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Multisystemic effects of nanoplastics in immature rats subjected to prolonged oral exposure with particular emphasis on prooxidant potential
Summary
Scientists fed young rats tiny plastic particles (like those found in everyday plastic pollution) for three weeks and found they built up in the liver, kidneys, and brain—even at low doses. This exposure damaged the tiny energy-producing structures in cells (mitochondria) and triggered oxidative stress, a type of cell damage linked to aging and disease, with the liver hit hardest. While this study was in young rats, not humans, it raises real concerns about how early-life exposure to nanoplastics—now widespread in food, water, and air—might affect organ health over time.
Two-week-old rats were administered a low dose (1 mg/kg b.w.) of small fluorochrome-labelled PS-NPs (25 nm) by oral gavage for three weeks. Findings demonstrate that PS-NPs accumulated within the liver, kidneys, and brain, with the highest fluorescence intensity found in the liver and lowest in the brain. Ultrastructural analysis showed tissue-specific alterations to mitochondrial dynamics, including excessive fission in the liver and kidney, and fusion in the brain, accompanied by mitochondrial swelling and membrane damage. Markers of oxidative stress, such as significantly increased protein oxidation, were found in all organs, while in the liver, an additionally increased level of lipid peroxidation product (MDA) was observed. Results further showed tissue-specific variations in enzymatic antioxidant systems.