How microplastic components influence the immune system and impact on children health: Focus on cancer

Abstract

Background: As a result of human socioeconomic activity, industrial wastes have increased distressingly. Plastic pollution is globally distributed across the world due to its properties of buoyancy and durability. A big health hazard is the sorption of toxicants to plastic while traveling through the environment. Two broad classes of plastic-related chemicals are of critical concern for human health-bisphenols and phthalates. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disruptor compound (EDC) with estrogenic activity. It is used in the production of materials that are used daily. The endocrine modulating activity of BPA and its effects on reproductive health has been widely studied. BPA also has effects on the immune system; however, they are poorly investigated and the available data are inconclusive. Phthalates are also EDCs used as plasticizers in a wide array of daily-use products. Since these compounds are not covalently bound to the plastic matrix, they easily leach out from it, leading to high human exposure. These compounds exert several cell effects through modulating different endocrine pathways, such as estrogen, androgen, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, and arylhydrocarbon receptor pathways. The exposure to both classes of plastic derivatives during critical periods has detrimental effects on human health. Methods: In this review, we have compiled the most important of their perinatal effects on the function of the immune system and their relationship to the development of different types of cancer. Results/Conclusion: The administration of bisphenols and phthalates during critical stages of development affects important immune system components, and the immune function; which might be related to the development of different diseases including cancer.

Environmental Pollution and Breast Cancer: The Microplastic Component BPA Regulates the Intratumoral Immune Microenvironment and Increases Lung Metastasis

“…Environmental pollution has gained a lot of attention related to BC. Exposure to chemicals from different sources has now been associated with the risk of developing BC and a much more aggressive form when the tumor is established (higher risk of metastasis) [8,9].…”

“…Despite the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) calculated that the Tolerable Daily Intake of BPA is 50 μg / kg / day, it has been estimated that exposure to BPA per food package was higher in children from 1 -2 months of age [21]. In addition, exposure to BPA at tolerable concentrations or below has been shown to be related to negative effects on the health of humans and rodents [9,22]. The nature and magnitude of BPA adverse effects depend on the dose, the course of exposure, and the developmental stage in which exposure occurs.…”

Environmental Pollution to Blame for Depressive Disorder?

“…Certain EDCs such as DEHP can dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal adrenal axis, which is crucial for reproductive and neuronal processes [11]. In particular, phthalates and bisphenols are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that have been related to the homeostatic imbalance of different systems [12][13][14][15]. Both types of compounds are found in daily-use products [16,17].…”

“…Both types of compounds are found in daily-use products [16,17]. Worldwide, their presence has expanded to different sources, including food, air, and water, representing a significant health issue [15]. These compounds are lipophilic, which allows them to be easily absorbed by the skin.…”

“…Once inside the body, they can bind to steroid receptors, which, in turn, allows them to differentially modulate the signaling pathways generally activated by endogenous ligands [18,19]. Of note, exposure to both classes of plasticizers, bisphenols, and phthalates, during critical periods can predispose to disturbing human health effects [15]. This could suggest that their mother-infant contact route, intake at the perinatal stage, and adulthood could be associated with the predisposition to develop MDD.…”