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Liver Injury Induced by Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics Alone or in Combination with Cadmium in Mice Is Mediated by Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis
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Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics alone and combined with cadmium over eight weeks to study liver damage. Both exposures caused liver injury through oxidative stress and programmed cell death, but the combination of microplastics and cadmium produced more severe effects. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the toxic impact of heavy metals on the liver when both are present together.
Microplastics (MPs) have been considered an emerging environmental pollutant which, when combined with toxic metals, enter the circulatory system of mammals and eventually cause damage. Therefore, it is important to study the toxicity of the mixture of MPs and heavy metals for evaluating risk assessment of mammals. In the present study, the toxicological effects of different concentrations of polystyrene (PS)-MPs alone or in combination with cadmium chloride (CdCl) during chronic exposure (8 weeks) were evaluated using intragastric administration in mice. Using comparative analysis, it was revealed that PS-MPs alone or in combination with Cd could destroy the normal structural morphology of liver tissue and increase the levels of two biochemical indicators of liver damage, thereby inducing changes in antioxidant and hyperoxide capacities. In addition, PS-MPs and/or Cd activated the antioxidant signaling pathway Nrf2-Keap1 and affected the endogenous apoptosis signaling pathway p53-Bcl-2/Bax, thus promoting apoptosis. These findings suggested that exposure to MPs alone or in combination with Cd led to adverse effects on the liver. Furthermore, it was revealed that co-exposure to MPs and Cd reduced Cd toxicity, thereby highlighting the possibility MPs may act as carriers of other toxic substances and coordinate with them. Therefore, evaluating the synergistic or anti-agonistic effects of MPs on the toxicity and bioavailability of xenobiotics is in the future critical in environmental toxicological studies.
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Implication of ferroptosis in hepatic toxicity upon single or combined exposure to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium
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This study found that polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium caused more severe liver damage in mice than either pollutant alone. The microplastics absorbed cadmium on their surface, increasing the amount of the toxic metal delivered to liver cells, and triggered a type of cell death called ferroptosis. This is concerning because microplastics in the environment commonly carry heavy metals, meaning the combined exposure people face may be more harmful than we thought.
Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals That Polystyrene Microplastics Exacerbate Cadmium-Induced Liver Damage in Mice Associated with AMPK-FOXO-Mediated Energy Metabolism Dysregulation
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A new mouse study found that microplastics can make cadmium (a toxic heavy metal found in some foods and pollution) even more damaging to the liver than cadmium alone—causing worse liver injury, more inflammation, and disrupted energy production inside liver cells. This matters because we're regularly exposed to both microplastics and heavy metals in our environment and food, and this research suggests these pollutants may combine to harm our health in ways that studying them separately wouldn't reveal. While this was done in mice and not humans, it raises important questions about the real-world risks of everyday exposure to multiple pollutants at once.
The Mechanism of Combined Exposure of Polystyrene Microplastics and Cadmium Inducing Hepatic Injury through the Modulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR-Mediated Autophagy
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Researchers examined liver damage in mice exposed to polystyrene microplastics and cadmium, both alone and in combination, and found that triple exposure to 100-nanometer particles, 1-micrometer particles, and cadmium caused the most severe liver dysfunction. The study suggests that nanoscale microplastics significantly enhance cadmium-induced liver injury through disrupted autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
Microplastics Exacerbate Cadmium-Induced Kidney Injury by Enhancing Oxidative Stress, Autophagy, Apoptosis, and Fibrosis
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Researchers exposed mice to microplastics and cadmium for three months and found that microplastics significantly worsened cadmium-induced kidney injury. The combined exposure enhanced oxidative stress, autophagy, cell death, and tissue scarring in the kidneys beyond what cadmium alone caused. The study suggests that microplastics may act as amplifiers of heavy metal toxicity in organ systems.
Combined exposure of polystyrene microplastics and benzo[a]pyrene in rat: Study of the oxidative stress effects in the liver
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Researchers exposed rats to polystyrene microplastics and the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene, both individually and in combination, to study oxidative stress in liver tissue. The combined exposure caused significantly more liver damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics may amplify the harmful effects of environmental carcinogens when both are ingested together.
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