Coronary disease & ACSCross-sectional study
Micro- and nano-plastics in the coronary circulation and air pollution exposure in ischaemic heart disease presentation
- Cross-sectional study
- consecutive patients
Authors' conclusion
STEMI patients exhibited a greater burden of MNPs in coronary blood than CCS and controls. MNP detection frequently co-occurred with elevated inflammatory biomarkers, greater PM2.5 exposure, and smoking, suggesting a potential association between environmental exposure and CAD.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing coronary angiography for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)
- Participants
- 61 patients
- Exposure
- STEMI vs chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) vs controls with normal coronary arteries
- STEMIn = 19
- CCSn = 20
- Controlsn = 22reference
- Outcome
- Burden of MNPs in coronary blood across the spectrum of CAD
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
MNP detection in coronary blood
P = 0.002
- STEMI: higher MNP concentration and greater polymer diversity (median 3 polymers, IQR 2-4)
- P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent predictor of MNP presence (multivariable) · only independent predictor | 5.69 (1.33–26.63) | P = 0.023 | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Predominant polymer
- Polyethylene
- 97%
MNP concentration, coronary vs peripheral blood
- Same polymers in both samples; highest concentrations in coronary blood
- P < 0.001
IL-6 and TNF-α
- Higher in STEMI
- P ≤ 0.006
PM2.5 exposure
- Higher in STEMI
- P ≤ 0.012
MNP detection by smoking and PM2.5 > 15 µg/m3
- More frequent among smokers and patients exposed to PM2.5 > 15 µg/m3
- P = 0.006
- All patients with both factors had detectable micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs)
- P < 0.001
Original publication
Micro- and nano-plastics in the coronary circulation and air pollution exposure in ischaemic heart disease presentation. Eur Heart J. Published 14 July 2026. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehag447
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it