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Intergenerational and transgenerational reproductive toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in female mice

Global Reproductive Health 2025
Mengge Zhang, Yunde Dou, Han Zhao, Han Zhao, Zi‐Jiang Chen

Summary

Female mice were exposed to polystyrene microplastics during lactation and researchers tracked reproductive outcomes in both exposed mothers and their offspring through multiple generations, finding that even at doses comparable to human infant bottle-feeding exposure, microplastics induced ovarian damage and reduced fertility that persisted across generations.

Polymers
Body Systems
Models

Evidence continues to emerge on the reproductive hazards induced by microplastics (MPs) in humans and animals. However, conclusive evidence for the reproductive toxicity of MPs in human contexts is still limited, and understanding the intergenerational and transgenerational reproductive toxicity of MPs in mammals remains elusive. In this report, we found evidence that lactating exposure to 1 μm of MPs (a similar dose that human infants are exposed to during artificial feeding), induced reproductive toxicity in female mice and their offspring.

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