Extracellular vesicles as mediators of metabolomic changes in response to PET microplastics

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are essential mediators of intercellular communication. They play a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis, regulating physiological processes and contribute to the development of various diseases. Microplastics can enter the human body as ubiquitous pollutants and have been detected in various tissues. In the body, they can disrupt physiological functions, leading to increasing health concerns. However, their impact on EV-mediated communication remains poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether PET microplastics - one of the most used materials in plastic packaging - affect the content of EVs using immature pigs as a model organism. The global metabolomic profile of serum-derived EVs was analyzed by UPLC-MS in piglets treated with either a low (0.1 g/day) or a high dose (1 g/day) of PET microplastics for 4 weeks. The analysis showed that a low dose affected the expression of 24 metabolites, while a high dose affected the expression of 31 metabolites. The differentially expressed metabolites were involved in the regulation of lipid signaling pathways, mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption of glucose metabolism and impaired steroidogenesis. The results of these studies reveal a new pathway of communication in the body in response to PET microplastics.