In vivo exposure of mixed microplastic particles in mice and its impacts on the murine gut microbiome and metabolome

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging environmental contaminants due to increasing global plastic production and waste. Microplastics, defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter, are formed through degradation of larger plastics via sunlight, weathering, and microbes. These plastic compounds are widely detected in water, soil, food, as well as human stool and blood. The gut microbiome, often referred to as our second genome, is important in human health and is the primary point of contact for orally ingested microplastics. To investigate the impact of ingested MPs on the gut microbiome and the metabolome, 8 weeks-old male and female C57/BL6 mice were orally gavaged mixed plastic (5 um) exposure consisting of polystyrene, polyethylene, and the biodegradable/biocompatible plastic, poly- (lactic-co-glycolic acid) twice a week for 4 weeks at 0, 2, or 4 mg/week (n = 8/group). Fecal pellets were collected for bacterial DNA extraction and metagenomic shotgun sequencing, and serum was s..., , # In vivo exposure of mixed microplastic particles in mice and its impacts on the murine gut microbiome and metabolome

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.fn2z34v78](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fn2z34v78)

## Description of the data and file structure

This data set contains the data and codes needed to replicate analyses for the testing of the hypothesis of mixed microplastic particles differentially regulating the murine gut microbiome and the serum metabolome. To investigate the impact of ingested MPs on the gut microbiome and the metabolome, 8 weeks-old male and female C57/BL6 mice were orally gavaged mixed plastic (5 um) exposure consisting of polystyrene, polyethylene, and the biodegradable/biocompatible plastic, poly- (lactic-co-glycolic acid) twice a week for 4 weeks at 0, 2, or 4 mg/week (n = 8/group).  Fecal pellets were collected for bacterial DNA extraction and metagenomic shotgun sequencing, and serum was subjected to targeted and untargeted metabolomics. Data set includes both ...,