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Polyethylene microplastics differently induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic metabolism in male and female adult zebrafish
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Researchers exposed male and female adult zebrafish to polyethylene microplastics and found that females experienced more pronounced gut microbiota disruption and a greater number of differential hepatic metabolites — particularly phospholipids — compared with males, and that females also recovered more slowly after transfer to clean water.
The toxic effects of polyethylene (PE) MPs on different-sex zebrafish and the possibility of recovery in MPs-free water remain unclear. In this study, adult male and female zebrafish were exposed to PE-MPs (1-4 μm) with 0, 10 and 100 μg/L for 21 days. PE-MPs exposure significantly decreased body weight and condition factor in both sexes. The 16S rRNA sequencing results indicated that exposure to MPs markedly altered the gut microbiota composition and reduced alpha diversity. At the phylum level, MPs induced a significant increase in Fusobacteriota and a decrease in Proteobacteria in both males and females. Hepatic physiological parameters and glycolipid metabolism genes were also perturbed after PE-MPs exposure. Furthermore, hepatic untargeted metabolomic analysis identified 61 and 194 differential metabolites in male and female zebrafish, respectively, predominantly belonging to the lipid and lipid-like molecules superclass. Females in the MPs-100 group exhibited a great number of differential phospholipids than males, particularly phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine. After exposure, zebrafish from the control and MPs-100 groups were transferred to MPs-free water for a 7-day recovery. Male zebrafish body weight recovered to levels comparable to those of the control group, whereas female body weight did not. Most phylum-level gut microbiota composition and hepatic physiological parameters returned toward the control group levels. These results suggested that female zebrafish were more sensitive to MPs toxicity than males, possibly due to alterations in phospholipid metabolites. In addition, recovery in MPs-free conditions ameliorated the toxic effects caused by prior MPs exposure and female zebrafish exhibited a slower recovery process than males.
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Female zebrafish are more affected than males under polystyrene microplastics exposure
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Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and discovered that female fish were significantly more affected than males, showing greater gut microbiota disruption and metabolic changes in the liver. The microplastics accumulated more in the gills than the gut, and female fish experienced disrupted sex hormones and reduced egg production. The study highlights that microplastic toxicity can vary substantially between sexes, with potential consequences for fish population health.
Sex-Specific Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic and Lead(II) Co-Exposure on the Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolome in C57BL/6 Mice
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Researchers exposed male and female mice to a combination of polystyrene microplastics and lead, finding that the effects on gut bacteria and metabolism differed significantly between sexes. Female mice showed greater disruption to their gut microbiome diversity, while different metabolic pathways were affected in each sex. This study is important because it suggests that microplastic health effects may differ between men and women, and that microplastics can make heavy metal exposure worse by carrying metals into the digestive system.
DEHP chronic exposure disturbs the gut microbial community and metabolic homeostasis: Gender-based differences in zebrafish
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Chronic exposure of zebrafish to DEHP — a phthalate plasticizer found in many plastic products — from embryo to adulthood disrupted gut microbial communities and metabolic balance, with effects that differed between males and females. This suggests that phthalate exposure from plastic products may alter gut health and metabolism in ways that could be relevant to human health.
Chronic Exposure of Adult Zebrafish to Polyethylene and Polyester-based Microplastics: Metabolomic and Gut Microbiome Alterations Reflecting Dysbiosis and Resilience
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Researchers exposed adult zebrafish to polyethylene and polyester microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations and found significant disruptions to metabolic pathways and gut microbiome composition. Polyethylene primarily affected cell membrane compounds and inflammation-related metabolites, while polyester altered lipid metabolism and gut bacterial interactions. The study reveals that chronic microplastic exposure can cause subtle but meaningful shifts in fish metabolism and gut health, even at low concentrations.
Sex-specific effects of aged polystyrene microplastics on hepatic AMPK pathway activation and lipid droplet accumulation in MAFLD mice
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Researchers examined how aged polystyrene microplastics affect liver fat metabolism differently in male and female mice with fatty liver disease. They found that while both sexes showed increased inflammation and oxidative stress, only female mice experienced a reduction in liver fat accumulation, potentially linked to estrogen-related metabolic pathways. The study reveals important sex-specific differences in how microplastics interact with metabolic conditions, suggesting that health effects may vary between males and females.
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