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Polylactic acid microplastics cause transgenerational reproductive toxicity associated with activation of insulin and hedgehog ligands in C. elegans
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Exposure to polylactic acid microplastics -- a supposedly biodegradable plastic -- caused reproductive damage in tiny roundworms that persisted across multiple generations even after the initial exposure ended. The microplastics triggered a chain of genetic changes involving cell death pathways and epigenetic modifications (changes to how genes are read rather than the DNA itself). This transgenerational effect raises concerns that even "green" plastics could have lasting biological consequences.
As a member of biodegradable plastics, exposure risk of polylactic acid microplastic (PLA-MP) has received attention recently. Toxicity of PLA-MP at parental generation (P0-G) has been observed in some organisms; however, its possible transgenerational toxicity and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In Caenorhabditis elegans, 10 and 100 μg/L PLA-MP resulted in transgenerational inhibition in reproductive capacity and transgenerational damage on gonad development. Meanwhile, transgenerational increase in germline apoptosis was detected after PLA-MP exposure at P0-G, which was associated with transgenerational dysregulation in expressions of genes governing apoptosis (ced-3, ced-4, egl-1, and ced-9) and DNA damage related genes (cep-1, mrt-2, hus-1, and clk-2). Among secreted ligand genes, PLA-MP exposure induced transgenerational increase in expression of ins-39 and wrt-3, and RNAi of ins-39 and wrt-3 inhibited germline apoptosis in PLA-MP exposed nematodes. Additionally, PLA-MP caused transgenerational increase in expression of met-2 and set-6 encoding histone methylation transferases, and germline apoptosis induced by PLA-MP could be suppressed by RNAi of met-2 and set-6. Dysregulated expressions of some apoptosis and DNA damage related genes caused by PLA-MP were reversed by RNAi of ins-39, wrt-3, met-2, and set-6. Moreover, in PLA-MP exposed animals, expression of ins-39 and wrt-3 could be further inhibited by RNAi of met-2 and set-6. Therefore, PLA-MP potentially induced reproductive toxicity across multiple generations, which was under the control of MET-2 and SET-6 activated ligands of INS-39 and WRT-3.
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Researchers found that even supposedly biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, after being aged by sunlight, caused severe reproductive decline in worms that persisted across multiple generations. This is concerning because PLA is widely marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic, yet these results suggest that sunlight-degraded PLA particles may pose long-lasting biological harm through changes in gene regulation.
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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.
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Researchers found that amino-modified nanoplastics, even at concentrations expected in the real environment, can cause toxic effects that pass from one generation to the next in the roundworm C. elegans. The transgenerational harm was linked to activation of a specific growth factor signal in reproductive cells. The study suggests that surface chemistry on nanoplastics may amplify their biological risks beyond what the base plastic alone would cause.
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