Real people. Real results. First Human Clinical Study: Qi601 Binds Plastics

A five-participant interventional crossover human study demonstrated that Qi601® physically binds with microplastic particles released during gum chewing under microscopic analysis. Follow-on laboratory digestion simulations exposing Qi601-bound nanoplastics to sequential saliva, gastric, intestinal, and colonic fluids showed ~98% retention of bound nanoplastics compared with untreated controls, supporting stability of the Qi601 binding matrix through modeled gastrointestinal digestion.

Follow-on laboratory digestion simulations exposing Qi601-bound microplastics to sequential saliva, gastric, intestinal, and colonic fluids showed ~98% retention of bound nanoplastics compared with untreated controls, supporting stability of the Qi601 binding matrix through modeled gastrointestinal digestion.

This scanning electron microscopic image above shows that Qi601 forms small rough, bumpy clusters that look like tiny pebbles.Qi601 surrounds and binds the plastic spheres. The Qi601 structure holds onto these plastic spheres all the way through the digestive system, as proven in laboratory studies. This shows that Qi601 can capture and hold onto nanoplastics at a very small scale. 

If microplastics can’t attach to your cells, they can’t be absorbed into your body. That’s why Qi601 acts as a first line of defense—helping stop nanoplastics before they enter your system.

An interventional crossover human proof-of-concept study was conducted with five participants to evaluate the ability of Qi601 to physically associate with microplastic particles released during normal chewing. In the control condition, participants chewed commercially available gum for ten minutes and expectorated saliva for microscopic analysis, which demonstrated the presence of released microplastic particles. In the crossover condition, the same participants repeated the chewing procedure with Qi601 present. Microscopic examination of the saliva samples demonstrated a visible association of microplastic particles with Qi601 material.

To further evaluate the stability of this association during digestion, laboratory studies were conducted using the saliva samples containing Qi601-bound nanoplastics. These samples were sequentially exposed to simulated human digestive fluids, including saliva, gastric fluid under fed and fasted conditions, upper intestinal fluid, and colonic fluid. Across this digestive sequence, approximately 98% of nanoplastic particles remained associated with Qi601 when compared with untreated controls.

Together, these findings support that plastic particles captured by Qi601 during initial oral exposure remain physically associated with the Qi601 biofilm matrix under conditions designed to model the human gastrointestinal environment. The results suggest that the Qi601 structure remains stable during simulated digestion and retains bound nanoplastic particles from the point of oral exposure through modeled gastrointestinal transit.