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Detection of microplastics in the human penis

International Journal of Impotence Research (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

The proliferation of microplastics (MPs) represents a burgeoning environmental and health crisis. Measuring less than 5 mm in diameter, MPs have infiltrated atmospheric, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, penetrating commonplace consumables like seafood, sea salt, and bottled beverages. Their size and surface area render them susceptible to chemical interactions with physiological fluids and tissues, raising bioaccumulation and toxicity concerns. Human exposure to MPs occurs through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. To date, there is no direct evidence identifying MPs in penile tissue. The objective of this study was to assess for potential aggregation of MPs in penile tissue. Tissue samples were extracted from six individuals who underwent surgery for a multi-component inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP). Samples were obtained from the corpora using Adson forceps before corporotomy dilation and device implantation and placed into cleaned glassware. A control sample was collected and stored in a McKesson specimen plastic container. The tissue fractions were analyzed using the Agilent 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging System (Agilent Technologies. Moreover, the morphology of the particles was investigated by a Zeiss Merlin Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), complementing the detection range of LDIR to below 20 µm. MPs via LDIR were identified in 80% of the samples, ranging in size from 20–500 µm. Smaller particles down to 2 µm were detected via SEM. Seven types of MPs were found in the penile tissue, with polyethylene terephthalate (47.8%) and polypropylene (34.7%) being the most prevalent. The detection of MPs in penile tissue raises inquiries on the ramifications of environmental pollutants on sexual health. Our research adds a key dimension to the discussion on man-made pollutants, focusing on MPs in the male reproductive system.

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Fig. 1: Sample Preparation.
Fig. 2: Characteristics of MPs in Penile Tissue.
Fig. 3: LDIR Spectra Analysis & SEM Imaging of MPs.

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Data availability

All relevant data to the current study that was generated and analyzed is available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Jason Codrington, Alexandra Aponte Varnum, Joginder Bidhan, Kajal Khodamoradi, Aymara Evans, David Velasquez, Christina C. Yarborough, Ashutosh Agarwal, Edoardo Pozzi, Francesco Mesquita, Francis Petrella, David Miller & Ranjith Ramasamy

  2. Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Department for Inorganic Environmental Chemistry, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Max-Planck-Str 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    Lars Hildebrandt & Daniel Pröfrock

  3. Institute of Membrane Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Max-Planck-Str 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    Anke-Lisa Höhme & Martin Held

  4. Dr. J.T. MacDonald Foundation BioNIUM, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Bahareh Ghane-Motlagh

  5. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Ashutosh Agarwal

  6. University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Justin Achua

  7. Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

    Edoardo Pozzi

  8. IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Urology, Milan, Italy

    Edoardo Pozzi

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Contributions

Jason Codrington—conceptualization, methodology, investigation, project administration, data curation, visualization, writing—original draft, editing. Alexandra Aponte Varnum—investigation, writing—original draft, editing, data curation, visualization. Lars Hildebrandt—investigation, writing—original draft, validation, resources. Daniel Pröfrock—investigation, editing, validation, resources. Joginder Bidhan—resources, writing—original draft. Kajal Khodamoradi—project administration, resources. Anke-Lisa Höhme—investigation, visualization. Martin Held—writing—original draft, editing. Aymara Evans—writing—original draft. David Velasquez—writing—original draft. Christina C. Yarborough—writing—original draft. Bahareh Ghane-Motlagh—investigation. Ashutosh Agarwal—investigation. Justin Achua—writing—original draft. Edoardo Pozzi—editing. Francesco Mesquita—editing. Francis Petrella—writing—review. David Miller—writing—review. Ranjith Ramasamy—conceptualization, methodology, project administration, resources, supervision, editing, funding acquisition

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ranjith Ramasamy.

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Dr. Edoardo Pozzi is currently an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Impotence Research.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Miami (Study # 20150740) and conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki. All patients provided written and informed consent to participate in the study.

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Codrington, J., Varnum, A.A., Hildebrandt, L. et al. Detection of microplastics in the human penis. Int J Impot Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-024-00930-6

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