Nano- and micro-polystyrene plastics interfered the gut barrier function mediated by exosomal miRNAs in rats

Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in the global environment, entering and accumulating in organisms in various ways and posing health threats. MPs can damage intestine; however, the mechanism by which MPs cause intestinal damage in rats is unclear. Here, rats were exposed to 50 nm PS-NPs or 5 μm PS-MPs for 4 weeks to evaluate the possible effects on intestinal barrier function and exosomal miRNAs expressions. The results showed that PS-NPs or PS-MPs disrupted the gut microbiota and affected gut barrier function at the biological level. In addition, PS-NPs and PS-MPs altered the composition of exosomal miRNAs in the intestinal and serum. Both PS-NPs and PS-MPs decreased the expression of miR-126a-3p in the intestinal and serum exosomes, which is an important signalling molecule involved in MPs induced gut barrier function disorder. More importantly, both in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that miR-126a-3p was closely related to oxidative damage of intestinal cells through the PI3K-Akt pathway and eventually promote cell apoptosis by regulating the target gene of PIK3R2. Our study suggested that PS-NPs and PS-MPs could affect rat intestinal barrier function through an exosomal miRNA mediated pathway.