Airborne Nano-plastic Exposure Inducing Irreversible Glucose Increase and Complete Hepatic Insulin Resistance

Microplastics (MPs), a emerging type of pollutants, have become a global environmental problem. However, scientific knowledge about airborne nanoplastics (NPs) and the effects of airborne NPs exposure on metabolic diseases is still limited. In our experiments, we exposed mice systemically to airborne NPs environment for 1 weeks. Histological analyses, metabolic studies, gene expression, metabolite and molecular signaling analyses are performed to determine the effects of airborne NPs exposure on metabolic diseases and the mechanisms of regulating hepatic glucolipid metabolism homeostasis. According to the results, mice exposed to airborne NPs show a phenotype of systemic inflammation as well as complete insulin resistance, characterized by excessive drinking and eating, weight loss, elevated blood glucose, and decreased triglyceride levels. After airborne NPs exposure, mice exhibited glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Further studies also revealed that airborne NPs exposure led to liver mitochondrial damage, ROS production increase, activation of Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase beta mediated inflammatory response pathways, and inhibition of insulin receptor substrate 1 mediated signaling. In addition, airborne NPs exposure could result in long-term irreversible hyperglycemia. Together, our findings is benificial to understanding the hazards of airborne nanopollution on metabolic disorders, and thus provides a strong basis for clinical observations and the development of laws and regulations related to plastic products in the environment.