Tombul Oğuz Kaan, Akdağ Arife Dilşad, Thomas Pınar Buket, Kaluç Nur
Experimental Animal Application and Research Center, Maltepe University, İstanbul, Turkey; Department of Clinical Embryology, Institute of Graduate School, Maltepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Maltepe University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2025 Feb;495:117235. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2025.117235. Epub 2025 Jan 19.
The widespread use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in food and beverage packaging raises concerns about its potential health effects, particularly when PET-derived nanoplastics (PET-NPs) are released into the environment. This study investigates the reproductive toxicity of PET-NPs in male mice. Mice were exposed to PET-NPs at doses of 0.1 mg/day and 0.5 mg/day for 28 days, and the testes index, sperm count, sperm morphology, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production, DNA integrity, histopathology, and spermatogenesis were evaluated. PET-NP exposure resulted in a significant decrease in sperm concentration and an increase in abnormal spermatozoa-particularly blunt-headed sperm and sperm with neck and tail anomalies- and elevated ROS levels in testicular tissue in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). Additionally, PET-NPs induced DNA strand breaks, as demonstrated by the COMET assay (p < 0.05). Histopathological analysis revealed disorganization of the germinal epithelium, vacuolization, reduced sperm density, and increased interstitial spaces, accompanied by a significant decline in spermatogenic activity, as assessed by Johnsen scoring. These findings strongly suggest that the observed adverse effects on male reproductive health, including sperm abnormalities, DNA damage, and impaired spermatogenesis, are primarily driven by ROS-induced oxidative stress. The observed changes provide clear evidence of the adverse effects of subchronic exposure to PET nanoplastics on male reproductive health, highlighting the inherent risks associated with nanoplastic exposure and offering crucial insights for public health awareness and regulatory considerations.
聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）在食品和饮料包装中的广泛使用引发了人们对其潜在健康影响的担忧，尤其是当源自PET的纳米塑料（PET-NPs）释放到环境中时。本研究调查了PET-NPs对雄性小鼠的生殖毒性。将小鼠以0.1毫克/天和0.5毫克/天的剂量暴露于PET-NPs中28天，并评估睾丸指数、精子数量、精子形态、活性氧（ROS）产生、DNA完整性、组织病理学和精子发生情况。PET-NP暴露导致精子浓度显著降低，异常精子增加，特别是钝头精子以及颈部和尾部异常的精子，并且睾丸组织中的ROS水平以剂量依赖方式升高（p < 0.05）。此外，彗星试验表明PET-NPs诱导了DNA链断裂（p < 0.05）。组织病理学分析显示生精上皮紊乱、空泡化、精子密度降低以及间质间隙增加，通过约翰森评分评估，精子发生活性显著下降。这些发现强烈表明，观察到的对雄性生殖健康的不利影响，包括精子异常、DNA损伤和精子发生受损，主要是由ROS诱导的氧化应激驱动的。观察到的变化为亚慢性暴露于PET纳米塑料对雄性生殖健康的不利影响提供了明确证据，突出了与纳米塑料暴露相关的固有风险，并为公众健康意识和监管考量提供了关键见解。
