Multisystemic effects of nanoplastics in immature rats subjected to prolonged oral exposure with particular emphasis on prooxidant potential
- 1Laboratory of Pathoneurochemistry, Department of Neurochemistry, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences , ,
- 2Environmental Laboratory of Pharmacological and Toxicological Research, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences , ,
- 3Clinical and Research Department of Applied Physiology, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences , ,
Abstract
Introduction
Global plastic production continues to increase, resulting in widespread environmental contamination with plastic waste that gradually breaks down into small particles. Micro- and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) have recently attracted considerable attention. However, the mechanisms of MPs/NPs toxicity, particularly regarding their developmental impact, remain largely unexplored.Methods
Two-week-old rats were administered a low dose (1 mg/kg b.w.) of small fluorochrome-labelled polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) (25 nm) by oral gavage for 3 weeks.Results
Findings demonstrate that PS-NPs accumulated within the liver, kidneys, and brain, with the highest fluorescence intensity found in the liver and lowest in the brain, as confirmed by the IVIS system. Ultrastructural analysis showed tissue-specific alterations to mitochondrial dynamics, including an excess of small forms in the liver and kidney, and elongated forms in the brain, accompanied by mitochondrial swelling and membrane damage. Markers of oxidative stress, such as significantly increased protein oxidation, were found in all organs, while in the liver, an additionally increased level of lipid peroxidation product (MDA) was observed. Results further showed tissue-specific variations in enzymatic antioxidant systems. While all enzymes examined were upregulated in the kidney, highlighting an active defense, the liver exhibited a notable decrease in antioxidant defense, making it the most vulnerable organ to PS-NPs exposure. In the brain, antioxidant mechanisms were less effective compared to the kidney, despite the lowest PS-NPs deposition rate.Discussion
While activation of the cellular transcriptional machinery was observed, it was not reflected in protein overexpression, indicating that the immature brain also seems to be susceptible to the adverse effects of PS-NPs.
Related
- Experimental and numerical analysis of liquid sloshing within tank subjected to pitching motion
- Poly(lactic acid) nanoplastics through laser ablation: establishing a reference model for mimicking biobased nanoplastics in aquatic environments
- Editorial: Micro-and nanoplastics in agroecosystems: plant responses, soil interactions, and remediation strategies
- Binding mechanisms dictate distinct interactions of iron oxides with nanoplastics under structural feature constraints
- Polytetrafluoroethylene utensils as a source of micro- and nanoplastics: Insights from a Drosophila model
BibTeX
@article{adamiak2026multisystemic,
title = {{Multisystemic effects of nanoplastics in immature rats subjected to prolonged oral exposure with particular emphasis on prooxidant potential}},
author = {Kamil Adamiak and Grzegorz Sulkowski and Beata Dąbrowska-Bouta and Kamil Synoradzki and Małgorzata Frontczak-Baniewicz and Lidia Strużyńska},
journal = {Frontiers in toxicology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/ftox.2026.1976947},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727072},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multisystemic effects of nanoplastics in immature rats subjected to prolonged oral exposure with particular emphasis on prooxidant potential
AU - Kamil Adamiak
AU - Grzegorz Sulkowski
AU - Beata Dąbrowska-Bouta
AU - Kamil Synoradzki
AU - Małgorzata Frontczak-Baniewicz
AU - Lidia Strużyńska
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in toxicology
DO - 10.3389/ftox.2026.1976947
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727072
AB - Introduction Global plastic production continues to increase, resulting in widespread environmental contamination with plastic waste that gradually breaks down into small particles. Micro- and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) have recently attracted considerable attention. However, the mechanisms of MPs/NPs toxicity, particularly regarding their developmental impact, remain largely unexplored.Methods Two-week-old rats were administered a low dose (1 mg/kg b.w.) of small fluorochrome-labelled polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) (25 nm) by oral gavage for 3 weeks.Results Findings demonstrate that PS-NPs accumulated within the liver, kidneys, and brain, with the highest fluorescence intensity found in the liver and lowest in the brain, as confirmed by the IVIS system. Ultrastructural analysis showed tissue-specific alterations to mitochondrial dynamics, including an excess of small forms in the liver and kidney, and elongated forms in the brain, accompanied by mitochondrial swelling and membrane damage. Markers of oxidative stress, such as significantly increased protein oxidation, were found in all organs, while in the liver, an additionally increased level of lipid peroxidation product (MDA) was observed. Results further showed tissue-specific variations in enzymatic antioxidant systems. While all enzymes examined were upregulated in the kidney, highlighting an active defense, the liver exhibited a notable decrease in antioxidant defense, making it the most vulnerable organ to PS-NPs exposure. In the brain, antioxidant mechanisms were less effective compared to the kidney, despite the lowest PS-NPs deposition rate.Discussion While activation of the cellular transcriptional machinery was observed, it was not reflected in protein overexpression, indicating that the immature brain also seems to be susceptible to the adverse effects of PS-NPs.
SN - 2673-3080
ER -