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Transgenerational reproductive toxicity induced by carboxyl and amino charged microplastics at environmental concentrations in Caenorhabditis elegans: Involvement of histone methylation
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This study exposed tiny roundworms to polystyrene microplastics with different surface charges at environmental concentrations and found reproductive damage that persisted across multiple generations. The charged microplastics altered gene activity related to epigenetic markers called histone methylation, suggesting the damage was passed down through chemical changes to DNA packaging rather than direct genetic mutations. This raises concerns that microplastic exposure could cause lasting reproductive harm that continues even after the exposure stops.
Microplastics, recognized as emerging contaminants, are commonly observed to be charged in the environment, potentially exerting toxic effects on various organisms. However, the transgenerational reproductive toxicity and underlying mechanisms of polystyrene (PS), particularly carboxyl-modified PS (PS-COOH) and amino-modified PS (PS-NH), remain largely unexplored. In this study, the parental generation (P0) of Caenorhabditis elegans was subjected to environmental concentrations (0.1-100 μg/L) of PS, PS-COOH, and PS-NH, with subsequent generations (F1-F4) cultured under normal conditions. Exposure to PS-NH at concentrations of 10-100 μg/L exhibited more pronounced reproductive toxicity compared to PS or PS-COOH, resulting in decreased brood size, egg ejection rate, number of fertilized eggs, and cell corpses per gonad. Similarly, maternal exposure to 100 μg/L of PS-NH induced more severe transgenerational reproductive effects in C. elegans. Significant increases in H3 on lysine 4 dimethylation (H3K4me2) and H3 on lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) levels were observed in the subsequent generation, concurrent with the transgenerational upregulation of set-30 and met-2 following parental exposure to PS, PS-COOH, and PS-NH. Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between the expression of these genes with the reproductive ability. Molecular docking studies suggested that PS-NH exhibited higher affinity for SET-30 and MET-2. Further analysis demonstrated that transgenerational effects on reproduction were absent in set-30(gk315) and met-2(n4256) mutants, highlighting the pivotal role of set-30 and met-2 in mediating the transgenerational effect. This study provides novel insights into the environmental risks associated with negatively and positively charged microplastics.
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Photoaged Polystyrene Nanoplastics Result in Transgenerational Reproductive Toxicity Associated with the Methylation of Histone H3K4 and H3K9 in Caenorhabditis elegans
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When roundworms were exposed to sun-aged polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant levels, the reproductive damage passed down to unexposed future generations through changes in gene-regulating chemical marks called histone methylation. Sun-aged nanoplastics caused more severe fertility problems than fresh ones, and these effects persisted for two generations after exposure stopped. This study is alarming because it shows nanoplastic exposure could cause hereditary reproductive harm without changing DNA itself.
Reproductive toxicity and transgenerational effects of microplastics: Evidence from experimental models and underlying epigenetic mechanisms
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Tiny plastic particles have been found in human reproductive fluids, and this review of animal research shows they can harm fertility in both sexes and may even affect the health of future children and grandchildren—not just people directly exposed. Scientists think microplastics may cause these lasting effects by altering "chemical switches" on DNA that get passed down through generations, changing how genes turn on and off without changing the DNA itself. While the animal evidence is concerning, more human studies are needed to confirm these effects happen the same way in people.
Polystyrene nanoplastics induced transgenerational reproductive toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans through enhanced DNA damage accompanied by DNA repair inhibition
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Researchers exposed roundworms (C. elegans) to polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations and found that reproductive harm persisted across multiple generations, even after exposure stopped. The nanoplastics caused DNA damage while simultaneously suppressing the organisms' DNA repair mechanisms, creating a compounding effect. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure may have lasting consequences that are passed down through generations, amplifying harm beyond the originally exposed organisms.
Transgenerational neurotoxicity of polystyrene microplastics induced by oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene microplastics and tracked the effects across five generations. They found that microplastic exposure caused nerve damage and oxidative stress that persisted in offspring even when those generations were not directly exposed, suggesting microplastics can have lasting effects passed down through generations.
Long-term nanoplastics exposure results in multi and trans-generational reproduction decline associated with germline toxicity and epigenetic regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers discovered that a single exposure to nanoplastics in mother roundworms caused reproductive decline that persisted across four subsequent unexposed generations. The study found that nanoplastics triggered DNA damage and cell death in reproductive cells, with these effects passed down through epigenetic changes rather than direct nanoplastic transfer to offspring. This finding suggests that nanoplastic exposure may have lasting consequences for fertility that extend well beyond the initially exposed generation.
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