Papers

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Article Tier 2

Maternal polystyrene nanoplastics exposure during pregnancy induces obesity development in adult offspring through disrupting lipid homeostasis

Researchers found that maternal inhalation exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics during pregnancy induced obesity development in adult offspring of mice, suggesting in utero exposure to airborne nanoplastics programs metabolic dysfunction. The study linked prenatal nanoplastic exposure to increased adiposity and metabolic changes persisting into adulthood.

2024
Article Tier 2

Maternal Polystyrene Microplastic Exposure during Gestation and Lactation Altered Metabolic Homeostasis in the Dams and Their F1 and F2 Offspring

Researchers exposed pregnant mice to polystyrene microplastics during pregnancy and nursing and found significant metabolic disruptions in both the mothers and their offspring across two generations. The microplastics altered lipid metabolism, gut microbiota composition, and key metabolic signaling pathways. The study suggests that microplastic exposure during critical developmental windows may have lasting health consequences that pass to future generations.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 359 citations
Article Tier 2

Maternal exposure to different sizes of polystyrene microplastics during gestation causes metabolic disorders in their offspring

Researchers exposed pregnant mice to polystyrene microplastics of two different sizes during gestation and examined metabolic effects in their offspring. They found that maternal microplastic exposure altered cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and amino acid metabolism in the offspring, with larger 5-micrometer particles causing more pronounced effects. The study suggests that prenatal microplastic exposure may increase the risk of metabolic disorders in the next generation.

2019 Environmental Pollution 303 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to Nanoplastics During Pregnancy Induces Brown Adipose Tissue Whitening in Male Offspring

Researchers found that exposing pregnant mice to polystyrene nanoplastics caused changes in the brown fat tissue of their male offspring, shifting it toward white fat characteristics associated with obesity. This transformation was driven by disruptions in fat production and a cellular recycling process called lipophagy. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy could increase obesity risk in offspring by altering how their bodies regulate fat storage and energy burning.

2025 Toxics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota contributes to polystyrene nanoplastics-induced fetal growth restriction by disturbing placental nicotinamide metabolism

Researchers found that pregnant mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics experienced placental damage and metabolic disruptions that restricted fetal growth. The nanoplastics altered the mothers' gut bacteria, which in turn disturbed nicotinamide metabolism in the placenta, a key pathway for fetal development. The study suggests that nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy may harm offspring development through indirect effects on the gut-placenta connection.

2025 Journal of Nanobiotechnology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastic gestational exposure on mice

Researchers exposed pregnant mice to airborne polystyrene nanoplastics and studied the effects on both mothers and offspring. High-dose exposure caused fatty liver disease in the mothers and in adult female offspring, but not in male offspring, with each group showing different underlying molecular mechanisms. The study suggests that prenatal exposure to airborne nanoplastics may have sex-specific effects on metabolic health that persist into adulthood.

2023 Chemosphere 37 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 966 citations
Article Tier 2

Dual impact of microplastic exposure in a mouse model: Impaired uterine receptivity and altered maternal-offspring metabolism

Researchers exposed female mice to polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles impaired uterine receptivity, which is critical for embryo implantation, and altered metabolic profiles in both the mothers and their offspring. The microplastics disrupted gene expression related to uterine function and caused metabolic changes across multiple organs. The findings suggest that microplastic exposure could have reproductive and metabolic consequences that extend to the next generation.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics trigger adiposity in mice by remodeling gut microbiota and boosting fatty acid synthesis

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics at relatively low concentrations caused weight gain and excess fat accumulation in mice by reshaping their gut bacteria. The altered gut microbiome boosted fatty acid production, increased appetite, and lowered physical activity in the exposed mice. This finding is significant because it suggests everyday levels of microplastic exposure could contribute to obesity through changes in gut bacteria and metabolism.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics-induced altered glycolipid metabolism in the liver: A comparative study between pregnant and non-pregnant mice

Researchers compared glycolipid metabolism effects of polystyrene nanoplastics in pregnant versus non-pregnant mice, finding that pregnancy amplified hepatic lipid disruption, with both low and high doses impairing fat metabolism and altering glucose regulation more severely during gestation.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Gut Check: Microbiota and Obesity in Mice Exposed to Polystyrene Microspheres

Researchers found that gut microbiota appeared to play a mediating role in the obesity outcomes observed in mice fed manufactured polystyrene microspheres, suggesting that microplastic-induced alterations to the gut microbiome may be a mechanism linking microplastic exposure to metabolic dysfunction and weight gain.

2024 Environmental Health Perspectives
Article Tier 2

Maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles retarded fetal growth and triggered metabolic disorders of placenta and fetus in mice

Researchers exposed pregnant mice to polystyrene nanoplastics through drinking water and found that higher concentrations led to significantly reduced fetal weight. The nanoplastics caused abnormal cell structures in the placenta and disrupted metabolic processes in both placental tissue and fetal livers. The study suggests that maternal nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy can cross the placental barrier and interfere with normal fetal growth and metabolism.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Maternal exposure to polypropylene nanoplastics disrupts sex- and region-specific lipid metabolism in the brains of C57BL/6N mouse offspring

Pregnant mice were exposed to polypropylene nanoplastics, and offspring brains were analyzed using targeted lipidomics across different brain regions and sexes. The study found that prenatal exposure disrupted lipid metabolism in a sex- and region-specific manner, indicating that early developmental exposure to nanoplastics can have lasting effects on brain biochemistry.

2025 Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Long-Term Exposure to Polystyrene Microspheres and High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice: Evaluating a Role for Microbiota Dysbiosis.

A long-term mouse study examined how chronic exposure to polystyrene microspheres interacts with a high-fat diet to affect obesity-related outcomes, finding that microplastics worsened metabolic disruption and fat accumulation compared to diet alone. The results raise concern that microplastic exposure may be an environmental factor contributing to the global obesity epidemic.

2024 Environmental health perspectives
Article Tier 2

Intergenerational neurotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in offspring mice is mediated by dysfunctional microbe-gut-brain axis

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.

2024 Environment International 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term exposure to polystyrene microplastics promotes HFD-induced obesity in mice through exacerbating microbiota dysbiosis

Researchers found that long-term polystyrene microplastic exposure worsened high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice by exacerbating gut microbiota dysbiosis, suggesting microplastic ingestion may amplify metabolic disease risk through disruption of the gut microbiome.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial Lipid Metabolic Remodeling from Placenta to Multiple Suborgans during the Gestational Micro- or Nanoplastics Exposure

Using pregnant mice exposed to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics from gestation day 1–18, researchers used MALDI mass spectrometry imaging to construct a comprehensive spatial map of lipid metabolism changes across placenta and multiple maternal and fetal organs, revealing widespread lipid metabolic remodeling.

2025 ACS Nano
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial Lipid MetabolicRemodeling from Placenta toMultiple Suborgans during the Gestational Micro- or Nanoplastics Exposure

Using pregnant mice exposed to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics from gestation day 1–18, researchers used MALDI mass spectrometry imaging to construct a comprehensive spatial map of lipid metabolism changes across placenta and multiple maternal and fetal organs, revealing widespread lipid metabolic remodeling.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota combined with metabolome dissects long-term nanoplastics exposure-induced disturbed spermatogenesis

Researchers studied how long-term exposure to nanoplastics affects sperm production in mice by analyzing changes in gut bacteria and metabolic pathways. They found that nanoplastic exposure disrupted spermatogenesis, with amino-modified nanoplastics causing more severe effects than standard polystyrene particles. The study suggests that nanoplastics may harm male reproductive health by altering gut microbiota and lipid metabolism.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 16 citations
Article Tier 2

[The effect and mechanism of exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics on lipid metabolism in mice liver].

Researchers exposed mice to 20 nm polystyrene nanoplastics and investigated the effects on hepatic lipid metabolism using multi-omics approaches. Nanoplastic exposure disrupted lipid metabolic pathways in the liver, causing significant changes in lipid accumulation and related gene expression, suggesting a mechanism by which nanoplastic ingestion may contribute to metabolic disorders.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Untargeted metabolomics and transcriptomics joint analysis of the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on lipid metabolism in the mouse liver

Mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics for 12 weeks gained weight without eating more and showed increased cholesterol levels and fat accumulation in their livers. Gene and metabolite analysis revealed that the nanoplastics disrupted fat metabolism pathways in the liver, essentially reprogramming how the body processes and stores fat. These findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure could be a hidden factor contributing to obesity and fatty liver disease in humans.

2025 Lipids in Health and Disease 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Maternal exposure to polystyrene microplastics alters placental metabolism in mice

Researchers exposed pregnant mice to polystyrene microplastics and examined how placental metabolism was affected. The study found significant changes in placental metabolic pathways that could help explain the fetal growth restriction previously observed in microplastic-exposed pregnancies. These findings suggest that microplastic exposure during pregnancy may interfere with the placenta's ability to support normal fetal development.

2022 Metabolomics 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Maternal exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics during gestation and lactation induces hepatic and testicular toxicity in male mouse offspring

Researchers exposed pregnant and nursing mice to polystyrene nanoplastics and studied the effects on their male offspring. The offspring showed reduced body weight, liver damage with inflammation and disrupted sugar metabolism, and testicular harm including decreased sperm counts. The findings suggest that nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause significant organ damage in the next generation.

2022 Food and Chemical Toxicology 168 citations