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Microplastic exposure is associated with enhanced PI3K-Akt signaling in DSS-induced colitis: integrated bioinformatics analyses and in vivo validation
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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.
Background Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in the environment and may aggravate ulcerative colitis (UC), but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Methods We integrated network toxicology, RNA-seq-based differential expression analysis, molecular docking, GeneMANIA-based functional association analysis, and experimental validation in a murine DSS-induced colitis model. Results We identified 421 MP-related and 6,452 UC-related targets, including 265 overlapping targets. PIK3CD, PIK3CA, SRC, PTPN11, and EGFR were prioritized as hub targets with stable ligand binding. Enrichment analyses implicated the PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT, T-cell receptor, and HIF-1 signaling pathways. In vivo experiments showed that MP exposure increased the colonic abundance of these five proteins and enhanced p-PI3K and p-AKT signals in DSS-induced colitis. Conclusion MP exposure is associated with enhanced PI3K-Akt signaling in experimental colitis. These findings provide preliminary biological support for the PI3K-Akt pathway as a potentially relevant mechanism linking MP exposure to UC aggravation.
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Original immunofluorescence images and quantification data supporting PI3K-Akt pathway analysis in microplastic-exposed DSS colitis
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Scientists studying mice with colitis (a type of inflammatory bowel disease) found that exposure to microplastics ramped up activity in a cell signaling pathway (called PI3K-Akt) that's linked to inflammation and disease severity. This suggests microplastics might make gut inflammation worse, though this study only shares the underlying image data and measurements, it doesn't pinpoint exactly which gut cells are affected, so more research is needed before drawing firm conclusions about human health risks.
Original immunofluorescence images and quantification data supporting PI3K-Akt pathway analysis in microplastic-exposed DSS colitis
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Scientists studying mice with colitis (a form of inflammatory bowel disease) found that exposure to microplastics further activates a specific cell-signaling pathway that's already linked to gut inflammation. This suggests microplastics could potentially make existing gut inflammation worse, though this research was done in mice, not humans, so more work is needed to confirm the same happens in people. This dataset specifically shares the raw images and measurements behind those findings, allowing other researchers to verify the results.
Influence of Microplastics on Morphological Manifestations of Experimental Acute Colitis
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Researchers fed polystyrene microplastics to mice for six weeks and found that healthy mice developed changes in their colon lining, including altered mucus composition and immune cell populations. When mice with experimentally induced colitis also consumed microplastics, their intestinal inflammation was significantly more severe. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may worsen inflammatory bowel conditions.
Influence of Microplastics on Manifestations of Experimental Chronic Colitis
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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.
Microplastics perturb colonic epithelial homeostasis associated with intestinal overproliferation, exacerbating the severity of colitis
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Researchers found that microplastic exposure disrupted the balance of cell growth and differentiation in the colon lining of mice, triggering overproliferation of intestinal stem cells through activation of the Notch signaling pathway. While microplastics alone caused only mild inflammation, they significantly worsened the severity of experimentally induced colitis, leading to more severe weight loss, tissue damage, and inflammation. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may increase vulnerability to inflammatory bowel conditions.
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