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The Effect of Polystyrene Foam on the White Mice’s Intestinal Microbiota
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This study fed white mice polystyrene foam and analyzed changes in intestinal microbiota composition, finding that polystyrene exposure significantly altered the gut microbial community structure, adding to evidence that microplastic ingestion disrupts mammalian gut health.
Millions of tons of microplastics get into the environment, being eaten by many species of mammals and humans. One of the main types of plastic, polystyrene, and its monomer, bisphenol, have been fairly well studied in terms of their effects on metabolism, but changes in the intestinal microbiota under the influence of its addition to the diet remain insufficiently studied. The aim of this article is to describe the changes in the main components of the mice intestinal microbiota in the conditions of adding different concentrations of crushed polystyrene foam to their diet. Methods. Four groups of white laboratory mice ate crushed particles of polystyrene foam (10% of the polymer by weight of the feed, 1%, 0.1%, and the control group — without addition of plastic) as part of the compound feed for 42 days. At the end of the experiment, cultures of animal feces samples were analyzed. Results. Polystyrene foam particles in the main mice diet, especially at a higher concentration (10%), have changed the number.
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