A popular product capable of removing microplastics from the body has been named

South Korean scientists have discovered a probiotic bacterium in kimchi capable of binding nanoplastics in the gut and facilitating their removal from the body. The study was published in the journal Bioresource Technology (BT).

Nanoplastics are plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer that form from the breakdown of larger plastic materials. They can enter the body through food and water. Due to their extremely small size, scientists fear that such particles can penetrate the intestinal barrier and accumulate in organs, including the brain and kidneys.

The authors of the study examined a strain of lactic acid bacteria, Leuconostoc mesenteroides CBA3656, isolated from kimchi. Under laboratory conditions, the bacterium bound polystyrene nanoparticles with an efficiency of 87%, which is comparable to the control probiotic strain.

However, the most notable difference emerged under conditions simulating the human gut. The control bacterium's ability to bind nanoplastics dropped to 3%, while the kimchi strain maintained a level of 57%.

The researchers then tested the effect on germ-free mice. In animals receiving the probiotic, the nanoplastic content in feces was more than twice as high as in the control group. According to the scientists, this suggests the possible excretion of particles through the gut after their binding by the bacteria.

"Plastic pollution is increasingly being viewed not only as an environmental problem but also as a public health threat. Our results show that microorganisms from traditional fermented foods could become a new biological approach to addressing this problem," noted the lead researcher, Se Hee Lee.

The authors emphasize that the work is at an early stage: so far, results have been obtained only in laboratory experiments and animal models, and the bacterium's effect on nanoplastic accumulation in humans has yet to be studied.