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Polystyrene microplastics exposure impairs skeletal muscle development by disrupting the gut-muscle axis in Hu sheep
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Sheep that ingested tiny plastic particles (microplastics) for eight weeks gained less weight and developed weaker, less healthy muscle tissue. The culprit seems to be gut damage: injured intestines changed gut bacteria and reduced key nutrients, which triggered muscle breakdown signals. Since these sheep are raised for meat and microplastics are found throughout our food and environment, this research raises real questions about how plastic pollution could affect food quality and, potentially, our own gut and muscle health.
Microplastic pollution is an increasing concern in livestock production. Skeletal muscle development is fundamental to animal growth and meat production, but whether microplastic exposure impairs skeletal muscle in ruminants and whether intestinal injury contributes to this process remain poorly understood. Hu sheep were orally exposed to 50-μm polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs; 75 mg/animal/day) for 8 weeks. In vivo phenotypic assessments, multi-omics analyses, and an in vitro conditioned-medium transfer model were integrated to evaluate intestinal and skeletal muscle responses. PS-MPs exposure reduced body weight gain and muscle water-holding capacity, disrupted myofiber organization, and was accompanied by jejunal injury and reduced expression of tight-junction-related genes. Multi-omics analyses showed remodeling of the fecal microbiota and metabolic profiles, characterized by decreased fecal indole-related metabolites and reduced taurine- and histidine-related metabolites in skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle showed decreased p-AKT protein abundance, increased nuclear accumulation of FOXO1, and elevated expression of atrophy-related factors, including FBXO32 and TRIM63. Conditioned medium from PS-MPs-exposed jejunal epithelial cells induced FOXO1 nuclear accumulation and atrophy-related molecular changes in differentiated C2C12 myotubes, whereas taurine partially attenuated these responses. Collectively, these findings link intestinal perturbations to FOXO1-associated skeletal muscle injury following PS-MPs exposure and suggest a contributory role for the gut-muscle axis in Hu sheep.
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Lambs fed polystyrene microplastics daily for 60 days showed reduced growth, severe intestinal damage, liver and kidney swelling, and lower meat quality compared to unexposed animals. The microplastics disrupted digestion, triggered oxidative stress, and altered gut bacteria composition, with mid-sized particles (50-100 micrometers) causing the worst damage -- demonstrating direct health consequences of microplastic ingestion in livestock that could affect the food supply.
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Scientists found that microplastics fed to male sheep damaged their sperm production, but surprisingly, the plastic didn't directly reach the testicles. Instead, it disrupted gut bacteria that make butyrate, a beneficial compound, and this ripple effect traveled through the bloodstream to harm reproductive health; restoring butyrate levels helped reverse the damage. This suggests microplastics may harm the body indirectly by messing with our gut microbiome, raising questions about similar hidden effects in humans who consume these particles daily through food and water.
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Scientists fed lambs small amounts of polystyrene microplastics (the same type found in packaging and everyday plastics) for 40 days and found it disrupted the balance of gut bacteria throughout their digestive systems, with the small and large intestines affected most. This matters because our gut bacteria play a huge role in digestion, immunity, and overall health, and since microplastics are already showing up in human food and water, this animal study suggests they could similarly throw off our own gut microbiome in ways we don't yet fully understand.
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Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics for six weeks and found that the particles accumulated in the gut, reduced protective mucus secretion, and damaged the intestinal barrier. The microplastics also significantly altered the composition of gut bacteria, decreasing beneficial species and increasing harmful ones. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion could disrupt gut health in mammals by simultaneously impairing the physical barrier and reshaping the microbiome.
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