Wang Qiaoling, Chi Fengli, Liu Yingdong, Chang Qiurong, Chen Siyu, Kong Pengcheng, Yang Wanli, Liu Wenqiang, Teng Xiaoming, Zhao Yan, Guo Yi
Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Environ Int. 2025 Jan;195:109236. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109236. Epub 2024 Dec 25.
Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants, resulting in unavoidable human exposure. This study identified MPs in follicular fluid and investigated the specific MPs and mechanisms that adversely affect oocytes. MPs in the follicular fluid of 44 infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology were measured using Raman microspectroscopy. Differential metabolites in follicular fluid were analyzed via untargeted metabolomics. Female mice were exposed to polyethylene (PE) to validate human findings. MPs, particularly PE, exhibited the highest detection rate (86.4 %) in human follicular fluid and showed a negative correlation with fertilization rates (r = -0.407, P = 0.007). Elevated PE levels altered metabolites primarily involved in metabolic pathways, ferroptosis, and ovarian steroidogenesis. In mice, PE exposure significantly reduced the number of retrieved oocytes (31.5 vs. 36.3, P < 0.05) and fertilization rate (70.8 % vs. 85.2 %, P < 0.001), while increasing the proportion of poor-quality oocytes (28.2 % vs. 16.5 %, P < 0.001) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production compared to controls. RNA sequencing indicated significant upregulation of inflammation-related genes (Il10ra, Il1a, Il33, Tnfaip8l2, and Tnfrsf1b) in the PE-exposed group. In conclusion, PE exposure impairs oocyte quality possibly by disrupting follicular fluid metabolism, elevating inflammation-related gene expression, and increasing ROS production in oocytes.
微塑料（MPs）是普遍存在的环境污染物，导致人类不可避免地接触到它们。本研究在卵泡液中鉴定出微塑料，并调查了对卵母细胞产生不利影响的特定微塑料及其机制。使用拉曼光谱法测量了44名接受辅助生殖技术的不孕女性卵泡液中的微塑料。通过非靶向代谢组学分析卵泡液中的差异代谢物。将雌性小鼠暴露于聚乙烯（PE）中以验证人类研究结果。微塑料，尤其是PE，在人类卵泡液中的检出率最高（86.4%），并且与受精率呈负相关（r = -0.407，P = 0.007）。PE水平升高改变了主要参与代谢途径、铁死亡和卵巢类固醇生成的代谢物。在小鼠中，PE暴露显著减少了回收的卵母细胞数量（31.5对36.3，P < 0.05）和受精率（70.8%对85.2%，P < 0.001），同时与对照组相比，增加了劣质卵母细胞的比例（28.2%对16.5%，P < 0.001）和活性氧（ROS）的产生。RNA测序表明，PE暴露组中炎症相关基因（Il10ra、Il1a、Il33、Tnfaip8l2和Tnfrsf1b）显著上调。总之，PE暴露可能通过破坏卵泡液代谢、提高炎症相关基因表达和增加卵母细胞中的ROS产生来损害卵母细胞质量。
