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Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis reveals hepatic lipid metabolism disruption in Japanese quail under polystyrene microplastics exposure
Summary
Researchers fed Japanese quail polystyrene microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations for 35 days and analyzed liver effects using transcriptomics and metabolomics. Low doses caused increased food intake and weight gain with liver lipid accumulation, while high doses led to decreased intake and weight loss, suggesting a hormetic dose-response pattern. The study found that microplastic exposure disrupted hepatic lipid metabolism pathways and caused liver oxidative stress in birds.
Microplastics (MPs) become a global concern due to their impacts on human and wildlife health. In this study, we attempted to determine the hepatotoxic effects of MPs exposure on birds by using a laboratory model animal-Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica ) through integrating transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. Seven-day old female chicks were exposed to low concentrations (0.02 mg/kg, 0.4 mg/kg) and high concentration (8 mg/kg) polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) of environmental relevance in the feed for 35 days. The results showed that 0.02 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure caused increasing food and water intake with weight gain and liver lipid droplets accumulation while 8 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure induced decreasing food and water intake with weight loss. Moreover, both microstructural damage and ultrastructural injury indicated liver malfunction by PS-MPs exposure. PS-MPs also led to hepatic oxidative stress. Furthermore, untargeted metabolomic analysis showed lipid metabolism disturbance in the liver of PS-MPs exposure. Transcriptomic results also showed molecular signaling pathway disruption in the liver of PS-MPs exposure. Especially, lipid metabolism including peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, fatty acid oxidation, primary bile acid synthesis and triglyceride metabolism were disrupted by PS-MPs exposure. The present study concluded MPs exposure might have hormetic effects on bird development and it posed risks to bird health with low dose MPs may induce non-alcoholic fatty liver disease while high dose MPs may cause severe histopathological injury and oxidative damage. This study underscored the importance of evaluating the chronic effects of microplastics on birds.
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