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Metabolomics reveals lipid metabolic disruption in frogs exposed to tire wear particle leachates
Summary
Chemicals that leach out of tire particles (tiny bits of rubber worn off tires that wash into waterways) caused frogs' livers to build up excess fat and disrupted how their cells produce energy. While this study was done in frogs rather than humans, it adds to growing evidence that tire particle pollution, now widespread in water, soil, and air, may affect liver and metabolic health in animals, raising questions about what similar exposures could mean for people.
Tire wear particle (TWP) contribute considerably to microplastic contamination in aquatic environments and are increasingly recognized as emerging contaminants of ecological concern. However, their effects on lipid metabolism in amphibians remain unclear. In this study, adult male black-spotted frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) were exposed for 21 days to TWP leachates at concentrations of 0, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, and 0.5 mg/mL. The results showed that TWP leachate exposure significantly induced hepatic lipid droplet accumulation. Additionally, significant increases were observed in the hepatosomatic index and hepatic lipid parameters, including triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Untargeted LC-MS-based metabolomics further revealed significant changes in hepatic metabolites after TWP exposure. Pathway analysis showed significant disruption of energy metabolism (TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation) and lipid metabolism (glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid pathways). These results suggest that TWP leachates may induce hepatic lipid accumulation associated with disturbances in mitochondrial energy metabolism. Our findings provide new insights into the hepatotoxic effects of TWP in amphibians.