Wang Zhanhang, Wang Shiyu, Liu Shujuan, Wang Zhewei, Li Fu, Bu Qiqi, An Xiaopeng
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.
NPJ Sci Food. 2025 Jul 14;9(1):139. doi: 10.1038/s41538-025-00517-5.
Microplastics (MPs), as an emerging environmental pollutant, pose a grave threat to food safety and public health. However, studies on MP toxicity to organs other than the intestine remain limited, especially its link to the intestinal microbiota. To address this gap, we evaluated the potential toxicity of polystyrene (PS)-MPs to the gut and mammary glands during lactation exposure in mice. PS-MPs (~1 μm) can disrupt the intestinal barrier and cause colonic inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis. Moreover, they can accumulate in mammary tissue and cause inflammatory damage. Transcriptome data suggested that PS-MPs cause maternal mammary lipid metabolism disorders and ferroptosis. Fecal microbial transplant (FMT) was then performed, and it reproduced the observed leakage of the blood-milk barrier and inflammation of the mammary gland. This study demonstrated that MPs induced gut and mammary inflammation and exacerbated inflammatory damage through the gut-mammary axis. In addition, MPs caused mammary lipid disorders and ferroptosis. The findings confirmed that PS-MPs may be transported to mammalian organs other than the intestine (e.g., mammary gland) and revealed the critical role of the intestinal microbiota. These findings will provide guidance for further studies on the potential foodborne risks of MPs.
微塑料（MPs）作为一种新兴的环境污染物，对食品安全和公众健康构成了严重威胁。然而，关于MPs对肠道以外器官毒性的研究仍然有限，尤其是其与肠道微生物群的联系。为了填补这一空白，我们评估了聚苯乙烯（PS）-MPs在小鼠哺乳期暴露期间对肠道和乳腺的潜在毒性。PS-MPs（约1μm）可破坏肠道屏障，导致结肠炎症和肠道微生物群失调。此外，它们可在乳腺组织中蓄积并造成炎症损伤。转录组数据表明，PS-MPs导致母体乳腺脂质代谢紊乱和铁死亡。随后进行了粪便微生物移植（FMT），其重现了观察到的血乳屏障渗漏和乳腺炎症。本研究表明，MPs通过肠-乳腺轴诱导肠道和乳腺炎症，并加剧炎症损伤。此外，MPs导致乳腺脂质紊乱和铁死亡。这些发现证实，PS-MPs可能会转运到肠道以外的哺乳动物器官（如乳腺），并揭示了肠道微生物群的关键作用。这些发现将为进一步研究MPs潜在的食源性风险提供指导。
