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Intestinal flora variation reflects the short-term damage of microplastic to the intestinal tract in mice
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Researchers used gut microbiome analysis to track short-term intestinal damage from compositional microplastics (PE, PET, PP, PS, and PVC) in mice over 7 days of exposure. While standard physiological indicators showed no significant changes, histopathological examination and gut flora analysis revealed intestinal tissue damage and microbial community shifts, suggesting that gut microbiota may serve as a sensitive early indicator of microplastic toxicity.
The potential toxicity of microplastic (MPs) to organisms has attracted extensive attention. However, due to the subacute toxicity of MPs, the biological effect is hard to verify in short-term exposure experiment. Here, by tracking the dynamics of gut microbes, mice model was utilized to evaluate the toxicity of compositional MPs (PE, PET, PP, PS and PVC). After 7 days digestive exposure, the physiological indicators were normal as the control group that the body weight and serum cholesterol levels were insignificant change. Whereas, through histopathological examination, all the treatment groups suffered colon tissue damage, among which PS had the most inflammatory cells. Moreover, the high-throughput sequencing results revealed great variation of intestinal flora in treated mice. The ratio of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in PE, PET and PP treatment groups heighten, and the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae increased significantly at family levels. At the genus level, Alistipes bacteria in PS treatment group significantly decreased that is associated with obesity risk. It indicated that MPs induced inflammatory response would further interfere the dynamics of intestinal flora causing health effect in living organisms. This work shed light on MPs toxicity in short-term exposure and supplied research paradigm of MPs health risk assessment.
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Researchers fed mice different concentrations of polyethylene microplastics for five weeks and found significant changes in gut bacteria composition and signs of intestinal inflammation. Higher doses increased bacterial diversity and altered the balance of specific bacterial species, while triggering immune responses and inflammation in the colon and duodenum. The study provides evidence that microplastic ingestion can disrupt the gut microbiome and promote intestinal inflammation in mammals.
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Researchers exposed adult mice to PVC microplastics for 60 days and observed significant damage to the intestinal barrier, including reduced mucus production and increased gut permeability. The exposure also caused notable shifts in gut bacteria composition and altered metabolic profiles in ways associated with intestinal injury. These findings suggest that chronic microplastic ingestion may disrupt gut health by weakening the intestinal lining and changing the microbiome.
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Researchers fed mice micro- and nanoplastics at environmentally relevant levels and found significant gut damage, including disrupted gut bacteria, weakened intestinal barriers, and reduced immune function. The ratio of beneficial to harmful gut bacteria shifted, and immune cells in the gut decreased. Importantly, the duration of exposure and the size of plastic particles mattered more than the amount consumed, suggesting even low-level long-term exposure could harm gut health.
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