GinsenoShield
Microplastics are everywhere.
Take a look around you right now.
You will almost certainly have some items made out of plastics.
Like a coffee container, a bottle, a plastic bag, your pen, food wrappings...
Even your clothes likely contain some plastics.
Microplastics have become the most ubiquitous form of environmental pollution.
But what are microplastics?
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than 5mm in size.
They originate from the breakdown of larger plastic debris, such as plastic bags, bottles, and packaging materials, as well as from microbeads used in personal care products.
Microplastics can be found in various environments, including oceans, rivers, soil, and even the air we breathe.
They pose significant environmental and health risks due to their persistence and potential to accumulate harmful chemicals.
Problem
Microplastics are ingested, inhaled or digested into the human body to acculumate inside various parts of our body.
Multiple studies have found MP accumulation inside vital organs like lungs, brain, vascular system and more including transmission through breast milk.
MPs in human body causes physical damage and inflammation to cells, creating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent DNA damage.
CURRENT SOLUTIONS
Current MP removal methods do not deal with the problem of microplastics inside the human body.
State-of-the-art research includes upstream prevention such as environmental regulation on plastic manufacturers, bans on single-use plastics, and research on reducing microplastic leakage on plastic products such as tires and textile fibers.
Downstream technologies include membrane filtration and coagulation of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants.
However, these methods are limited to removing microplastics from the environment and wastewater, and do not address the issue of microplastics that have already entered the human body.
Therefore, there is a need for effective bioremediation strategies that can target and eliminate microplastics within the human body to mitigate their potential health risks.
OUR SOLUTION
Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a traditional medicinal herb widely used in East Asia for its various health benefits.
It contains a group of active compounds called ginsenosides, which are believed to be responsible for many of its pharmacological effects.
Ginsenosides have been shown to exert a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, neuroprotective, and membrane-stabilizing effects.
Ginsenosides are a class of natural steroid glycosides and triterpene saponins found exclusively in the plant genus Panax (ginseng).
They are amphiphilic molecules, meaning they contain both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts. This unique structure allows ginsenosides to interact with both water and lipid environments, making them effective in various biological processes.
Due to their amphiphilic nature, ginsenosides can act as a bridge between microplastic particles and the surrounding medium, promoting aggregation and facilitating excretion from the body.
Certain ginsenosides (Rg1 and Rb1) have been shown to possess hepatoprotective properties.
Studies have demonstrated that ginsenosides can reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis (cell death) in liver cells, thereby promoting liver health and function.
Particularly, Rg1 and Rb1 show ROS-scavenging and DNA damage mitigation effects in liver cells.
Given that the liver is a primary organ for detoxification and metabolism, the hepatoprotective effects of ginsenosides may be particularly beneficial in mitigating the harmful effects of microplastic exposure on people.
We propose GinsenoShield, a solution with ginsenosides, the active compounds found in ginseng, as a potential bioremediation agent for microplastics inside the human body.
Our first claim is that ginsenosides can interact with microplastic particles in the body, promoting their aggregation and disrupting their absorption into the body and facilitating their excretion.
Our second claim is that ginsenosides, specifically Rg1 and Rb1, can mitigate the harmful effects of microplastic exposure on liver cells, reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage.
OUR FINDINGS
Our results showed that ginsenosides can promote the aggregation of microplastic particles, forming larger particles that are more easily excreted from the body.
Addition of ginsenosides (GS) into microplastics solution (MP) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in particle size, indicating effective aggregation of MPs by GS.
This indicates a significant decrease in MP bioaccessibility, especially at medium and high concentrations of GS, indicating a reduction in their gastrointestinal availability.
Furthermore, GS (Rg1 + Rb1) effectively mitigated MP-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in model liver cells. Exposure of co-digestive mixture of MP with GS shows a dose-dependent decrease in intracellular ROS production of HepG2 cells.
These findings suggest that ginsenosides have the potential to serve as an effective bioremediation agent for microplastics within the human body, reducing their harmful effects and promoting overall health.