Toxicity to the Male Reproductive System after Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics: A Macrogenomic and Metabolomic Analysis
Xue Zhang,
Yueping Wu,
Xufeng Fu,
Shulan He,
Liping Shi,
Haiming Xu,
Xiaojuan Shi,
Yue Yang,
Yongbin Zhu,
Yanrong Wang,
Hongyan Qiu,
Hongmei Li,
Jiangping Li
Affiliations
Xue Zhang
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Yueping Wu
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Xufeng Fu
Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Shulan He
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Liping Shi
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Haiming Xu
Department of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Xiaojuan Shi
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Yue Yang
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Yongbin Zhu
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Yanrong Wang
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Hongyan Qiu
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Hongmei Li
Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Jiangping Li
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
Nanoplastics (NPs) cause serious contamination of drinking water and potential damage to human health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NPs with different particle sizes and concentrations on the reproductive function of male mice. In this study, free drinking water exposure was used to expose male BALB/C mice to PS-NPs (20 nm, 200 nm, and 1000 nm) at 0.1 mg/L, 1 mg/L, and 5 mg/L for 4 months. The male reproductive function of the mice was assessed after NPs exposure, and fecal and blood samples were collected for macrogenomics and metabolomics. The results showed that PS-NPs resulted in mice with reduced testicular organ coefficients, decreased sperm quality, altered testicular tissue structure, disturbed sex hormone levels, and abnormal levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress. Furthermore, this study found that NP exposure affected the alteration of gut communities and metabolic pathways related to male reproduction, such as Clostridium and glutathione metabolism. Importantly, we found an effect of NP particle size on reproductive function. In the future, more attention should be paid to the smaller particle sizes of NPs.
