Mikroplastik trifft männliche Arterien hart: Der tägliche Kontakt mit Mikroplastik – das aus Verpackungen, Kleidung und Kunststoffprodukten austritt – kann die Entwicklung von Arteriosklerose beschleunigen, dem Prozess der Arterienverstopfung, der zu Herzinfarkten und Schlaganfällen führt. Die schädlichen Auswirkungen wurden nur bei männlichen Mäusen beobachtet.

I’ve linked to the press release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/11/18/microplastics-hit-male-arteries-hard

From the linked article:

**Microplastics hit male arteries hard**

UC Riverside-led mouse study finds link between microplastic exposure and atherosclerosis

A mouse study led by University of California, Riverside biomedical scientists suggests that **everyday exposure to microplastics — tiny fragments shed from packaging, clothing, and countless plastic products — may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, the artery-clogging process that leads to heart attacks and strokes. The harmful effects were seen only in male mice**, offering new clues about how microplastics may affect cardiovascular health in humans.

Microplastics are now found nearly everywhere: in food, water, the air, and even inside the human body. Recent human studies have detected microplastics in atherosclerotic plaques and linked higher levels to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, scientists didn’t understand whether or how microplastics directly contribute to artery damage.

The researchers found microplastics dramatically worsened atherosclerosis, but only in males. In male mice, microplastic exposure increased plaque buildup by 63% in the aortic root, the first section of the aorta that attaches to the heart; and 624% in the brachiocephalic artery, a blood vessel that branches off the aorta in the upper chest. In female mice, the same exposure did not significantly worsen plaque formation.

The study found microplastics did not make the mice obese or raise their cholesterol. The mice remained lean, and their blood lipid levels did not change, meaning the increased artery damage was not due to traditional risk factors like weight gain or high cholesterol.

The study also found microplastics altered key cells that line the arteries. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, a technology that helps identify which genes are expressed in each cell and at what level, the team found that microplastics disrupted the activity and proportions of several types of cells involved in atherosclerosis, especially endothelial cells — the cells that line blood vessels and regulate inflammation and blood flow.

Is there a way to reduce the amount of microplastics in our body?

I’m not a male but developed atherosclerosis. From this stemmed pulsatile tinnitus, and am waiting to see if my brain is housing a tumor and/or aneurysm. My doctor believes my case is partially familial (it greatly contributed to my dad’s death, I live a healthy lifestyle) but she mentioned micro plastics as something she wished she knew more about in terms of how it affects women. I have a hard time believing human women are completely excluded, even after controlling for specific variables like familial history, seeing as we already have a disposition to heart problems. Any insights here? I welcome all respectful insights.

ETA: I know this is about mice and generally, mice are good choices for experiments.