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Comparison of reproductive toxicity between pristine and aged polylactic acid microplastics in Caenorhabditis elegans
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This study compared the effects of new versus UV-aged biodegradable PLA microplastics on reproductive health using a worm model, finding that aged particles caused significantly more reproductive damage and DNA injury. The results suggest that biodegradable plastics become more toxic as they weather in the environment, which matters because these aged particles are what organisms, including humans, are most likely to encounter.
Caenorhabditis elegans was employed as model to compare reproductive toxicity between pristine and aged polylactic acid microplastics (PLA-MPs). Aged PLA-MPs induced by UV irradiation showed degradation reflected by decrease in size and alteration in morphological surface. Aged PLA-MPs also exhibited some certain changes of chemical properties compared to pristine PLA-MP. Compared with pristine PLA-MPs, more severe toxicity on reproductive capacity and gonad development was detected in 1-100 μg/L aged PLA-MPs. Meanwhile, aged PLA-MPs caused more severe enhancement in germline apoptosis and alterations in expressions of ced-9, ced-4, ced-3, and egl-1 governing cell apoptosis. In addition, aged PLA-MPs resulted in more severe increase in expression of DNA damage related genes (cep-1, mrt-2, hus-1, and clk-2) compared to pristine PLA-MPs, and the alterations in expression of ced-9, ced-4, ced-3, and egl-1 in pristine and aged PLA-MPs could be reversed by RNAi of cep-1, mrt-2, hus-1, and clk-2. Besides this, enhanced germline apoptosis in pristine and aged PLA-MPs exposed animals was also suppressed by RNAi of cep-1, mrt-2, hus-1, and clk-2. Therefore, our results suggested the more severe exposure risk of aged PLA-MPs than pristine PLA-MPs in causing reproductive toxicity, which was associated with the changed physicochemical properties and DNA damage induced germline apoptosis.
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Aged polystyrene microplastics cause reproductive impairment via DNA-damage induced apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers found that sunlight-aged polystyrene microplastics caused significantly more reproductive damage than fresh microplastics in a laboratory worm model. The aged particles triggered DNA damage and programmed cell death in reproductive tissue through a specific signaling pathway. This matters because microplastics in the real environment are typically weathered by sunlight, making them potentially more harmful to fertility than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.
Photo-aged polylactic acid microplastics causes severe transgenerational decline in reproductive capacity in C. elegans: Insight into activation of DNA damage checkpoints affected by multiple germline histone methyltransferases
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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.
Reproductive toxicity of UV-photodegraded polystyrene microplastics induced by DNA damage-dependent cell apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers investigated how UV-photodegraded polystyrene microplastics affect reproduction in the nematode C. elegans at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that aged microplastics caused more severe reproductive toxicity than pristine ones, operating through a DNA damage-induced cell death pathway, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may pose greater biological risks.
Photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics exposure results in reproductive toxicity due to oxidative damage in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene nanoplastics that had been aged by sunlight, simulating real-world environmental conditions. The study found that these weathered nanoplastics caused more severe reproductive harm than pristine particles, primarily through increased oxidative stress, suggesting that aging makes plastic particles more toxic to living organisms.
Environmentally persistent free radicals on photoaging microplastics shortens longevity via inducing oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers found that microplastics aged by sunlight develop persistent free radicals on their surface that are more toxic than fresh microplastics. In experiments with a common laboratory worm, these sun-aged microplastics caused significant oxidative stress and shortened lifespan. This is important because most microplastics in the real world have been exposed to sunlight, meaning their actual health risks may be greater than studies using brand-new plastic particles would suggest.
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