Toxicity and Biodistribution of Fragmented Polypropylene Microplastics in ICR Mice

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 10; p. 8463
• Main Authors: Lee, Sijoon, Kim, Dongseon, Kang, Kyung-Ku, Sung, Soo-Eun, Choi, Joo-Hee, Sung, Minkyoung, Shin, Chang-Hoon, Jeon, Eunyoung, Kim, Dongkyu, Kim, Dongmin, Lee, Sunjong, Kim, Hee-Kyung, Kim, Kilsoo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 09.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Accumulation; Animals; Biocompatibility; Biodistribution; Body weight; Carboxylic acids; Cy5.5-COOH-labeled; Gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Humans; Inflammation; Lethal dose; Mammals; Metabolism; Metabolites; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; microplastics; Microplastics - toxicity; Oral administration; Oxidative stress; Particle size; Plastic pollution; Plastics - toxicity; Polypropylene; Polypropylenes - toxicity; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectrum analysis; Tissue Distribution; Toxicity; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; South Korea; Japan; toxicity; biodistribution; microplastics; polypropylene; Cy5.5-COOH-labeled
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108463

Currently, polypropylene (PP) is used in various products, thus leading to high daily exposure in humans. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the toxicological effects, biodistribution, and accumulation of PP microplastics in the human body. In this study, administration of two particle sizes of PP microplastics (approximately 5 and 10-50 µm) did not lead to any significant changes in several toxicological evaluation parameters, including body weight and pathological examination, compared with the control group in ICR mice. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose and no-observed-adverse-effect level of PP microplastics in ICR mice were established as ≥2000 mg/kg. Furthermore, we manufactured cyanine 5.5 carboxylic acid (Cy5.5-COOH)-labeled fragmented PP microplastics to monitor real-time in vivo biodistribution. After oral administration of the Cy5.5-COOH-labeled microplastics to the mice, most of the PP microplastics were detected in the gastrointestinal tract and observed to be out of the body after 24 h in IVIS Spectrum CT. Therefore, this study provides a new insight into the short-term toxicity, distribution, and accumulation of PP microplastics in mammals.