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Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic Exposure on Growth and Physiological Parameters in Juvenile Wistar Rats
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Scientists fed young rats tiny plastic particles (the kind found in everyday products) daily for six weeks and found the rats grew more slowly and had disrupted hormone levels, including lower testosterone in males and lower estrogen in females, plus changes in organs like the brain, lungs, and spleen. While this study was in rats, not humans, it adds to growing evidence that microplastics may interfere with normal development and hormone balance, which is especially concerning during childhood and adolescence when these systems are still maturing.
Microplastics (MPs) represent an increasing environmental and biological concern, with their potential effects on early development and physiological homeostasis still not fully elucidated. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic juvenile exposure to 1 μm and 5 μm polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on growth, organ indices, and endocrine profile in Wistar rats. A total of 36 juvenile Wistar rats (18 males and 18 females) were orally exposed to PS-MPs (0.1 mg/day) from postnatal day (PND) 21 to PND 61. Body weight dynamics were monitored throughout the experimental period, while at the end of exposure organ indices and serum levels of testosterone and estradiol were assessed. Exposure to PS-MPs was associated with delayed body weight gain, with more pronounced effects observed following exposure to 1 μm particles. Organ-specific and sex-dependent alterations were observed, predominantly affecting brain, lung, and spleen indices, as well as reproductive organs, with effects varying according to both sex and particle size. In addition, significant changes in serum sex hormone levels were detected, characterized by decreased testosterone in males and decreased estradiol in females. In conclusion, juvenile exposure to PS-MPs was associated with sex- and size-dependent alterations in growth dynamics, organ indices, and endocrine status in Wistar rats, suggesting potential systemic physiological effects of microplastics during early development.
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Perinatal exposure to polystyrene microplastics: biometric, hormonal and behavioral parameters of male and female Wistar rats at weaning, puberty and adulthood.
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Scientists exposed pregnant rats to tiny plastic particles (like those found in human placenta and breast milk) and found lasting effects on their offspring's hormones, cholesterol, and behavior, male offspring became more anxious and ate less fatty food, while females ate more as adults. Since microplastics are already showing up in our bodies, this animal study raises concern that early-life plastic exposure could disrupt hormone balance and eating behaviors differently in males and females, though more research is needed to confirm this happens in humans too.
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Researchers administered polystyrene nanoplastics orally to male rats for five weeks and found significant reductions in testosterone, LH, and FSH levels, sperm DNA damage, altered testicular gene expression, and dose-dependent histological lesions, indicating that nanoplastic exposure disrupts the hormonal axis governing male reproductive function.
Reproductive and metabolic toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics in adult female Wistar rats: a mechanistic study
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Researchers gave female rats polystyrene microplastics orally for 45 days and found disruptions to both metabolic and reproductive hormone levels, including increased cholesterol, insulin resistance, and altered sex hormones. The microplastics also caused liver fibrosis and elevated inflammatory markers. The study suggests that chronic microplastic exposure may contribute to metabolic and endocrine disruption in mammals.
Effects of polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics on the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis of Japanese quail.
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Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) can build up in the brains and testes of quail, damaging tissue and lowering key reproductive hormones and sperm quality. Because these plastic levels matched what's found in the environment, this raises concern about similar effects on human fertility and hormone health, since we're exposed to the same pollutants.
Effects of 52-Day Oral Exposure to Fluorescent Polystyrene Microplastics on Hormonal Profile, Sperm Parameters, and Fertility in Male Wistar Rats
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Researchers exposed juvenile male rats to 1 µm and 5 µm fluorescent polystyrene microplastics across a full spermatogenesis cycle, finding size-dependent hormonal disruption—lower testosterone and estradiol with compensatory rises in FSH and LH—and impaired sperm quality, even though overall fertility remained intact and microplastics accumulated in testicular tissue.
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