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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Polystyrene microplastics exposure: Disruption of intestinal barrier integrity and hepatic function in infant mice
ClearImpacts of polystyrene microplastic on the gut barrier, microbiota and metabolism of mice
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.
Oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics alters the intestinal environment and metabolic outcomes in mice
In a mouse study, oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics caused fatty liver disease and abnormal blood lipid levels even without prior gut leakiness. The microplastics triggered intestinal inflammation through immune cells, disrupted gut bacteria, and altered how the body processes nutrients. These results suggest that swallowing microplastics could contribute to metabolic problems and liver disease in humans.
Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic lipid metabolism disorder in mice
Researchers fed mice two sizes of polystyrene microplastics for five weeks and observed significant disruption of gut bacteria and changes in liver fat metabolism. The microplastics decreased mucus production in the gut and shifted the balance of key bacterial populations at multiple taxonomic levels. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion can trigger gut microbiota imbalance in mammals, which may in turn affect metabolic health.
Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Microplastic Exposure Cause Cholestasis and Bile Acid Metabolism Dysregulation through a Gut-Liver Loop in Mice
Mice exposed to environmentally realistic levels of polystyrene microplastics for 30 days developed damaged intestinal barriers, liver injury, and disrupted bile acid metabolism. The study revealed a gut-liver feedback loop where microplastics alter gut bacteria, which changes bile acid production, which in turn causes further liver damage, suggesting a mechanism by which everyday microplastic exposure could harm digestive health.
Early-life exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics disrupts metabolic homeostasis and gut microbiota in juvenile mice with a size-dependent manner
Pregnant mice given polystyrene micro or nanoplastics in their drinking water passed the particles to their pups through the placenta and breast milk, with smaller nanoplastics accumulating more heavily in organs. The nanoplastics (0.05 micrometers) caused more severe gut damage, liver dysfunction, and metabolic disruption in the young mice than the larger microplastics (5 micrometers). This study demonstrates that early-life exposure to nanoplastics, even before birth, can disrupt development in a size-dependent way, with the smallest particles posing the greatest risk.
Polystyrene microplastics induce potential toxicity through the gut-mammary axis
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.
Underestimated health risks: Dietary restriction magnify the intestinal barrier dysfunction and liver injury in mice induced by polystyrene microplastics
Researchers discovered that mice on restricted diets were significantly more vulnerable to the harmful effects of polystyrene microplastics compared to mice eating normally. Dietary restriction combined with microplastic exposure led to worse intestinal barrier damage, liver injury, and gut bacteria imbalances. The study suggests that people with limited food intake may face heightened health risks from microplastic contamination in food and water.
Polystyrene microplastics exacerbate experimental colitis in mice tightly associated with the occurrence of hepatic inflammation
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics worsened experimentally induced colitis in mice, causing greater intestinal inflammation, reduced mucus secretion, and increased gut permeability. The study also revealed that microplastic exposure in mice with colitis increased the risk of secondary liver inflammation, suggesting that individuals with pre-existing gut conditions may be more vulnerable to microplastic exposure.
Disturbed Gut-Liver axis indicating oral exposure to polystyrene microplastic potentially increases the risk of insulin resistance
Researchers found that oral exposure to polystyrene microplastics in mice disrupted the gut-liver axis, causing intestinal inflammation and liver metabolic dysfunction that together increased the risk of insulin resistance. The study showed that microplastics damaged the intestinal barrier, allowing harmful substances to reach the liver and trigger metabolic disturbances. These findings suggest a potential pathway by which microplastic ingestion could contribute to metabolic health problems.
Polystyrene Microplastics Disrupt Vertical Transmission of the Breast Milk Microbiome, Impairing Early‐Life Gut Colonization and Immune Development in Offspring
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.
Intestinal Barrier Damage and Growth Retardation Caused by Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Through Lactation Milk in Developing Mice
In a study on developing mice, polystyrene nanoplastics transferred from mother to pup through breast milk caused delayed weight gain and significant intestinal damage, including shortened gut lining structures and weakened barriers between intestinal cells. The gut was the primary target of damage even at relatively low doses, while organs like the liver and kidneys showed impaired development without obvious toxic injury. These findings are concerning because they suggest that infants could be exposed to nanoplastics through breast milk, with their developing gut being particularly vulnerable.
Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastic Differentially Affects the Colon and Liver in Adult Male Mice
Researchers fed male mice polystyrene microplastics at varying doses for six weeks and examined the effects on their colon and liver. They found that the microplastics reduced antioxidant enzyme activity, damaged the intestinal barrier, disrupted mucus production, and caused tissue changes in both organs. The study provides further evidence that oral exposure to microplastics can cause oxidative stress and structural damage in the digestive system and liver.
Polystyrene microplastics aggravate inflammatory damage in mice with intestinal immune imbalance
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics caused significantly worse inflammatory damage in mice that already had compromised intestinal immune systems compared to healthy mice. The microplastics increased inflammatory markers, disrupted gut bacteria, and caused more severe tissue damage in the vulnerable animals. The study suggests that individuals with pre-existing gut health issues may be more susceptible to the harmful effects of microplastic exposure.
Transfer toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in vivo: Multi-organ crosstalk
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.
Hepatic and metabolic outcomes induced by sub-chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastics in mice
Researchers studied the effects of sub-chronic polystyrene microplastic exposure on mouse livers using multiple analytical approaches. They found that microplastics accumulated in liver tissue and caused inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of normal metabolic processes including lipid and amino acid metabolism. The study suggests that prolonged microplastic ingestion may pose significant risks to liver health.
Gut dysbiosis exacerbates inflammatory liver injury induced by environmentally relevant concentrations of nanoplastics via the gut-liver axis
This mouse study found that swallowing nanoplastics at levels found in the environment disrupted gut bacteria and damaged the intestinal barrier, allowing toxins to leak into the bloodstream and cause liver inflammation. When researchers transplanted gut bacteria from nanoplastic-exposed mice into healthy mice, those mice also developed liver damage. This demonstrates that nanoplastics may harm the liver indirectly by first disrupting the gut, a finding relevant to understanding how everyday plastic exposure could affect human health.
Low-dose polystyrene microplastics exposure increases susceptibility to obesity-induced MASLD via disrupting intestinal barrier integrity and gut microbiota homeostasis
A mouse study found that even low doses of polystyrene microplastics made fatty liver disease significantly worse when combined with a high-fat diet, creating a "double hit" effect. The microplastics damaged the gut lining, disrupted beneficial gut bacteria, and triggered inflammation that spread to the liver, and these harmful effects were difficult to reverse even after two weeks of stopping exposure.
Polystyrene nanoplastics induce intestinal and hepatic inflammation through activation of NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways and related gut-liver axis in mice
In a mouse study, ingested polystyrene nanoplastics accumulated in the gut and liver and triggered inflammation through specific immune pathways, damaging the intestinal lining and allowing bacterial toxins to leak into the liver. This gut-liver connection suggests that swallowing nanoplastics could set off a chain reaction of inflammation affecting multiple organs in the body.
A Western-style diet shapes the gut and liver responses to low-dose, fit-for-purpose polystyrene nanoplastics in mice
A subchronic mouse study found that low-dose polystyrene nanoplastics designed to mimic real-world particle characteristics impaired gut and liver health in a non-monotonic, diet-dependent manner, with Western-style diet amplifying the effects.
Gut Microbiota Participates in Polystyrene Microplastics-Induced Hepatic Injuries by Modulating the Gut–Liver Axis
This mouse study showed that polystyrene microplastics cause liver damage partly through disrupting gut bacteria, which then triggers harmful signals along the gut-liver connection. When researchers eliminated gut bacteria with antibiotics, liver damage from microplastics was reduced, confirming the gut microbiome plays a key role. Green tea extract (EGCG) helped protect the liver by restoring healthy gut bacteria, suggesting diet may help counteract some effects of microplastic exposure.