Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice
Vast amounts of plastic materials are produced in the modern world and despite recycling efforts, large amounts are disposed in water systems and landfills. Under these storage conditions, physical weathering and photochemical processes break down these materials into smaller particles of the micro-...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322000793 |
| _version_ | 1818297034914922496 |
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| author | Jingjing Zhao Daniel Gomes Lexiao Jin Steven P. Mathis Xiaohong Li Eric C. Rouchka Haribabu Bodduluri Daniel J. Conklin Timothy E. O’Toole |
| author_facet | Jingjing Zhao Daniel Gomes Lexiao Jin Steven P. Mathis Xiaohong Li Eric C. Rouchka Haribabu Bodduluri Daniel J. Conklin Timothy E. O’Toole |
| author_sort | Jingjing Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vast amounts of plastic materials are produced in the modern world and despite recycling efforts, large amounts are disposed in water systems and landfills. Under these storage conditions, physical weathering and photochemical processes break down these materials into smaller particles of the micro- and nano-scale. In addition, ecosystems can be contaminated with plastic particles which are manufactured in these size ranges for commercial purposes. Independent of source, microplastics are abundant in the environment and have found their way into water supplies and the food cycle where human exposure is inevitable. Nevertheless, the health consequences of microplastic ingestion, inhalation, or absorption are largely unknown. In this study we sought to determine if ingestion of microplastics promoted pre-clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). To do this, we supplied mice with normal drinking water or that supplemented with polystyrene beads of two different sizes (0.5 µm and 5 µm) and two different doses (0.1 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml) each for 12 weeks and measured several indices of metabolism and glucose homeostasis. As early as 3 weeks of consumption, we observed an accelerated weight gain with a corresponding increase in body fat for some exposure groups versus the control mice. Some exposure groups demonstrated increased levels of fasting plasma glucose. Those mice consuming the smaller sized beads (0.5 µm) at the higher dose (1 μg/ml), had increased levels of fasting plasma insulin and higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) scores as well. This was accompanied by changes in the gut microbiome consistent with an obese phenotype. Using samples of perivascular adipose tissue collected from the same group, we observed changes in gene expression consistent with increased adipogenesis. These results suggest that ingestion of polystyrene beads promotes a cardiometabolic disease phenotype and thus may be an unrecognized risk factor for CVD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T04:13:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b180ca31c080472a906cac1d01bb9f86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T04:13:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj.art-b180ca31c080472a906cac1d01bb9f862022-12-21T23:59:57ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132022-03-01232113239Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in miceJingjing Zhao0Daniel Gomes1Lexiao Jin2Steven P. Mathis3Xiaohong Li4Eric C. Rouchka5Haribabu Bodduluri6Daniel J. Conklin7Timothy E. O’Toole8Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USAChristina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USAChristina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, James Graham Brown Cancer Center and Center for Microbiomics, Inflammation and Pathogenicity, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USAKentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network Bioinformatics Core, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USAKentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network Bioinformatics Core, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA; Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, James Graham Brown Cancer Center and Center for Microbiomics, Inflammation and Pathogenicity, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USAChristina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USAChristina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA; Correspondence to: University of Louisville, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40202, USA.Vast amounts of plastic materials are produced in the modern world and despite recycling efforts, large amounts are disposed in water systems and landfills. Under these storage conditions, physical weathering and photochemical processes break down these materials into smaller particles of the micro- and nano-scale. In addition, ecosystems can be contaminated with plastic particles which are manufactured in these size ranges for commercial purposes. Independent of source, microplastics are abundant in the environment and have found their way into water supplies and the food cycle where human exposure is inevitable. Nevertheless, the health consequences of microplastic ingestion, inhalation, or absorption are largely unknown. In this study we sought to determine if ingestion of microplastics promoted pre-clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). To do this, we supplied mice with normal drinking water or that supplemented with polystyrene beads of two different sizes (0.5 µm and 5 µm) and two different doses (0.1 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml) each for 12 weeks and measured several indices of metabolism and glucose homeostasis. As early as 3 weeks of consumption, we observed an accelerated weight gain with a corresponding increase in body fat for some exposure groups versus the control mice. Some exposure groups demonstrated increased levels of fasting plasma glucose. Those mice consuming the smaller sized beads (0.5 µm) at the higher dose (1 μg/ml), had increased levels of fasting plasma insulin and higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) scores as well. This was accompanied by changes in the gut microbiome consistent with an obese phenotype. Using samples of perivascular adipose tissue collected from the same group, we observed changes in gene expression consistent with increased adipogenesis. These results suggest that ingestion of polystyrene beads promotes a cardiometabolic disease phenotype and thus may be an unrecognized risk factor for CVD.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322000793MicroplasticsPolystyreneCardiometabolic diseaseObesityGut microbiome |
| spellingShingle | Jingjing Zhao Daniel Gomes Lexiao Jin Steven P. Mathis Xiaohong Li Eric C. Rouchka Haribabu Bodduluri Daniel J. Conklin Timothy E. O’Toole Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Microplastics Polystyrene Cardiometabolic disease Obesity Gut microbiome |
| title | Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice |
| title_full | Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice |
| title_fullStr | Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice |
| title_short | Polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice |
| title_sort | polystyrene bead ingestion promotes adiposity and cardiometabolic disease in mice |
| topic | Microplastics Polystyrene Cardiometabolic disease Obesity Gut microbiome |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322000793 |
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