Micro- and nanoplastics are now found throughout the environment - in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat - and have been detected in multiple tissues within the human body.

Avoiding plastic bottles, cutting boards and food containers may reduce exposure, but plastics have become so widespread that they are increasingly difficult to avoid.

New peer-reviewed research published in Frontiers in Microbiology reports the first human in vivo proof-of-concept evidence of an administered technology intentionally designed to physically capture microplastics.

The study evaluated Qi601, a proprietary, non-living postbiotic developed by Quorum Innovations to bind micro- and nanoplastics within the gastrointestinal tract before they can interact with intestinal cells.

Researchers directly observed microplastic particles released from chewing gum physically associated with Qi601 agglomerates in human saliva. In the gum-plus-Qi601 sample, it was approximately 91 per cent lower than in the gum-only
sample.

"For the first time, a published human proof-of-concept study shows a technology intentionally designed to capture microplastics physically associating with those particles in a human setting," said Eva A. Berkes, MD, co-founder, Chief Science Officer and lead author. "This opens an entirely new approach to unavoidable plastic exposure."

Follow-on laboratory studies simulating oral, stomach and intestinal digestion found that Qi601retained 92 per cent of nanoplastics. Furthermore, Qi601 captured and prevented nanoplastics from entering human colon cells by 98 per cent.

"Qi601 represents a fundamentally different approach: barrier protection through physical sequestration," said NicholasT. Monsul, MD, co-founder, CEO and study co-author. "You take Qi601 by mouth as a supplement. The goal is to capture these particles in the gastrointestinal tract, reduce their interaction with intestinal cells and facilitate their natural elimination."