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Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics Promotes the Progression of Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease: Association with Induction of Microglial Pyroptosis
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In a mouse study, polystyrene microplastics worsened cognitive decline in an Alzheimer's disease model by triggering a type of inflammatory cell death called pyroptosis in brain immune cells. The microplastics caused brain inflammation that accelerated memory loss and cognitive impairment beyond what Alzheimer's alone caused. This is one of the first studies suggesting that microplastic exposure could make neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's progress faster.
We focused on investigating the effects and mechanisms of polystyrene (PS) microplastics in Alzheimer's disease (AD). PS could promote the cognitive impairment in mice and antagonize the action of PS. Meanwhile, it could promote microglial pyroptosis and aggravate neuroinflammation. In vitro results also showed that PS induced pyroptosis of BV2 and RAW264.7, after GSDMD silencing, such pyroptosis was inhibited. Our study found that PS aggravated neuroinflammation by inducing microglial pyroptosis, thereby promoting the progression of cognitive impairment in AD. This finding offers new support and reference for the induction of AD progression by environmental factors.
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Researchers exposed Alzheimer's disease mouse models to polystyrene microplastics for a short term and observed worsened cognitive performance, altered immune markers, and disrupted metabolic pathways, suggesting that MP exposure may accelerate neurological decline in individuals already vulnerable to dementia.
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier in mice after oral exposure and accumulate in brain tissue, where they are engulfed by microglia, the brain's immune cells. This engulfment triggered inflammatory responses and cell death in the microglia both in cell cultures and in living mice. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may affect brain immune function, with potential implications for neurological health.
The Effect of Microplastics Exposure on Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology Characterized using APP/PSEN1 Mice
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Researchers chronically exposed APP/PSEN1 Alzheimer's disease model mice to polystyrene nano- and microplastics and found preliminary evidence that exposure worsens cognitive impairment and increases amyloid-beta plaque accumulation, building on prior work showing NMP effects in APOE4 mice and suggesting plastic particles may accelerate neurodegenerative disease progression.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.