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Nanoplastics exacerbate DSS-induced colitis via histone lactate axis
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New research in mice found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) can make gut inflammation worse by changing how immune cells in the colon behave at a molecular level, worsening symptoms similar to ulcerative colitis. The plastics seem to alter energy processing in immune cells in a way that turns up inflammation, offering a possible explanation for how everyday plastic exposure might harm gut health. While this study was done in mice and cells, it adds to growing evidence that nanoplastic pollution deserves serious attention as a potential risk to human digestive health.
Nanoplastic pollution is a serious global concern, which has caused great threat to the human health. However, the relationship between nanoplastic exposure and the development and progression of ulcerative colitis (UC) is still unknown. We established a chronic dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model with exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and evaluated disease severity, gut inflammation, and intestinal barrier function. The immune microenvironment was assessed using fluorescence multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC), while histone lactylation modification was analyzed via western blot and Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag). Additionally, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW264.7 cells were cultured and intervened to further investigate the molecular mechanism of PS-NPs in colitis. Continuous exposure to PS-NPs exacerbated gut inflammation and damage intestinal barrier function in DSS-induced colitis. PS-NPs exposure is closely correlated with increased macrophage infiltration, enhanced the glycolysis and up-regulated the histone H3 lactylation in macrophages. CUT&Tag analysis showed that PS-NPs influenced the expression of GART via histone H3K18la lactylation. Intervention in histone H3K18la lactylation significantly altered the expression of GART and levels of inflammatory factors in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. Downregulating GART expression reduced inflammatory factor levels in RAW264.7 cells treated with LPS plus PS-NPs. PS-NPs exposure exacerbates colitis by upregulating histone H3 lactylation. This study reveals a novel mechanism underlying nanoplastic-exacerbated intestinal injury and provides a direction for future risk assessment of nanoplastics.
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Researchers found that polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics aggravated colitis symptoms in a mouse model, increasing gut permeability, inflammatory cytokine levels, and tissue damage compared to controls. The study provides mechanistic evidence linking microplastic exposure to worsening of inflammatory bowel conditions.
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Researchers studied whether consuming microplastics worsens chronic colon inflammation in mice. While microplastics alone did not cause visible damage to healthy intestines, they significantly increased the severity of colitis symptoms, including more ulcers and greater inflammatory cell infiltration, in mice with pre-existing colon inflammation. The findings suggest that microplastic exposure may be particularly concerning for individuals who already have inflammatory bowel conditions.
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Scientists found that in mice, microplastic exposure activated a specific cell signaling pathway that made colon inflammation worse, similar to what happens in ulcerative colitis. This early research suggests microplastics may not just be passive pollutants, they could actively fuel gut inflammation, though more studies are needed to confirm this happens in humans.
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