Microplastics Found in Human Testicles, Baffling Scientists

May 21, 2024

Researchers at the University of New Mexico have found microplastics in the testicles of both people and dogs. This is a very important finding. This has brought to light a new way that pollution affects the environment—it can even affect the way people reproduce.

Study Findings and Comparative Analysis

Microplastics were found in all of the tissue samples that were looked at by the researchers. The amounts of microplastics in human tissue were much higher than in dog tissue, at about 329.44 micrograms per gram of tissue compared to 122.63 micrograms. Polyethylene made up most of the microplastics that were found. People often use this kind of plastic to make everyday items like plastic bags and boxes.

Impact on Male Fertility

The number of sperm in human cells was not checked, but samples from dogs were, and they had higher levels of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Dogs with lower sperm numbers were linked to this type of plastic. These results show a possible link between being exposed to microplastics and men not being able to have children, which raises concerns about the effects on reproductive health around the world.

Biological Comparisons and Future Research

Because the structures of dogs and humans are similar, more comparative studies have been done to find out how microplastics affect male reproductive systems in a wider sense. One goal for future study is to find direct links between different types of plastics and how they affect spermatogenesis and the function of hormones.

What is spermatogenesis?

spermatogenesis is the process by which spermatozoa are made from spermatogonial stem cells by dividing them several times during mitosis and meiosis. There are three key steps in this complicated process, which happens in the testes’ seminiferous tubules: spermatocytogenesis, meiosis, and spermiogenesis. In people, the whole process can take up to 64 days and is mostly controlled by testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). It’s interesting that men’s sperm production drops as they age, starting around age 35 and dropping off a lot after age 50. Spermatogenesis is also affected by genetic factors, which change the rate and quality of sperm production.

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