Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Vinyl Chloride and High-Fat Diet as a Model of Environment and Obesity Interaction
Published on: January 12, 2020
Polylactic Acid Microplastics Do Not Exhibit Lower Biological Toxicity in Growing Mice Compared to Polyvinyl Chloride
Yongfeng Deng1, Pan Yang2, Hongli Tan3
1Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
Abstract:
Biomicroplastics (BMPs) will be produced during bioplastic degradation (i.e., polylactic acid), although bioplastics have been widely used for food packaging. Like conventional microplastics (MPs), BMPs would be mistakenly ingested into the body through diet or drinking water, but their health risks in vivo are poorly understood. Here, we deeply compared the toxicity difference between irregularly shaped polylactic acid (PLA-MPs, 16-350 μm) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC-MPs, 40-300 μm) MPs in growing mice. After six weeks of exposure, PLA-MP exposure resulted in more severe inhibition of the mice's weight gain than PVC-MPs did. Both PLA- and PVC-MPs significantly elevated the levels of oxidative stress. Moreover, significant changes including altered transcriptional profiles and significantly differentially expressed genes in liver and colon transcription levels were observed in the PVC- and PLA-MP groups. Compared with PVC-MPs, PLA-MPs have a stronger effect on lipid metabolism and digestive systems. PLA-MPs also caused gut microbiota dysbiosis, significantly interfering with the relative abundance of microbiota and altering microbial diversity. These findings indicated the toxicities of PLA-MPs in growing mice were not significantly reduced compared to PVC-MPs, which would also provide new insights for re-examining bioplastic safety.
Insights
Bioplastics like polylactic acid (PLA) create microplastics (MPs) that pose health risks. PLA-MPs showed greater weight gain inhibition and gut dysbiosis in mice compared to PVC-MPs, challenging bioplastic safety assumptions.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Bioplastics, such as polylactic acid (PLA), are increasingly used in food packaging.
- Bioplastic degradation generates biomicroplastics (BMPs) that may enter the body via ingestion.
- The in vivo health risks associated with BMPs remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the toxicity of polylactic acid microplastics (PLA-MPs) and polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) in growing mice.
- To investigate the health effects of PLA-MPs and PVC-MPs on weight gain, oxidative stress, gene expression, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of growing mice to irregularly shaped PLA-MPs (16-350 μm) and PVC-MPs (40-300 μm) for six weeks.
- Assessment of weight gain, oxidative stress markers, liver and colon transcriptional profiles (gene expression).
- Analysis of lipid metabolism, digestive system effects, and gut microbiota composition and diversity.
Main Results:
- PLA-MP exposure led to more significant inhibition of weight gain compared to PVC-MPs.
- Both PLA-MPs and PVC-MPs elevated oxidative stress levels and altered gene expression in the liver and colon.
- PLA-MPs exhibited a stronger impact on lipid metabolism, digestive systems, and caused gut microbiota dysbiosis.
Conclusions:
- The toxicity of PLA-MPs in growing mice is comparable to, and in some aspects greater than, that of conventional PVC-MPs.
- These findings necessitate a re-evaluation of the safety of bioplastics, particularly concerning microplastic formation and associated health risks.
- Bioplastic safety assessments should consider the potential for microplastic generation and their toxicological impact.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Microbial Bioremediation of Plastics
01:27Bioplastics