Gastric Cancer Cells Spread Rapidly After Encountering Microplastics

Research Results by Dr. Kim Jin-su's Team at Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Microplastics have been found to worsen stomach cancer.

The Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences announced on the 11th that Dr. Jinsoo Kim's research team has, for the first time in the world, demonstrated that microplastics absorbed into the body accelerate the growth and metastasis of cancer cells, increase immunosuppressive proteins, and cause resistance to anticancer drugs, thereby worsening stomach cancer.

The research team exposed stomach cancer cell lines derived from human cells to polystyrene (10 micrometers in diameter), a type of plastic commonly used in various disposable products, for four weeks and confirmed key characteristics of cancer, proving that polystyrene worsens stomach cancer. Stomach cancer cells exposed to polystyrene grew up to 74% faster than unexposed cells, and metastasis was 3.2 to 11 times higher. The cancer stem cell gene CD44, which generates tumors, increased up to 3.4 times, and the expression of the immunosuppressive protein PD-L1 (CD274), produced by cancer cells to evade the immune system, increased up to 4.2 times. It was observed that the increase in the cancer stem cell gene CD44 caused by polystyrene exposure induced resistance to several anticancer drugs, including trastuzumab, a targeted therapy for metastatic stomach cancer.

The research team also conducted RNA sequencing analysis of the stomach tissues of experimental mice fed polystyrene and observed that microplastics interact with stomach cells to cause various genetic mutations. Among these, the stomach cell membrane protein ASGR2 was identified as a candidate gene that can worsen stomach cancer mediated by microplastics and was simultaneously proven to have potential as a tumorigenic factor.

The research results were published online on the 4th in the international medical journal Theranostics (IF 11.5).

Dr. Jinsoo Kim said, "The world is suffering from pollution caused by microplastics," and added, "Based on this research clarifying the worsening effect of microplastics on stomach cancer, we will continue studies on the incidence and treatment prognosis of various gastrointestinal cancers."