Human pluripotent stem cells - Unique tools to decipher the effects of environmental and intracellular plastic pollution on human health

Miodrag Stojkovic; Petra Stojkovic; Konstantina M Stankovic

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116144

Human pluripotent stem cells - Unique tools to decipher the effects of environmental and intracellular plastic pollution on human health

Environ Pollut. 2021 Jan 15:269:116144. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116144. Epub 2020 Dec 1.

Authors

Miodrag Stojkovic¹, Petra Stojkovic², Konstantina M Stankovic³

Affiliations

¹ Eaton Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; SPEBO Medical, Leskovac, Serbia; Human Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. Electronic address: mstojkovic@spebo.co.rs.
² Eaton Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; SPEBO Medical, Leskovac, Serbia. Electronic address: pstojkovic@spebo.co.rs.
³ Eaton Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA. Electronic address: konstantina_stankovic@meei.harvard.edu.

PMID: 33288300
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116144

Abstract

Increase in plastic pollution causes irreparable harm to the environment lasting for decades. While current data of plastic pollution include marine and terrestrial ecology, the impacts of degraded or intentionally produced microscopic-sized plastics on human health remain unknown. Here, we are proposing the usage of pluripotent stem cells, modern transcriptomics, and bioinformatics as a unique scientific tool to define the link between environmental and intracellular pollution, its outcome on early human development and origin of diseases. This commentary is an urgent appeal to the scientific and policy communities to invest more time and resources to establish reliable standards and methods to define and address the consequences of plastic pollution on human health.

Keywords: Genotoxicity; Human embryos; Human induced pluripotent stem cells; Nanoplastics; Pollution; Polystyrene.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollution
Humans
Plastics*
Pluripotent Stem Cells*

Substances

Plastics