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Dose-dependent inflammatory and neurotoxic effects of polypropylene microplastics in Nile tilapia evidenced by internal extractive electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry metabolomics
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High-resolution mass spectrometry metabolomics revealed that polypropylene microplastics caused dose-dependent upregulation of inflammatory mediators including arachidonic acid and disrupted glycerophospholipid, arachidonic acid, and sphingolipid metabolic pathways in Nile tilapia organs, with neurotoxic effects scaling with exposure dose. These findings indicate that polypropylene — one of the most produced plastics globally — triggers inflammation and neurotoxicity through specific biochemical pathways, raising concerns about similar mechanisms in other vertebrates including humans.
Polypropylene is widely used in textiles, injection molding, and film production, yet the metabolic toxicity of polypropylene microplastics is poorly known due to the limitations of analytical techniques. Here, we used internal extractive electrospray ionization coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and non-targeted metabolomics analysis to investigate the impact of polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics sizes and doses on metabolic dysregulation in Nile tilapia organs and tissues. Results show an upregulation of inflammatory mediators, including arachidonic acid and its derivatives, which affect critical metabolic pathways such as glycerophospholipid, arachidonic acid, and sphingolipid metabolisms. The inflammatory and neurotoxic effects exhibited a dose-dependent relationship.
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