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Data and Analysis Materials for: Effects of 49-Day Oral Exposure to Polyethylene Microplastic Particles on Endocrine and Lymphoid Organs in Wistar Rats: Hormonal and Histomorphometric Analysis
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Scientists fed rats tiny plastic particles daily for seven weeks to see how it affected their hormone glands and immune system organs. This is early, exploratory research, not a final answer, but it's a starting point for understanding whether the microplastics we're increasingly exposed to could affect hormones and immunity in humans too.
This OSF project contains the animal-level datasets, analytical code, statistical outputs, sensitivity analyses, methodological documentation, and supplementary materials supporting the study: “Effects of 49-Day Oral Exposure to Polyethylene Microplastic Particles on Endocrine and Lymphoid Organs in Wistar Rats: Hormonal and Histomorphometric Analysis.” The study evaluated the effects of 49-day oral exposure to mechanically generated polyethylene microplastic particles in male and female Wistar rats. Sixty animals were included, with 15 animals in each exposure-by-sex subgroup. The individual animal was the experimental unit. The archived materials include animal-level body-mass, organometry, hormone and clinical chemistry data, histomorphometric measurements, complete statistical output, sensitivity analyses, methodological documentation, ARRIVE 2.0 reporting materials, and reproducible Python analysis code. Statistical analyses included sex-stratified Welch two-sample tests, Hedges g effect sizes, 95% confidence intervals, exposure-by-sex linear models with HC3 heteroskedasticity-consistent standard errors, Holm correction within prespecified endpoint families, and sex-specific ANCOVA of day-49 body mass adjusted for day-1 body mass. The statistical analysis framework was documented retrospectively and was not preregistered before the experiment. Inferential findings should therefore be interpreted as exploratory. The repository is intended to support transparency, reproducibility, peer review, and reuse of the reported research materials.
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Scientists fed rats tiny plastic particles from water bottles and found changes in their blood chemistry and drinking habits within just 24 hours, even though the rats appeared healthy on the outside. This study suggests that microplastics—which people consume daily through food and drinks—might start affecting our bodies much faster than previously thought. The research highlights the need to better understand these immediate effects, as they could lead to bigger health problems over time.
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