Prenatal and postnatal exposure to polystyrene microplastics induces testis developmental disorder and affects male fertility in mice

Zhao, Tianxin; Shen, Lianju; Ye, Xin; Bai, Gaochen; Liao, Can; Chen, Zhicong; Peng, Tianwen; Li, Xiaomin; Kang, Xiangjin; An, Geng

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130544

Cited by 52 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 79 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…MPs pollution poses significant threats to human health. − In our study, weaned piglets served as a model to explore the impact of polystyrene MPs on intestine development. We discovered that polystyrene MPs exposure elevated the diarrheal rate of piglets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polystyrene Microplastics Causes Diarrhea and Impairs Intestinal Angiogenesis through the ROS/METTL3 Pathway

Zou,

Yang,

et al. 2024

J. Agric. Food Chem.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Due to the immature intestinal digestion, immunity, and barrier functions, weaned infants are more susceptible to pathogens and develop diarrhea. Microplastics (MPs), pervasive contaminants in food, water, and air, have unknown effects on the intestinal development of weaned infants. This study explored the impact of polystyrene MPs on intestinal development using a weaned piglet model. Piglets in the control group received a basal diet, and those in the experimental groups received a basal diet contaminated with 150 mg/kg polystyrene MPs. The results showed that exposure to polystyrene MPs increased the diarrhea incidence and impaired the intestinal barrier function of weaned piglets. Notably, the exposure led to oxidative stress and inflammation in the intestine. Furthermore, polystyrene MPs-treated weaned piglets showed a reduced level of intestinal angiogenesis. Mechanistically, polystyrene MPs suppressed methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) expression by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, consequently destabilizing angiogenic factors' mRNA and hindering intestinal angiogenesis. In summary, polystyrene MPs contamination in the diet increases diarrhea and compromises intestinal angiogenesis through the ROS/ METTL3 pathway, demonstrating their toxic effects on the intestine health of weaned infants.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polystyrene Microplastics Causes Diarrhea and Impairs Intestinal Angiogenesis through the ROS/METTL3 Pathway

Zou,

Yang,

et al. 2024

J. Agric. Food Chem.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…MPs may influence prenatal testis development as well. In their study of the long-term effects of PS-MPs exposure on testis development, Zhao et al [44] reported that exposure to PS-MPs pregnant mice at gestation day 1 and to male offspring for up to 70 days postnatally resulted in abnormal spermatogenesis and testis development. As no studies have documented an association between MP and male fertility factors in humans, more research is required to validate this possible relationship.…”

Section: Microplastics and Male Fertilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change, microplastics, and male infertility

Daniels,

Berger Eberhardt

2024

Current Opinion in Urology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose of review Semen quality is on the decline. While the etiology is unknown, recent literature suggests there may be a relationship between climate change, environmental toxins and male fertility. This review relays new information regarding associations between our environment and male infertility. Recent Findings Several recent studies have documented a negative association between heat stress and spermatogenesis, which suggests that climate change may be a factor in declining in sperm counts. The influence of particle pollution on spermatogenesis has also been recently investigated, with studies demonstrating a negative association. Another possible factor are microplastics, which have been posited to reduce sperm production. Recent animal studies have shown that microplastic exposure alters both adult sperm production and prenatal male genital development. The relationship between endocrine disrupting chemicals and male fertility remains an area of active study, with recent animal and human studies suggesting an association between these chemicals and male fertility. Summary The etiology of the decline in male fertility over the past decades is yet unknown. However, changes in our environment as seen with climate change and exposure to pollutants and endocrine disrupting chemicals are proposed mechanisms for this decline. Further studies are needed to investigate this association further.

show abstract

“…The particle size is inversely proportional to micro- and nanoplastics absorption in organisms [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In vertebrates, polystyrene microplastic exposure induced testis developmental disorder and affected male fertility in mice [ 10 ]. In addition, alteration in functional group modification of nanopolystyrene particles could also cause different toxicity formations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics at the Predicted Environmental Concentration on Functional State of Intestinal Barrier in Caenorhabditis elegans

Tan

Shi

et al. 2023

Toxics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The possible toxicity caused by nanoplastics or microplastics on organisms has been extensively studied. However, the unavoidably combined effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on organisms, particularly intestinal toxicity, are rarely clear. Here, we employed Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the combined effects of PS-50 (50 nm nanopolystyrene) and PS-500 (500 nm micropolystyrene) at environmentally relevant concentrations on the functional state of the intestinal barrier. Environmentally, after long-term treatment (4.5 days), coexposure to PS-50 (10 and 15 μg/L) and PS-500 (1 μg/L) resulted in more severe formation of toxicity in decreasing locomotion behavior, in inhibiting brood size, in inducing intestinal ROS production, and in inducting intestinal autofluorescence production, compared with single-exposure to PS-50 (10 and 15 μg/L) or PS-500 (1 μg/L). Additionally, coexposure to PS-50 (15 μg/L) and PS-500 (1 μg/L) remarkably caused an enhancement in intestinal permeability, but no detectable abnormality of intestinal morphology was observed in wild-type nematodes. Lastly, the downregulation of acs-22 or erm-1 expression and the upregulation expressions of genes required for controlling oxidative stress (sod-2, sod-3, isp-1, clk-1, gas-1, and ctl-3) served as a molecular basis to strongly explain the formation of intestinal toxicity caused by coexposure to PS-50 (15 μg/L) and PS-500 (1 μg/L). Our results suggested that combined exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics at the predicted environmental concentration causes intestinal toxicity by affecting the functional state of the intestinal barrier in organisms.

show abstract

Prenatal and postnatal exposure to polystyrene microplastics induces testis developmental disorder and affects male fertility in mice

Cited by 52 publications

References 79 publications

Polystyrene Microplastics Causes Diarrhea and Impairs Intestinal Angiogenesis through the ROS/METTL3 Pathway

Polystyrene Microplastics Causes Diarrhea and Impairs Intestinal Angiogenesis through the ROS/METTL3 Pathway

Climate change, microplastics, and male infertility

Combined Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics at the Predicted Environmental Concentration on Functional State of Intestinal Barrier in Caenorhabditis elegans

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About