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Exposure to nanoplastics induces mitochondrial impairment and cytomembrane destruction in Leydig cells
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Researchers exposed mouse Leydig cells (which produce testosterone) to 20-nanometer polystyrene nanoplastics in the lab and found that the particles entered the cells and caused dose-dependent damage. The nanoplastics triggered oxidative stress, destroyed mitochondria, disrupted cell membranes, and reduced testosterone production. This study adds to growing evidence that nanoplastics could harm male reproductive health by directly damaging the cells responsible for making testosterone.
Plastic particle pollution poses an emerging threat to ecological and human health. Laboratory animal studies have illustrated that nano-sized plastics can accumulate in the testis and cause testosterone deficiency and spermatogenic impairment. In this study, TM3 mouse Leydig cells were in vitro exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs, size 20 nm) at dosages of 50, 100 and 150 μg/mL to investigate their cytotoxicity. Our results demonstrated that PS-NPs can be internalized into TM3 Leydig cells and led to a concentration-dependent decline in cell viability. Furthermore, PS-NPs stimulation amplified ROS generation and initiated cellular oxidative stress and apoptosis. Moreover, PS-NPs treatment affected the mitochondrial DNA copy number and collapsed the mitochondrial membrane potential, accompanied by a disrupted energy metabolism. The cells exposed to PS-NPs also displayed a down-regulated expression of steroidogenesis-related genes StAR, P450scc and 17β-HSD, along with a decrease in testosterone secretion. In addition, treatment with PS-NPs destructed plasma membrane integrity, as presented by increase in lactate dehydrogenase release and depolarization of cell membrane potential. In summary, these data indicated that exposure to PS-NPs in vitro produced cytotoxic effect on Leydig cells by inducing oxidative injury, mitochondrial impairment, apoptosis, and cytomembrane destruction. Our results provide new insights into male reproductive toxicity caused by NPs.
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In Vitro Assessment of Carboxylated Polystyrene Nanoplastics Toxicity in Tm3 Leydig Cells
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Researchers exposed mouse Leydig cells to carboxylated polystyrene nanoplastics and found that testosterone production was suppressed at all tested concentrations — including doses too low to affect cell viability — while higher doses also reduced metabolic activity, suggesting endocrine disruption as a primary mode of toxicity.
Polystyrene microplastics impair the functions of cultured mouse Leydig (TM3) and Sertoli (TM4) cells by inducing mitochondrial-endoplasmic reticulum damage
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Lab experiments showed that polystyrene microplastics damaged two key types of testicular cells in mice -- Leydig cells that produce testosterone and Sertoli cells that support sperm development -- by harming their mitochondria (the cell's energy centers) and stressing the endoplasmic reticulum. These findings suggest that microplastic exposure could contribute to male reproductive problems by disrupting hormone production and sperm development at the cellular level.
Chronic Polystyrene Microplastic Exposure Reduces Testosterone Levels in Mice through Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and BAX/BCL2-Mediated Apoptosis
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This mouse study found that oral exposure to polystyrene microplastics for four weeks significantly lowered testosterone levels by damaging the cells in the testes that produce it. The microplastics caused mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress, and triggered cell death in these testosterone-producing cells. These findings suggest that chronic microplastic exposure could contribute to declining male hormone levels and fertility issues.
Micro- and nanoplastics as emerging disruptors of Leydig cell function: A systematic review of experimental evidence
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Tiny plastic particles from our environment have already been found in human testicles, and this review pulls together 19 lab studies looking at how these particles affect the cells that produce testosterone. The evidence so far shows these plastics can stress and damage these cells, potentially lowering testosterone production, though the studies are mostly in animals and cells rather than people, so more research is needed to confirm the risk to human fertility and hormone health.
Polystyrene nanoplastics aggravate reproductive system damage in obese male mice by perturbation of the testis redox homeostasis
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics worsened reproductive damage in male mice already fed a high-fat diet, reducing sperm quality and testosterone production beyond what obesity alone caused. The nanoplastics disrupted the protective blood-testis barrier and increased oxidative stress in reproductive tissues. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure combined with obesity may create compounding risks to male fertility.
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