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Co-exposure of polycarbonate microplastics aggravated the toxic effects of imidacloprid on the liver and gut microbiota in mice
Summary
Researchers studied the combined toxic effects of polycarbonate microplastics and the pesticide imidacloprid in mice, finding that exposure to both together caused significantly worse liver damage and gut disruption than either pollutant alone. The microplastics appeared to increase accumulation of the pesticide in liver tissue, amplifying oxidative stress and tissue damage. The findings suggest that microplastics may act as carriers that worsen the harmful effects of pesticides they encounter in the environment.
The joint toxicity of microplastics (MPs) and pesticides may be different from MPs or pesticides individually, however, the information about the combined toxicity of MPs and pesticides is not well understood. Herein, we investigated the joint toxicity of polycarbonate (PC) MPs and imidacloprid (IMI) on mice. After orally exposure for 4 weeks, PC and/or IMI lowered the body weight gain of mice. Single exposure of IMI induced the tissue damage in liver by disturbing the redox homeostasis, and PC significantly aggravated the imbalance of redox homeostasis by facilitating the accumulation of IMI in liver. Additionally, compared to single exposure of PC or IMI, PC+IMI exposure caused more severe damage to the gut microstructure and microbial diversity. Several key metabolic pathways, especially the lipid metabolism, were significantly affected. Overall, these findings provide new insight into understanding the potential risk of co-exposure of microplastics and pesticides to animal and human health.