Papers

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Article Tier 2

Socializing Models During Lactation Alter Colonic Mucosal Gene Expression and Fecal Microbiota of Growing Piglets

Researchers investigated how intermittent or continuous social contact with neighboring litters during lactation affects piglet gut health, using RNA sequencing and 16S rRNA microbiome analysis to show that enriched social environments alter colonic mucosal gene expression and fecal microbiota composition in growing piglets.

2022 Frontiers in Microbiology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of selected dosages of plastic microparticles on the porcine fecal microbiome

Researchers fed pigs different doses of PET microplastics for 28 days and analyzed changes in their gut bacteria. Higher doses of microplastics increased certain bacterial groups that produce short-chain fatty acids, which are important for gut health and immune function. Since pig digestive systems are similar to humans, these results suggest microplastic exposure could alter our gut microbiome in ways that affect digestion and overall health.

2025 Scientific Reports 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-Omics Analysis of the Gut-Liver Axis Reveals the Mechanism of Liver Injury in Colitis Mice

Researchers used multi-omics analysis to reveal that liver injury in colitis mice is linked to intestinal dysbiosis and altered host-microbiota interactions, with gut bacterial shifts correlating to immune and metabolic changes in the liver.

2022 Frontiers in Immunology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Gut microbiota remodeling drived by dietary millet protein prevents the metabolic syndrome

Researchers found that millet bran protein extract prevented metabolic syndrome in high-fat diet mice by remodeling gut microbiota and reducing obesity, chronic inflammation, and insulin resistance. The protective effects were linked to specific gut microbial metabolites influenced by dietary millet protein.

2023 Food Science and Human Wellness 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic Exposure on Blood Glucose Levels and Gut Microbiota: Differential Effects under Normal or High-Fat Diet Conditions

Mice exposed to polystyrene microplastics showed changes in blood sugar levels and gut bacteria, with the effects being worse when combined with a high-fat diet. The microplastics disrupted the balance of beneficial gut bacteria and increased markers associated with type 2 diabetes. This study suggests that microplastic exposure could contribute to blood sugar problems in people, especially those who already eat an unhealthy diet.

2024 Metabolites 12 citations
Article Tier 2

High-fat intake induces gut microbiota disorders, inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in Nyctereutes procyonoides

Researchers investigated how high-fat diets affect gut health in Nyctereutes procyonoides (raccoon dogs) used in the fur farming industry. The study found that high-fat intake disrupted gut microbiota composition, activated inflammatory signaling pathways, increased oxidative stress, and damaged intestinal barrier integrity through reduced expression of tight junction proteins.

2024 Animal Diseases 2 citations
Article Tier 2

High-fat diet disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to inflammation, damage to tight junctions, and apoptosis and necrosis in Nyctereutes procyonoides intestines

Researchers found that a high-fat diet disrupted gut bacteria, caused intestinal inflammation, and triggered cell death in the intestines of raccoon dogs. While this study focuses on diet rather than microplastics, the biological pathways it examines, including gut microbiome disruption, inflammation, and damage to the intestinal lining, are the same pathways through which microplastics are known to cause harm. The findings reinforce that a compromised gut may be more vulnerable to additional stressors like microplastic exposure.

2024 Microbiology Spectrum 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastic exposure induces insulin resistance in mice via dysbacteriosis and pro-inflammation

Researchers found that exposing mice to polystyrene microplastics induced insulin resistance regardless of whether the animals were on a normal or high-fat diet. The study identified disruption of gut bacteria and increased intestinal inflammation as key mechanisms driving the metabolic changes. These findings suggest that microplastic exposure may contribute to metabolic health issues by altering the gut microbiome and triggering chronic inflammation.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Macrogenomes reveal microbial-mediated microplastic degradation pathways in the porcine gut: a hope for solving the environmental challenges of microplastics

A metagenomic study of pig gut contents found a diverse community of microorganisms harboring genes capable of breaking down multiple types of microplastics. This raises the intriguing possibility that gut microbiota in food animals may partially degrade ingested microplastics, but it also raises questions about whether breakdown products or altered microbial communities pose risks that pass up the food chain to humans.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene Microplastics and Bisphenol A Exposure Worsen Intestinal Injury in Diabetic Mice by Disrupting Gut Microbiota and Metabolites

Researchers exposed diabetic mice to polystyrene microplastics and bisphenol A, then examined intestinal effects using metabolomics and gut microbiome sequencing. The study found that both pollutants worsened intestinal injury in diabetic mice by disrupting gut barrier proteins, altering beneficial metabolites like long-chain fatty acids, and shifting gut microbial composition toward less favorable species.

2025 Chemical Research in Toxicology 1 citations
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

Oral exposure to polyethylene microplastics of adult male mice fed a normal or western-style diet: impact on gut and gut-liver axis homeostasis

Researchers orally exposed adult male mice to polyethylene microplastics under both normal and high-fat diets, assessing effects on the gastrointestinal tract. The study found that diet influences microplastic-induced gut changes, with greater effects observed in animals fed a western-style high-fat diet.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Composition of the gut microbiota at the genus level following the administration of MP.

Researchers characterized gut microbiota at the genus level in wild-type and leptin-knockout obese mice following microplastic administration, identifying genus-level shifts with significant differences between obese and normal-weight animals that suggest obesity modifies the gut microbiome response to microplastic exposure.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Are gut dysbiosis, barrier disruption, and endotoxemia related to adipose tissue dysfunction in metabolic disorders? Overview of the mechanisms involved

Researchers reviewed how an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) and a leaky gut barrier allow bacterial components to enter the bloodstream and trigger the low-grade inflammation that drives obesity and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. The review highlights the gut-brain-fat tissue axis as a key pathway and calls for more research into how gut bacteria regulate metabolism and inflammation in peripheral tissues like fat.

2023 Internal and Emergency Medicine 45 citations
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

Oral exposure to PET microplastics induces the pancreatic immune response and oxidative stress in immature pigs

Researchers fed young pigs PET microplastics (the type found in plastic bottles) and found that the particles triggered immune responses and oxidative stress in the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin. Higher doses caused changes in 86 genes related to immune function and cellular stress. Since pigs are biologically similar to humans, this study raises questions about whether microplastic exposure could contribute to pancreatic problems, including diabetes risk.

2025 BMC Genomics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral exposure to PET microplastics alters the pancreatic transcriptome – implications for the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes

Researchers exposed immature pigs to PET microplastics for four weeks and analyzed the resulting changes in pancreatic gene expression using RNA sequencing. They found a dose-dependent effect, with the higher dose altering expression of 86 genes including immune cell markers, cytokines, and chemokines that may activate immune responses characteristic of type 1 diabetes development. The study suggests that oral exposure to PET microplastics could be an environmental risk factor worth investigating in the context of rising type 1 diabetes incidence.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of frying on microplastics load in fish and implications on health

Researchers investigated the effects of polyethylene microplastics on gut microbiota composition in mice fed a high-fat diet, finding that microplastic exposure altered microbial diversity and increased gut permeability. Co-exposure with a high-fat diet amplified metabolic disruption.

2022 Food Frontiers 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Immune mechanism of gut microbiota and its metabolites in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases

This review examines immune mechanisms linking gut microbiota and its metabolites to cardiovascular diseases, explaining how disruptions in the microbiota-immune balance contribute to conditions such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart failure.

2022 Frontiers in Microbiology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Oral Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics of Mice on a Normal or High-Fat Diet and Intestinal and Metabolic Outcomes

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics caused metabolic problems like diabetes and fatty liver disease in mice, but only when combined with a high-fat diet. The high-fat diet appeared to damage the gut lining enough to allow microplastics to deposit in the intestinal wall, triggering inflammation that altered nutrient absorption. This suggests that people with poor diets may be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of microplastic exposure.

2023 Environmental Health Perspectives 115 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

Effect of Diet on the Midgut Microbial Composition and Host Immunity of the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

Researchers examined how different diets affect midgut microbial composition and host immune responses in the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), a major agricultural pest, using gut microbiome sequencing and immunity assays. They found that diet significantly shapes the gut bacterial community structure and modulates host immunity, with implications for understanding how this pest adapts to diverse crop hosts.

2022 Biology 12 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

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in a colitis mouse model – effects on biodistribution, macrophage polarization, and gut microbiome

Researchers induced colitis in mice using dextran sodium sulfate and orally administered polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics of three sizes, then tracked biodistribution, macrophage polarization, and gut microbiome changes. In colitis conditions, microplastic uptake into systemic tissues was enhanced, macrophages shifted toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype, and gut microbial diversity decreased, suggesting that inflammatory bowel disease increases vulnerability to microplastic-driven systemic harm.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics