Environmentally
Relevant Concentrations of Microplastic
Exposure Cause Cholestasis and Bile Acid Metabolism Dysregulation
through a Gut-Liver Loop in Mice
posted on 2024-01-17, 14:35authored byJing Wen, Hang Sun, Bingwei Yang, Erqun Song, Yang Song, Guibin Jiang
The massive production of plastics causes the ubiquitous
existence
of microplastics (MPs) in the biota, therefore, posing exposure risks
and potential health concerns to human beings. However, the exact
mechanisms of MPs-induced toxicities and abnormalities are largely
unknown. In this study, we developed a mouse model of gavage polystyrene
microplastics (PS MPs) for 30 days. We found that PS MPs can damage
the intestinal barrier, accumulate in the liver tissue, and cause
injury. The liver and intestine are both highly associated with bile
acid (BA) metabolism. Indeed, we found that PS MPs dysregulate BA
synthesis and efflux-related gene expression in the liver, causing
cholestasis. Tandemly, PS MPs alter the ratio of primary to secondary
BA in the feces by affecting the composition of the intestinal flora.
At last, PS MPs alter mice’s fecal BA profile, which affects
normal BA metabolism. Taken together, the present study provides robust
data on the mechanism of toxicity of MPs causing the disturbance of
BA metabolism via a 4-step gut-liver loop.