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Environmental enrichment with nylon gnaw sticks introduces variation in Sprague Dawley rat immune and lower gastrointestinal parameters with differences between sexes
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Researchers found that providing nylon gnaw sticks as environmental enrichment in rat studies significantly alters gut microbiota and immune parameters in a sex-dependent manner, demonstrating that enrichment strategies must be carefully reported and controlled in studies examining diet, microbiome, and immune function.
These findings indicate that including GS can influence microbiota and immune-related parameters, in a sex dependent manner. This shows that environmental enrichment strategies need to be clearly reported in publications to properly evaluate and compare experimental results, especially with respect to the use of chewable EE in the context of studies examining diet, microbiome and immune parameters.
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Sex-Specific Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic and Lead(II) Co-Exposure on the Gut Microbiome and Fecal Metabolome in C57BL/6 Mice
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Researchers exposed male and female mice to a combination of polystyrene microplastics and lead, finding that the effects on gut bacteria and metabolism differed significantly between sexes. Female mice showed greater disruption to their gut microbiome diversity, while different metabolic pathways were affected in each sex. This study is important because it suggests that microplastic health effects may differ between men and women, and that microplastics can make heavy metal exposure worse by carrying metals into the digestive system.
Sex-specific toxicological observations following 28-day oral gavage exposure to spherical and milled polystyrene nano- and microplastic particles in mice
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Mice fed tiny plastic particles (like those found in food and water) for a month showed different health effects depending on their sex: males developed more gallbladder inflammation, while females had changes in their gut lining and mucus production. Overall body weight and blood tests looked normal, but the plastic particles did travel into the liver and intestines in both sexes, suggesting that even short-term microplastic exposure may affect male and female bodies differently, which matters as scientists work out what these ubiquitous plastic particles mean for long-term human health.
The ingestion of microplastics affects the diversity of the gut microbiome and testicular development in Japanese quail
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This study examined how microplastic ingestion affects gut microbiome diversity and composition in an animal model, finding that microplastic exposure alters microbial community structure in ways that may impair digestive and immune function.
Sex-specific intestinal transcriptional responses to oral polyvinyl chloride microplastic exposure in Wistar rats, with an in-vitro validation in a human gut model
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Rats fed PVC microplastics for three weeks showed changes in gut gene activity, especially in females and in the colon, affecting pathways linked to inflammation, fat processing, and cell death. Female rats also had increased gut permeability. A human gut tissue model showed no harmful effects from PVC exposure.
Sex-specific gene expression alterations in response to ingested PVC microplastics in Wistar rats
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Researchers examined sex-specific differences in gene expression changes in mice exposed to PVC microplastics via ingestion, finding that male and female animals responded differently at the molecular level. The sex-specific patterns suggest that biological sex may be an important variable in microplastic health risk assessments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.