Li Huan, Xu Shimin, Zhou Feng, Liu Su, Zhang Dong, Wei Xuanyi
School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China.
School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024 Dec;288:117357. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117357. Epub 2024 Nov 21.
The pervasive presence of microplastics (MPs) in infant formula and care products has emerged as a significant and underappreciated risk to public health. Notably, infants are at an elevated risk due to their underdeveloped intestinal defenses and liver detoxification capabilities, factors that could heighten their vulnerability to MPs. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the health implications linked to polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) exposure during early life, examining both environmentally plausible and elevated levels. Based on histological analysis, in vivo imaging analysis, biochemical analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing results, our study found that oral PSMPs exposure in infant mice led to profound toxicological consequences, such as intestinal barrier impairment and hepatic injury, in a dose-dependent manner. Strikingly, even low ambient concentration of PSMPs (20 ppb) was sufficient to inflict considerable harm, disrupting the intestinal barrier, manifested that lessened mucus secretion, elevated iFABP level (276.50±10.73 pg/mL), decreased sIgA levels (0.60±0.03 mg/g), and pathological damage of intestinal tissues, allowing PSMPs accumulation and leakage into blood, inducing hepatotoxicity, such as increased TG levels (0.99±0.05 mmol/gprot) and lipid droplet accumulation. Furthermore, PSMPs exposure gives rise to aberrant bacterial colonization, dropping the abundance of probiotics as well as altering the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, which may contribute to the toxicity outcomes. The study underscores the critical need for vigilance regarding the insidious effects of PSMPs at environmental-relevant concentrations, especially in the context of infant exposure.
婴儿配方奶粉和护理产品中普遍存在的微塑料（MPs）已成为对公众健康的重大且未得到充分重视的风险。值得注意的是，由于婴儿肠道防御和肝脏解毒能力发育不完善，他们面临的风险更高，这些因素可能会增加他们对微塑料的易感性。本研究全面评估了生命早期接触聚苯乙烯微塑料（PSMPs）对健康的影响，研究了环境相关水平和更高水平的情况。基于组织学分析、体内成像分析、生化分析和16S rRNA测序结果，我们的研究发现，婴儿小鼠口服PSMPs会导致严重的毒理学后果，如肠道屏障损伤和肝损伤，且呈剂量依赖性。令人惊讶的是，即使是低环境浓度的PSMPs（20 ppb）也足以造成相当大的危害，破坏肠道屏障，表现为黏液分泌减少、iFABP水平升高（276.50±10.73 pg/mL）、sIgA水平降低（0.60±0.03 mg/g）以及肠道组织的病理损伤，使PSMPs积聚并泄漏到血液中，引发肝毒性，如TG水平升高（0.99±0.05 mmol/gprot）和脂滴积聚。此外，接触PSMPs会导致异常的细菌定植，降低益生菌的丰度并改变病原菌的丰度，这可能导致毒性后果。该研究强调，对于环境相关浓度下PSMPs的潜在影响，尤其是在婴儿接触的情况下，必须保持警惕。
