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Gender-specific effects of prenatal polystyrene nanoparticle exposure on offspring lung development
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Researchers found that prenatal exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles impairs lung development in mouse offspring in sex-specific ways — females showed inflammation and disrupted surfactant proteins while males had impaired blood vessel growth — both increasing the risk of a serious lung condition called bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Nanoplastics are widely present in the environment. Exposure to environmental pollutants during pregnancy can have adverse effects on fetal development and health. Establishing a link between nanoplastics and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) requires further investigation. In this study, we examined the impact of prenatal exposure to 80 nm polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) on offspring lung development, taking into account potential gender-specific effects. Pregnant female mice were exposed to PS-NPs through oropharyngeal aspiration, and critical data on lung development were collected at postnatal days 1, 7, and 21. We found that exposure to PS-NPs reduced birth weight in female offspring and significantly increased lung weight in both male and female offspring by PND 21. Maternal exposure led to a reduction in alveolar numbers across offspring, with distinct underlying mechanisms observed between sexes. In female offspring, the reduction in alveolar numbers was linked to disrupted surfactant protein expression, significant inflammation, and increased apoptosis and fibrosis. In male offspring, impaired angiogenesis was the primary factor contributing to the increased risk of BPD. The impact on alveolar development was substantial in both genders. This study underscores the gender-specific impacts of prenatal nanoplastic exposure on lung development and offers new evidence and direction for future research on the cross-generational respiratory toxicity of PS-NPs.
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Maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces sex-specific kidney injury in offspring
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Researchers found that when pregnant mice were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics (nano-sized plastic particles), their male offspring suffered more severe kidney damage than females — including reduced kidney cell numbers, increased scarring, and altered immune responses. The sex-specific nature of these effects suggests that nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy may carry different long-term health risks depending on the sex of the child.
Maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces sex-specific cardiotoxicity in offspring mice
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When pregnant mice were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics, their offspring developed heart damage that differed between males and females. Female offspring lost more body and heart weight, while males showed signs of atherosclerosis and females showed viral heart inflammation markers. This study suggests that prenatal nanoplastic exposure could program sex-specific cardiovascular problems in children, raising concerns about plastic exposure during pregnancy.
Effects of polystyrene nanoplastic gestational exposure on mice
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Researchers exposed pregnant mice to airborne polystyrene nanoplastics and studied the effects on both mothers and offspring. High-dose exposure caused fatty liver disease in the mothers and in adult female offspring, but not in male offspring, with each group showing different underlying molecular mechanisms. The study suggests that prenatal exposure to airborne nanoplastics may have sex-specific effects on metabolic health that persist into adulthood.
Polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt mouse placenta development in a sex-dependent manner.
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Scientists fed pregnant mice tiny plastic particles (similar to what humans are exposed to daily) and found they damaged the structure of the placenta, the organ that nourishes a developing baby, with male fetuses showing more harm than females. While this study was in mice, not humans, it raises real concerns about how the microplastics we're all exposed to through food, water, and air might affect pregnancy and fetal development, and suggests more research is urgently needed.
Prenatal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused testicular development toxicities and relative mechanisms in male offspring mice from embryo to adulthood
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Scientists exposed pregnant mice to nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles found in our environment, blood, and even placentas) and found their male offspring had slowed growth before birth, hit puberty earlier, and had reduced fertility as adults. The nanoplastics appeared to disrupt key genes and cells needed for normal testicle development and hormone production. While this is animal research, it adds to growing evidence that plastic exposure during pregnancy could affect a baby's reproductive development later in life.
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