Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), IRDR ICoE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan Tyndall Centre, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
Environ Sci Technol. 2021 May 18;55(10):6884-6896. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00573. Epub 2021 May 9.
Nano-ZnO, as a commonly used nanomaterial, has been found in drinking water, food, and medicine; therefore, it poses potential health risks via the digestion system. However, little is known about the toxicity of nano-ZnO on the human intestinal microbiome, which plays critical roles in human health. This study comprehensively investigated the impact of nano-ZnO on the human gut microbiome, metabolic functions, and resistome using an in vitro colon simulator. Nano-ZnO induced concentration-dependent decreases in the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Metagenomic analysis revealed that nano-ZnO not only led to dose-dependent shifts in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota but also changed the key functional pathways of the gut microbiome. Although the diversity of the gut microbiota basically recovered after stopping exposure to nano-ZnO, SCFAs still showed a concentration-dependent decrease. Furthermore, although a medium concentration of nano-ZnO (2.5 mg/L) reduced the abundance of many antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by inhibiting the growth of related host bacteria, a low concentration of nano-ZnO (0.1 mg/L) greatly enriched the abundance of tetracycline resistance genes. Our findings provide evidence that nano-ZnO can impact the diversity, metabolism, and functional pathways of the human gut microbiome, as well as the gut resistome, highlighting the potential health effects of nanoparticles.
纳米氧化锌（Nano-ZnO）作为一种常用的纳米材料，已在饮用水、食品和药物中被发现，因此可能通过消化系统对健康造成潜在风险。然而，人们对纳米氧化锌对人类肠道微生物组的毒性知之甚少，因为肠道微生物组在人类健康中起着至关重要的作用。本研究采用体外结肠模拟装置，全面研究了纳米氧化锌对人类肠道微生物组、代谢功能和抗药性的影响。研究发现，纳米氧化锌会导致短链脂肪酸（SCFAs）的产生呈浓度依赖性下降。宏基因组分析表明，纳米氧化锌不仅导致肠道微生物群落的组成和多样性发生剂量依赖性变化，还改变了肠道微生物组的关键功能途径。尽管停止暴露于纳米氧化锌后，肠道微生物组的多样性基本恢复，但 SCFAs 仍呈浓度依赖性下降。此外，虽然中浓度的纳米氧化锌（2.5mg/L）通过抑制相关宿主细菌的生长而减少了许多抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）的丰度，但低浓度的纳米氧化锌（0.1mg/L）却极大地丰富了四环素抗性基因的丰度。我们的研究结果表明，纳米氧化锌可以影响人类肠道微生物组的多样性、代谢和功能途径，以及肠道抗药性，强调了纳米颗粒对健康的潜在影响。
