The buildup and distribution of PLA-MPs in numerous organs of mice. Credit score: Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2417104122
Microplastic air pollution is a extreme ecological and environmental difficulty and can also be one of many vital danger elements affecting human well being. Polylactic acid (PLA), a medical biodegradable materials accredited by the FDA, is a crucial materials to switch petroleum-based plastics.
Though PLA has achieved large-scale software in meals packaging, its brittle traits make it extra prone to generate microplastic particles. These particles can effectively invade the intestine via the meals chain and set off unknown biotransformation processes on the microbiota–host interface. Subsequently, elucidating exactly the transformation map of PLA microplastics throughout the residing physique is essential for assessing their security.
In a research printed within the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences, a analysis crew led by Prof. Chen Chunying from the Nationwide Middle for Nanoscience and Know-how (NCNST) of the Chinese language Academy of Sciences has revealed the entire organic destiny of PLA microplastics (PLA-MPs) within the intestine of mice, significantly specializing in their microbial fermentation into endogenous metabolites and their involvement within the carbon cycle.
Researchers targeted on the in vivo transformation of PLA-MPs. By way of spatial useful evaluation, they discovered that the colonic microbiota is the core useful unit for the degradation of PLA-MPs. The precise esterase FrsA secreted by the colonic microbiota might exactly acknowledge and cleave the ester bonds of PLA via its α/β-hydrolase fold area, thereby attaining environment friendly degradation of PLA-MPs.
As well as, researchers discovered that additional integration of the microbiota–protein interplay community with single-strain useful validation confirmed that Helicobacter muridarum and Barnesiella intestinihominis dominate the degradation strategy of PLA-MPs within the intestine, offering key targets for the focused regulation of plastic biotransformation.
The researchers innovatively mixed secure isotope 13C labeling with metabolic flux tracing. This strategy overcame the problem of distinguishing indicators from endogenous metabolites and exogenous particulate derivatives. For the primary time, it was proven that PLA-MPs can enter the double “carbon cycle” of intestine microbiota and intestine epithelium as a carbon supply.
This course of is built-in into the host–microbiota co-metabolic community by way of two pathways. Microbially, 13C-PLA-MPs are metabolized via lactate and aspartate into the purine pathway, driving uric acid synthesis. Within the intestine epithelium, 13C-PLA-MPs help the synthesis of amino acids and nucleotide precursors by way of the succinate hub.
In the end, their entry into the intestine carbon cycle triggers metabolic reprogramming, lowering short-chain fatty acid manufacturing, disrupting vitality homeostasis, and reallocating carbon flux. This results in suppressed host feeding habits and important weight reduction.
“This work comprehensively maps the dynamic biotransformation pathways of biodegradable microplastics within mice. It is of great significance for assessing the biosafety of degradable plastics, and provides important data support for understanding the impact of degradable plastics on human physiological processes,” stated Prof. Chen Chunying.
Extra data:
Lin Bao et al, Incorporation of polylactic acid microplastics into the carbon cycle as a carbon supply to transform the endogenous metabolism of the intestine, Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2417104122
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Chinese language Academy of Sciences
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Biodegradable microplastics in mice intestine set off metabolic reprogramming, shedding mild on security issues (2025, Might 8)
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