Pukyong National University Research Team Publishes in Advanced Science
Long-term Ingestion of PET Microplastics Found to Inhibit Male Reproductive Development
A study analyzing the long-term effects of ingesting PET microplastics from PET bottle beverages commonly used in daily life on male reproductive development has drawn attention.
The research team from the Department of Food and Nutrition at Pukyong National University, including Seungjin Jeong and Surye Park (joint first authors, doctoral candidates) and Professors Bomi Ryu and Seungjun Lee (joint corresponding authors), published their paper titled ‘Unseen Threats: The Long-term Impact of PET Microplastics on Development of Male Reproductive Over a Lifetime’ in the January issue of a world-renowned journal (IF 14.3, top 6.5%).
Research team. (From left: Seungjin Jeong, Surye Park, Bomi Ryu, Seungjun Lee) Provided by National Pukyong University
In this paper, the research team administered PET microplastics weekly for 29 weeks to infant mouse models and comprehensively analyzed the microstructure of testis and epididymis tissues, blood testosterone levels, sperm concentration and motility, and RNA transcriptome changes.
Experimental and analytical results confirmed that in the mouse model, blood testosterone levels decreased, the sperm formation environment in the testis and epididymis was impaired, leading to an overall reduction in sperm concentration and motility, and that sperm production and maturation were simultaneously inhibited.
Through transcriptome analysis, the research team elucidated the molecular mechanism by which continuous ingestion of microplastics broadly suppresses the expression of genes related to male hormones and meiosis, revealing that long-term exposure to microplastics can directly affect reproductive function decline.
Notably, the team focused on the fact that microplastics abraded and worn off from PET bottles when drinking directly from them in daily life have rough surfaces and irregular particle sizes, unlike conventional laboratory microplastics (spherical beads), and conducted their research accordingly.
Furthermore, this study is significant in that it more realistically simulated the effects of microplastic ingestion on males throughout their entire lifetime, starting from childhood.
Professor Bomi Ryu stated, “This study is meaningful in scientifically clarifying the potential risks that PET materials, commonly used in daily life, may pose to the human body over the long term.”
Professor Seungjun Lee emphasized, “It is necessary to more precisely identify the effects of PET microplastics on reproductive health and to reflect these findings in environmental and health policy improvements.”
This research was supported by the Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Foundation, the Pukyong National University Young Researcher Challenge Support Project (202312110001), and the Korea Basic Science Institute Joint Research Project (NRF-2021R1A6C101A416).
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