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Polystyrene microplastic exposure modulates gut microbiota and gut-liver axis in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)
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Researchers fed gilthead seabream diets containing polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles disrupted the communication between the gut and liver, known as the gut-liver axis. The microplastics altered gut bacteria composition, increased liver inflammation markers, and changed bile acid metabolism. The study highlights how microplastic ingestion can trigger a chain of interconnected effects across multiple organ systems in fish.
Microplastics (MPs) are a threat of growing concern for living organisms as they exist in all ecosystems. The bidirectional communication between the gut, its microbiota, and the liver, has been conceptualized as gut-liver axis and may be influenced by environmental factors. MPs can cause intestinal and hepatic injuries, but there is still limited research exploring their impact on gut-liver axis. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of MP ingestion on gut-liver axis balance in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) fed with a diet enriched with polystyrene (PS)-MPs (0, 25, or 250 mg/kg b.w./day) for 21 days. PS-MPs affected the composition of gut microbiota, enhancing the evenness of gut microbial species. We also observed the impoverishment of core microbiota, suggesting reduced stability and permanence of microbiota members. Furthermore, PS-MPs reduced predominant bacteria in the gut of gilthead seabreams, increasing low-abundance species, including potential harmful taxa. On the other hand, PS-MPs increased the gene expression of immune and inflammatory mediators (i.e., TLR2, TLR5, and COX-2) in the liver. PS-MP exposure also increased serum triglycerides and bile acids (BAs) without modifying cholesterol. Moreover, the hepatic BA metabolism was impacted by PS-MPs which increased the expression of genes involved in primary BA kinetic (i.e., CYP27A1 and LXRa), which in turn can modulate intestinal microbial community. Indeed, PICRUSt2 mapping of BA-related functions predicted the increase of factors involved in BA metabolism. Specifically, K01442 (choloylglycine hydrolase) and K00076 (7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) were augmented by PS-MPs, suggesting a possible adaptation or co-evolution of gut microbiota to the modified hepatic BA metabolism. Thus, the obtained results showed that ingested PS-MPs impact the gut microbiota architecture and functions, the hepatic innate immunity, and the BA metabolism, suggesting the involvement of the gut-liver axis in MP-induced toxicity.
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Researchers fed gilthead seabream polystyrene microplastics for 21 days and found they triggered inflammation and immune disruption in both sections of the intestine, with the rear portion more severely affected. The microplastics activated inflammatory signaling pathways and weakened the gut barrier by reducing tight junction proteins. The findings suggest microplastic ingestion could compromise gut health and immune function in fish.
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Gilthead seabream fed polystyrene microplastics for 21 days developed signs of liver damage including fat buildup, inflammation, and oxidative stress -- changes similar to early-stage fatty liver disease. Since fish liver responds to microplastics in ways comparable to mammalian livers, these findings raise concerns about what chronic microplastic exposure might do to liver health in humans and other animals.
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