Environment International (Feb 2024)
MicroRaman spectroscopy detects the presence of microplastics in human urine and kidney tissue
- Sara Massardo,
- Daniela Verzola,
- Stefano Alberti,
- Claudia Caboni,
- Matteo Santostefano,
- Enrico Eugenio Verrina,
- Andrea Angeletti,
- Francesca Lugani,
- Gian Marco Ghiggeri,
- Maurizio Bruschi,
- Giovanni Candiano,
- Noemi Rumeo,
- Micaela Gentile,
- Paolo Cravedi,
- Sebastiano La Maestra,
- Gianluigi Zaza,
- Giovanni Stallone,
- Pasquale Esposito,
- Francesca Viazzi,
- Nicoletta Mancianti,
- Edoardo La Porta,
- Cristina Artini
Affiliations
- Sara Massardo
- DCCI, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa, Italy
- Daniela Verzola
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Stefano Alberti
- DCCI, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa, Italy
- Claudia Caboni
- DCCI, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa, Italy
- Matteo Santostefano
- PM_TEN Srl, Genoa, Italy
- Enrico Eugenio Verrina
- UOC Nephrology IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; UOSD Dialysis IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Andrea Angeletti
- UOC Nephrology IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Francesca Lugani
- UOC Nephrology IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Gian Marco Ghiggeri
- UOC Nephrology IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Maurizio Bruschi
- Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Giovanni Candiano
- Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Noemi Rumeo
- Laboratory of Molecular Nephrology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Micaela Gentile
- Division of Nephrology, Translational Transplant Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; UO Nefrologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy
- Paolo Cravedi
- Division of Nephrology, Translational Transplant Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Sebastiano La Maestra
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- Gianluigi Zaza
- Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University/Hospital of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
- Giovanni Stallone
- Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University/Hospital of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
- Pasquale Esposito
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Division of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
- Francesca Viazzi
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Division of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
- Nicoletta Mancianti
- Department of Emergency-Urgency and Transplantation, Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy
- Edoardo La Porta
- UOC Nephrology IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; UOSD Dialysis IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; Corresponding author at: UOC Nephrology IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Via Gerolamo Gaslini 5, 16147 Genova, Italy.
- Cristina Artini
- DCCI, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa, Italy; Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy, National Research Council, CNR-ICMATE, Genoa, Italy
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 184
p. 108444
Abstract
There is a growing concern within the medical community about the potential burden of microplastics on human organs and tissues. In this study, we investigated by microRaman spectroscopy the presence of microplastics in human kidneys and urine. Moreover, an open-access software was developed and validated for the project, which enabled the comparison between the investigated spectra and a self-created spectral database, thus enhancing the ability to characterize polymers and pigments in biological matrices. Healthy portions of ten kidneys obtained from nephrectomies, as well as ten urine samples from healthy donors were analyzed: 26 particles in both kidney and urine samples were identified, with sizes ranging from 3 to 13 μm in urine and from 1 to 29 μm in kidneys. The most frequently determined polymers are polyethylene and polystyrene, while the most common pigments are hematite and Cu-phthalocyanine. This preclinical study proves the presence of microplastics in renal tissues and confirms their presence in urine, providing the first evidence of kidney microplastics deposition in humans.
