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Probiotics improve polystyrene microplastics-induced male reproductive toxicity in mice by alleviating inflammatory response
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Researchers found that giving mice probiotics (beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) helped protect against reproductive damage caused by polystyrene microplastics. The microplastics disrupted gut bacteria and triggered inflammation that traveled to the testes via the gut-testis connection, reducing sperm quality and testosterone levels. Probiotic treatment restored healthy gut bacteria and reduced the inflammatory response, suggesting that maintaining gut health could help counteract some reproductive harm from microplastic exposure.
As a new type of environmental pollutant, microplastics have been garnered increasing attention, especially in regard to their effects on the reproductive system. However, researchers have yet to report whether prevention and treatment measures exist for reproductive injury caused by microplastics. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the mechanism of spermatogenic injury induced by polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) and the intervention effect of probiotics based on the gut microbiota-testis axis. Mice were orally exposed for 35 days to 5 µm of PS-MPs with a gavage dose was 0.1 mg/day, and the intervention group was given probiotics (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium longum, and Enterococcus) orally. Fecal samples were then subjected to 16 S rRNA sequencing analysis, and sperm motion was analyzed by a Hamilton-Thorne Sperm analyzer. The results showed that PS-MPs exposed mice had significant spermatogenic dysfunction and testicular inflammation. In addition, the intestinal microbial structure of exposed mice changed significantly; the abundance of Lactobacillus decreased, and the abundance of Prevotella increased. Furthermore, with fecal microbiota transplantation, the recipient mice showed a significant decrease in sperm quality. However, probiotics supplementation helped inhibit the activation of IL-17A signaling driven by gut microbes, thereby alleviating the inflammatory response and improving sperm quality decline caused by PS-MPs. These results may provide a scientific basis for further understanding of the mechanism of male reproductive damage caused by environmental pollutants such as microplastics and for novel reproductive damage intervention measures.
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Probiotics as a therapeutic approach to alleviate reproductive harm from polystyrene microplastics in male rats
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Researchers tested whether probiotic supplementation could protect against reproductive toxicity caused by polystyrene microplastic exposure in male rats, finding that PS-MP caused dose-dependent testicular damage and disrupted kisspeptin signaling in the hypothalamus. Probiotics partially reversed these effects, suggesting a gut-testis axis through which microbiome modulation may mitigate reproductive harm.
Microplastics-perturbed gut microbiota triggered the testicular disorder in male mice: Via fecal microbiota transplantation
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics disrupted gut microbiota in mice, which in turn triggered testicular damage and reproductive disorders. Through fecal microbiota transplantation experiments, the study suggests that gut bacteria play a critical role in microplastic-induced reproductive toxicity, with inflammatory immune responses driven by bacterial changes being a key mechanism.
Lactobacillus brevis GKJOY Supplementation Ameliorates Oxidative Stress and Reproductive Dysfunction in Male Rats with Polystyrene Microplastics-Induced Reproductive Toxicity
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Researchers investigated whether the probiotic Lactobacillus brevis GKJOY could protect against reproductive damage caused by polystyrene microplastics in male rats. The study found that probiotic supplementation helped reduce oxidative stress and improved reproductive function in microplastic-exposed animals, suggesting that certain probiotics may offer protective benefits against microplastic-related reproductive toxicity.
Possible Role of Gut Microbiota in Polypropylene Microplastics-Induced Immunity and Reproductive Dysfunction in Mice
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Scientists exposed mice to polypropylene microplastics (found in many plastic food containers and packaging) for five weeks and found changes to gut bacteria, including a drop in a helpful probiotic species, along with shifts in genes affecting testicle function, though hormone levels and organ weights stayed normal. This suggests microplastics might disrupt the gut-reproductive system connection before causing obvious physical damage, but since this was only in mice, more research is needed to know what it means for human fertility.
Integrated fecal microbiome and metabolome analysis explore the link between polystyrene nanoplastics exposure and male reproductive toxicity in mice
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Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes and doses, then analyzed fecal microbiome and metabolome changes alongside reproductive outcomes. The study found that nanoplastic exposure disrupted gut microbiota balance and metabolic pathways, which correlated with reduced sperm count, viability, and testosterone levels. The findings suggest that gut microbiota-metabolite disruption may play an important role in nanoplastic-induced male reproductive toxicity.
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