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Micro- and Nano-plastics may affect the central regulation of reproduction: insights from in vitro and in vivo studies on GnRH neurons.
Summary
This review examined how micro- and nanoplastics may interfere with the central nervous system regulation of reproduction, compiling evidence from animal studies. The analysis suggests that plastic particle exposure could disrupt hormonal signaling pathways that control reproductive function.
Plastic pollution is a well-known critical issue. Larger plastic objects exposed to environmental stressors can break down into smaller plastic fragments known as microplastics (MPs, ¡ 5mm) and nanoplastics (NPs, ¡ 100 nm) that pervade terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, significantly impacting global health. Recent studies highlight many adverse effects of MP/NP exposure in vertebrate animals, including oxidative stress, inflammation, immunotoxicity, metabolic disorders, and reproductive issues. When assessing impact on reproduction, researchers primarily focus on direct gonadal tissue damages and fertility/fecundity analyses, while investigations into MP/NP effects on the neurons centrally controlling the reproductive axis have remained substantially unexplored. Following sexual maturation, a population of hypothalamic neurons secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a peptide governing the release of pituitary gonadotropins, which, in turn, regulate gonadal function. Any disruption or deficit in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal axis, including the GnRH neurons, may compromise fertility and reproduction. In our study, we investigated the impact of different polystyrene micro/nanoplastics (ranging from 100 nm to 5 µm) on GnRH neurons using in vitro and in vivo models. For the in vitro studies we took advantage of a GnRH murine hypothalamic neuronal cell line. We observed that the plastic particles can be internalized via different mechanisms of endocytosis and accumulate within GnRH neurons, with accumulation extent depending on particle dimensions. This accumulation, while not exhibiting significant cytotoxic effects, is able to disrupt the normal physiology of the cells. Moreover, using a transgenic zebrafish strain (GnRH3:eGFP) and conducting gene expression analysis, we observed a developmental delay in the reproductive system of zebrafish embryos exposed to environmental concentrations of 5 µm MPs. In summary, our results underscore how constant exposure to MPs/NPs can significantly impact the central regulation of reproduction at both the cellular and organismic levels. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559604/document
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