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Polystyrene microplastics induce potential toxicity through the gut-mammary axis
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics consumed by nursing mice damaged both the gut and mammary glands, disrupting the protective barrier between blood and breast milk. This gut-mammary connection means microplastics could potentially affect not just the person who consumes them but also nursing infants through contaminated breast milk.
Microplastics (MPs), as an emerging environmental pollutant, pose a grave threat to food safety and public health. However, studies on MP toxicity to organs other than the intestine remain limited, especially its link to the intestinal microbiota. To address this gap, we evaluated the potential toxicity of polystyrene (PS)-MPs to the gut and mammary glands during lactation exposure in mice. PS-MPs (~1 μm) can disrupt the intestinal barrier and cause colonic inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Moreover, they can accumulate in mammary tissue and cause inflammatory damage. Transcriptome data suggested that PS-MPs cause maternal mammary lipid metabolism disorders and ferroptosis. Fecal microbial transplant (FMT) was then performed, and it reproduced the observed leakage of the blood-milk barrier and inflammation of the mammary gland. This study demonstrated that MPs induced gut and mammary inflammation and exacerbated inflammatory damage through the gut-mammary axis. In addition, MPs caused mammary lipid disorders and ferroptosis. The findings confirmed that PS-MPs may be transported to mammalian organs other than the intestine (e.g., mammary gland) and revealed the critical role of the intestinal microbiota. These findings will provide guidance for further studies on the potential foodborne risks of MPs.
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Transfer toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in vivo: Multi-organ crosstalk
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In a mouse study, polystyrene microplastics fed to nursing mothers spread to their gut, liver, and mammary glands, and were passed to offspring through breast milk by breaking down gut and blood-milk barriers. The microplastics disrupted the gut microbiome and liver bile acid metabolism, causing inflammation across multiple organs and demonstrating how microplastic toxicity can transfer between a mother and her young.
Polystyrene Microplastics Disrupt Vertical Transmission of the Breast Milk Microbiome, Impairing Early‐Life Gut Colonization and Immune Development in Offspring
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Researchers exposed pregnant and lactating mice to polystyrene microplastics and found that maternal exposure disrupted the breast milk microbiome, reducing beneficial bacteria like Ligilactobacillus while increasing potentially harmful ones. Offspring from exposed mothers showed altered gut colonization, excessive weight gain, reduced immune markers, and compromised intestinal barrier integrity, suggesting microplastics may affect infant development through changes in breast milk composition.
Polystyrene microplastics exposure: Disruption of intestinal barrier integrity and hepatic function in infant mice
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Researchers found that even low concentrations of polystyrene microplastics caused significant gut barrier damage and liver injury in infant mice. The microplastics disrupted the intestinal lining, allowed particles to leak into the bloodstream, and triggered liver fat accumulation and altered gut bacteria colonization. The study raises concerns about microplastic exposure during early life, when developing digestive and liver systems may be especially vulnerable.
Impacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice
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Researchers exposed mice to polystyrene microplastics for six weeks and found that the particles accumulated in the gut, reduced protective mucus secretion, and damaged the intestinal barrier. The microplastics also significantly altered the composition of gut bacteria, decreasing beneficial species and increasing harmful ones. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion could disrupt gut health in mammals by simultaneously impairing the physical barrier and reshaping the microbiome.
Intergenerational neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in offspring mice is mediated by dysfunctional microbe-gut-brain axis
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Researchers found that mother mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics during pregnancy and nursing passed neurological harm to their offspring, with the babies showing brain inflammation, disrupted dopamine and serotonin signaling, and gut microbiome imbalances — suggesting that nanoplastic exposure before birth can damage the developing brain through the gut-brain connection.
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