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Prenatal exposure on nanoplastics: A study of spatial transcriptomics in hippocampal offspring
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Using advanced spatial gene-mapping technology, researchers found that prenatal exposure to nanoplastics caused significant changes in gene activity throughout the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning and memory, in rat offspring. The nanoplastics altered the expression of genes involved in brain cell communication, energy production, and development. This study provides detailed evidence that nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy could disrupt brain development in ways that may affect cognitive function.
Nanoplastics, as environmental contaminants, are thought to have irreversible impacts on the developing brains of infants and early children; however, the degree of the effects and the mechanisms of damage are unknown. In this study, spatial transcriptomics was used to investigate changes in the hippocampal region of rats descended from maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs), and the transcriptomes of each spot were sequenced, allowing us to visualize the hippocampus's transcriptional landscape as well as clarify the gene expression profiles of each cell type. Spatial transcriptomics was used to explore changes in the hippocampus region of rats exposed to PS-NPs during brain formation and maturation.The study's findings showed that the offspring hippocampal region had fewer neurons, more astrocytes, and more excitatory neurons 1(ExN1). The pseudo-time study of astrocytes revealed a decrease in C3-type astrocytes and an increase in C2-type astrocytes. This finding raises the possibility that memory impairment in the offspring may result from the developmental obstruction of astrocytes following the intervention of PS-NPs. Moreover, the annotations of four hippocampus regions, CA1, CA2-3, DG, and HILUS, as well as the GO and GSVA of several cell types, revealed deficiencies that can contribute to learning memory impairment. The analysis suggested that decreased neuroglutamate (Glutamate) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) secretion in offspring after PS-NPs intervention was associated with depression. Lastly, intercellular communication revealed alterations in several ligand receptor pathways associated with an increase in astrocytes. In conclusion, spatial transcriptomics reveals that maternal exposure to nanoplastics influences the development of the offspring's hippocampal brain and causes neurotoxicity, which accounts for the offspring's reduction in learning memory function.
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Transplacental and lactational exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces structural and cellular alterations in the hippocampus of rat offspring
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In a study on pregnant rats, tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) passed from mother to baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding, showing up in the offspring's brains and damaging a key memory-related brain region called the hippocampus. The exposed babies had smaller brains, more cell death, and disrupted support cells in the brain — effects that got worse with higher plastic doses. While this was done in rats, not humans, it raises real concerns about whether everyday plastic exposure during pregnancy could affect a developing baby's brain, making it an important area for future human research.
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Researchers exposed parent mice to polystyrene nanoplastics before and during pregnancy and found that offspring exhibited skeletal and visceral malformations, impaired neonatal reflexes, learning deficits, and structural brain changes — including reduced hippocampal neurons — demonstrating transgenerational neurodevelopmental harm from nanoplastic exposure.
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Researchers found that maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics caused brain abnormalities in offspring, demonstrating that nanoplastics can cross maternal barriers and affect neurological development in progeny with implications for developmental toxicology.
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