samples will be collected for further analyses. In the terminal experiments the animals will be sacrificed and their organs such as gut, kidney, liver, brain will be used for ex-vivo experiments.
3 Expected benefit
Expected benefits include increased knowledge of the effect of potentially harmful micro-plastic particles on gut function and permeability of terrestrial animals. Other organs will also be collected and either investigated or stored for future use. Observed effects will be transferred to humans and thus the potential health threats of micro-plastic particles can be evaluated.
4 Number of animals, and what kind
We will use a 2x2 factorial design to study the effect of two types of micro-plastic, polyamide and polyethylene, ingested together with feed, in comparison to placebo. As such experiments have not been carried out before, it is estimated that 6 animals per group will be sufficient, and in total, 24 animals will be used. Wistar rats will be used, and both male and female animals are included.
5 How to adhere to 3R
There are no studies available on the effect of micro-plastic particles on gastrointestinal health in terrestrial animals. Therefore, this study has to be regarded as pilot study, and will start using a low number of animals. The number of animals has been calculated with the apearance of MPs in blood as the primary outcome. In addition, the gut of the animals will be investigated in a USSING chamber after sacrification, and this will reduce the number of animals used in upcoming experiments. Other organs will also be conserved and prepared for future analysis, thus reducing the number of animals required in future experiments.
Microplastic particles, that is debris from plastics of less than 5 mm size, are present almost everywhere. Very little is known about their health effects in terrestrial animals and humans. The purpose of the project is to study the effect of well-defined microplastic particles (MPs) on the gastrointestinal permeability and the accumulation of MPs in other organs in terrestrial animals, with the rat as model organism.
2 Distress
Animal will be treated well and protected from the unnecessary suffering.
The experiments will be mild (short-term mild pain or distress, no significant impairment of the wellbeing or general conditions of the animals) and terminal (non-recovery). Animals will receive MPs with their normal food, and we will investigate the uptake and distribution of MPs in blood, the gut and other organs. For this purpose, urine and faeces samples will be collected for further analyses. In the terminal experiments the animals will be sacrificed and their organs such as gut, kidney, liver, brain will be used for ex-vivo experiments.
3 Expected benefit
Expected benefits include increased knowledge of the effect of potentially harmful micro-plastic particles on gut function and permeability of terrestrial animals. Other organs will also be collected and either investigated or stored for future use. Observed effects will be transferred to humans and thus the potential health threats of micro-plastic particles can be evaluated.
4 Number of animals, and what kind
We will use a 2x2 factorial design to study the effect of two types of micro-plastic, polyamide and polyethylene, ingested together with feed, in comparison to placebo. As such experiments have not been carried out before, it is estimated that 6 animals per group will be sufficient, and in total, 24 animals will be used. Wistar rats will be used, and both male and female animals are included.
5 How to adhere to 3R
There are no studies available on the effect of micro-plastic particles on gastrointestinal health in terrestrial animals. Therefore, this study has to be regarded as pilot study, and will start using a low number of animals. The number of animals has been calculated with the apearance of MPs in blood as the primary outcome. In addition, the gut of the animals will be investigated in a USSING chamber after sacrification, and this will reduce the number of animals used in upcoming experiments. Other organs will also be conserved and prepared for future analysis, thus reducing the number of animals required in future experiments.