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Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastic Differentially Affects the Colon and Liver in Adult Male Mice
Summary
Researchers fed male mice polystyrene microplastics at varying doses for six weeks and examined the effects on their colon and liver. They found that the microplastics reduced antioxidant enzyme activity, damaged the intestinal barrier, disrupted mucus production, and caused tissue changes in both organs. The study provides further evidence that oral exposure to microplastics can cause oxidative stress and structural damage in the digestive system and liver.
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as novel environmental pollutant. Their ubiquity in natural environments and the global dissemination of plastic particles through food and drink have led to the oral ingestion of these particles by all kinds of living organism. In this investigation, male mice were subjected to exposure to 2 μm virgin PS-MPs for 6 weeks. To accomplish this, 36 adult male NMRI mice were gavaged with PS-MPs at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg body weight. A control group was also accounted for, which received 0.1 mL of distilled water. The results show that the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase) decreased, while the level of malondialdehyde increased in colon and liver. Additionally, findings showed that PS-MPs can disrupt the integrity of the intestinal barrier and inhibit the secretion of intestinal mucus in mice, disrupt mucin secretion, and cause changes in the tissue structure of the colon and liver. Further information regarding the toxicity of MPs in a terrestrial organism was obtained through this study, which assist in the evaluation of the potential health hazards that PS-MPs may pose to living organisms.
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