Polysorbate 80 and absorption of a phthalate in rats
What it found
In rats, polysorbate 80 helped a phthalate breakdown product get taken in through the gut by weakening the gut's mucus and cell barriers.
The work was done in animals and in lab tests.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
More phthalate taken in
Polysorbate 80 raised how much of the tagged MEHP got into the rats' bodies after long-term, low-dose exposure. This happened because more of it was absorbed through the gut.
Mucus barrier weakened
In the rats, polysorbate 80 lowered levels of mucin-2, a protein that forms the gut's mucus barrier.
Tight junction proteins down
The emulsifier reduced levels of claudin-1 and occludin, two proteins that seal the spaces between gut lining cells.
Leakier gut lining
The gut lining cells lost some of their normal structure, and the lining became more permeable in the rats given polysorbate 80.
What the authors conclude
“These results indicated that P80 promoted the oral absorption of MEHP-AF by altering the intestinal mucus barrier and mucosal barrier.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that polysorbate 80 promotes the oral absorption of MEHP by altering the intestinal mucus barrier and mucosal barrier.
- They say these findings are important for assessing the safety risks of some food emulsifiers and for understanding how chemical pollutants in food, especially endocrine disrupting chemicals, get absorbed.
How it was done
The authors had already found that polysorbate 80 increased how much of a phthalate called DEHP rats absorbed by mouth. They wanted to find out how it does this.
They gave rats a low dose of a tagged form of the phthalate breakdown product MEHP together with polysorbate 80 over a long period. They then measured proteins in the gut linked to the mucus barrier and the cell barrier, and looked at how leaky the gut lining was.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are rat and lab studies. They can't show whether the same thing happens in people.
- The study used a tagged form of MEHP, not the original phthalate DEHP, so it can't show how polysorbate 80 affects DEHP itself in the body.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Nanjing Normal University, People's Republic of China
The paper
- Title
- Food emulsifier polysorbate 80 promotes the intestinal absorption of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate by disturbing intestinal barrier
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zhu YT, Yuan YZ, Feng QP, et al (2021). Food emulsifier polysorbate 80 promotes the intestinal absorption of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate by disturbing intestinal barrier. Toxicology and applied pharmacology. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2021.115411PubMed 33476678DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error