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Maternal exposure to polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics impairs umbilical blood flow but not fetal growth in pregnant mice

Authors :
Jenna Hanrahan
Katherine L. Steeves
Drew P. Locke
Thomas M. O’Brien
Alexandre S. Maekawa
Roshanak Amiri
Christopher K. Macgowan
Ahmet A. Baschat
John C. Kingdom
André J. Simpson
Myrna J. Simpson
John G. Sled
Karl J. Jobst
Lindsay S. Cahill
Source :
Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Nature Portfolio, 2024.

Abstract

Abstract While microplastics have been recently detected in human blood and the placenta, their impact on human health is not well understood. Using a mouse model of environmental exposure during pregnancy, our group has previously reported that exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics throughout gestation results in fetal growth restriction. While polystyrene is environmentally relevant, polyethylene is the most widely produced plastic and amongst the most commonly detected microplastic in drinking water and human blood. In this study, we investigated the effect of maternal exposure to polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics on fetal growth and placental function. Healthy, pregnant CD-1 dams were divided into three groups: 106 ng/L of 740–4990 nm polyethylene with surfactant in drinking water (n = 12), surfactant alone in drinking water (n = 12) or regular filtered drinking water (n = 11). At embryonic day 17.5, high-frequency ultrasound was used to investigate the placental and fetal hemodynamic responses following exposure. While maternal exposure to polyethylene did not impact fetal growth, there was a significant effect on placental function with a 43% increase in umbilical artery blood flow in the polyethylene group compared to controls (p

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
14
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.0a17cb70679b41b08cf3a81a4f2df2f1
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50781-2