Polystyrene microplastics are associated with oral microbiome and gingival metabolic perturbations in mice: an exploratory multi-omics study
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- 2Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, China.
- 3Laboratory Center, The Major Subject of Environment and Health of Fujian Key Universities, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- 4NHC Key Laboratory of Etiological Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases with High Incidence in Fujian-Taiwan Area (Co-construction), Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Abstract
Background and objective
Microplastics are widespread environmental contaminants that can enter the body through ingestion. This exploratory study aimed to evaluate whether repeated exposure to polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) is associated with alterations in the oral microbial community and gingival metabolome in mice.Design
C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to receive PS-MPs by daily gavage at 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg body weight for 30 days. Oral microbial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and gingival metabolic features were profiled using untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Microbiome and metabolomics data were integrated using correlation-based network analysis.Results
PS-MPs exposure, particularly at 10 and 20 mg/kg, was associated with reduced observed oral microbial richness and differences in microbial community composition relative to the control group. Beneficial commensal genera such as Gemella and Lactobacillus were depleted, while opportunistic pathogens including Streptococcus and Rodentibacter were relatively enriched. Metabolomic profiling revealed 206 and 270 differential metabolites in the medium- and high-dose groups versus controls, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment identified nucleotide metabolism, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, and pantothenate/CoA biosynthesis as candidate pathways. In an exploratory integrated network analysis, the microbial dysbiosis index was highest in the high-dose group, and Gemella and catechin-centred metabolite were among the most connected nodes.Conclusions
These findings provide exploratory multi-omics evidence that repeated PS-MPs exposure is associated with changes in oral microbial ecology and gingival metabolic profiles in mice. Larger studies integrating direct periodontal outcomes and mechanistic validation are warranted.
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BibTeX
@article{cao2026polystyrene,
title = {{Polystyrene microplastics are associated with oral microbiome and gingival metabolic perturbations in mice: an exploratory multi-omics study}},
author = {Xiaoying Cao and Xuejing Zhong and Liuhui Su and Jiaqi Peng and Yu Huang and Baochang He and Jing Wang and Fa Chen},
journal = {Journal of oral microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1080/20002297.2026.2751356},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13726263},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Polystyrene microplastics are associated with oral microbiome and gingival metabolic perturbations in mice: an exploratory multi-omics study
AU - Xiaoying Cao
AU - Xuejing Zhong
AU - Liuhui Su
AU - Jiaqi Peng
AU - Yu Huang
AU - Baochang He
AU - Jing Wang
AU - Fa Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Journal of oral microbiology
DO - 10.1080/20002297.2026.2751356
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13726263
AB - Background and objective Microplastics are widespread environmental contaminants that can enter the body through ingestion. This exploratory study aimed to evaluate whether repeated exposure to polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) is associated with alterations in the oral microbial community and gingival metabolome in mice.Design C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to receive PS-MPs by daily gavage at 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg body weight for 30 days. Oral microbial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and gingival metabolic features were profiled using untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Microbiome and metabolomics data were integrated using correlation-based network analysis.Results PS-MPs exposure, particularly at 10 and 20 mg/kg, was associated with reduced observed oral microbial richness and differences in microbial community composition relative to the control group. Beneficial commensal genera such as Gemella and Lactobacillus were depleted, while opportunistic pathogens including Streptococcus and Rodentibacter were relatively enriched. Metabolomic profiling revealed 206 and 270 differential metabolites in the medium- and high-dose groups versus controls, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment identified nucleotide metabolism, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, and pantothenate/CoA biosynthesis as candidate pathways. In an exploratory integrated network analysis, the microbial dysbiosis index was highest in the high-dose group, and Gemella and catechin-centred metabolite were among the most connected nodes.Conclusions These findings provide exploratory multi-omics evidence that repeated PS-MPs exposure is associated with changes in oral microbial ecology and gingival metabolic profiles in mice. Larger studies integrating direct periodontal outcomes and mechanistic validation are warranted.
SN - 2000-2297
ER -