The presence of microplastics in human semen and the protective role of nicotinamide mononucleotide against polystyrene nanoplastics-induced reproductive and early embryonic toxicity - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #microplastics
- #NMN
- #male reproduction
- Microplastics (MPs) were detected in human semen samples, with polystyrene being one of the most common polymers.
- Polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) of 500 nm size were found to impair sperm motility, increase reactive oxygen species (ROS), and disrupt mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and DNA fragmentation index (DFI) in vitro.
- Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) effectively reversed the damage caused by PS-NPs by restoring cellular antioxidant capacity.
- In vivo, paternal exposure to PS-NPs led to transcriptomic disturbances in testes, including inflammation and extracellular matrix dysfunction, and compromised sperm quality and early embryonic development.
- NMN co-treatment ameliorated the adverse effects of PS-NPs, normalizing transcriptional profiles and rescuing pathways related to reproduction and embryo development.
- The study provides observational evidence of MPs in human semen and highlights NMN as a promising therapeutic strategy against PS-NPs-induced reproductive and early embryonic toxicity.