Micro- and Nanoplastics are Elevated in Femoral Atherosclerotic Plaques Compared with Undiseased Arteries

Authors

• Pierce L. Massie, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
• Marcus A. Garcia, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM.
• Daniel Gallego, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
• Christopher Schlosser, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
• Aerlin Decker, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM.
• Rui Liu, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM.
• Milad MazloumiBakhshayesh, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM.
• Deepali Kulkarni, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
• Matthew P. Justus, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
• Carolyn Pace, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
• Rowza T. Rumma, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
• Matthew J. Campen, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM.
• Ross M. Clark, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM. Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: As plastic production continues to accelerate, the byproducts increasingly fill the environment. Once degraded into micronanoplastics (MNPs), particles may circulate into food, drinking water, or air. Nascent literature has demonstrated MNP bioaccumulation within human tissues, such as the blood, brain, and solid organs. Only recently have MNPs been identified within thrombi and atherosclerotic plaques of diseased blood vessels, and these findings have been associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Data on MNP content in infrainguinal arterial occlusive disease is currently lacking, however. We investigated MNP presence within femoral artery plaques and examined patient clinical variables to characterize their associations in a territory commonly affected by peripheral arterial disease.

METHODS: Common femoral artery plaques were collected from patients undergoing common femoral endarterectomy for medically refractory lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. These samples were then sectioned, frozen, and analyzed using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for MNP content by polymer. A total of 12 polymers were investigated in triplicate. A group of decedent patients without clinical atherosclerosis served as control with whole carotid artery tissue used for a similar analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 10 plaques from 8 patients were collected for the plaque group, and 30 whole carotids were gathered from decedents and age matched to the plaque group. The total MNP concentration was 80-fold higher in femoral plaque compared with the control group 3234 μg/g tissue vs 40.68 μg/g tissue for control arteries (

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a greater accumulation of MNPs in common femoral artery plaques compared with nonatherosclerotic artery tissue. This finding further supports the premise that, despite similarities in age between groups, MNPs tend to be represented heavily in atherosclerotic tissues. Patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia showed a greater concentration of some polymers compared with those with claudication, raising the question of differential disease severity associations with different individual polymers.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This work demonstrates high levels of micronanoplastics (MNPs) in human femoral artery atherosclerotic plaques as compared with healthy, nondiseased human carotid arteries. No clear associations between age and MNP levels were demonstrated amongst limb ischemia or control patients. Some individual polymers are associated with advanced atherosclerotic disease (chronic limb-threatening ischemia) compared with claudication. These data add to the growing literature suggesting that MNP particles accumulate in atherosclerotic lesions. Future work should investigate what mechanistic role, if any, MNPs may play in the pathophysiology of vascular atherosclerotic disease.

Recommended Citation

Massie PL, Garcia MA, Gallego D, Schlosser C, Decker A, Liu R, MazloumiBakhshayesh M, Kulkarni D, Justus MP, Pace C, Rumma RT, Campen MJ, Clark RM. Micro- and nanoplastics are elevated in femoral atherosclerotic plaques compared with undiseased arteries. JVS Vasc Sci. 2025 Aug 28;6:100393. doi: 10.1016/j.jvssci.2025.100393. PMID: 41069702; PMCID: PMC12506576.