Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics cause placental dysfunction in mice1.

Maternal exposure to microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) has been shown to result in fetal growth restriction in mice. In this study, we investigated the placental and fetal hemodynamic responses to plastics exposure in mice using high-frequency ultrasound. Healthy, pregnant CD-1 dams were given either 106 ng/L of 5 μm polystyrene MPs or 106 ng/L of 50 nm polystyrene NPs in drinking water throughout gestation and compared with controls. Maternal exposure to both MPs and NPs resulted in evidence of placental dysfunction that was highly dependent on the particle size. The umbilical artery blood flow increased by 48% in the MP-exposed group and decreased by 25% in the NP-exposed group compared to controls (p < 0.05). The MP- and NP-exposed fetuses showed a significant decrease in the middle cerebral artery pulsatility index of 10% and 13% respectively compared to controls (p < 0.05), indicating vasodilation of the cerebral circulation, a fetal adaptation that is part of the brain sparing response to preserve oxygen delivery. Hemodynamic markers of placental dysfunction and fetal hypoxia were more pronounced in the group exposed to polystyrene NPs, suggesting NP-exposure during human pregnancy has the potential to disrupt fetal brain development which in turn may cause suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.

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