A new study from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has found that a father's exposure to microplastics can cause metabolic problems in his offspring. The research, which used mouse models, is the first to show a link between paternal microplastic exposure and health issues in the next generation.
Microplastics are small plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size. They come from the breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. Previous studies have detected microplastics in human reproductive systems, but this research is the first to connect a father's exposure with metabolic disorders in his children.
The study was published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Researchers fed male mice a regular diet but exposed them to microplastics. Their offspring were then fed a high-fat diet to mimic unhealthy eating patterns and reveal any hidden effects of paternal exposure.
The results showed that female offspring of exposed fathers were more likely to develop metabolic disorders than those whose fathers were not exposed, even though all offspring ate the same high-fat diet. "The exact reasons for this sex-specific effect are still unclear," said Changcheng Zhou, professor of biomedical sciences at UCR School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "In our study, female offspring developed diabetic phenotypes. We observed upregulation of pro-inflammatory and pro-diabetic genes in their livers - genes previously linked to diabetes. These changes were not seen in male offspring."
Male offspring did not develop diabetes but did show a small decrease in fat mass. Female offspring had lower muscle mass along with higher rates of diabetes.
To understand how these traits were passed down, researchers used PANDORA-seq, a sequencing technology developed at UCR. They found that microplastic exposure changed small RNA molecules carried by sperm, which help regulate gene activity during development.
"To our knowledge, ours is the first study to show that paternal exposure to microplastics can affect sperm small non-coding RNA profiles and induce metabolic disorders in offspring," Zhou said.
Zhou also highlighted that plastic pollution could leave lasting effects beyond those directly exposed: "Our discovery opens a new frontier in environmental health, shifting the focus toward how both parents' environments contribute to the health of their children," he said. "These findings from a mouse study likely have implications for humans. Men planning to have children should consider reducing their exposure to harmful substances like microplastics to protect both their health and that of their future children."
The research team plans further studies on whether maternal exposure leads to similar risks and how such changes might be reduced or prevented. "Our future studies will likely look at whether maternal exposure produces similar risks and how these metabolic changes might be mitigated," Zhou said.
Other contributors included Seung Hyun Park, Jianfei Pan, Ting-An Lin, Sijie Tang, Sihem Cheloufi (UCR), Xudong Zhang and Qi Chen (University of Utah School of Medicine), and Tong Zhou (University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine). The National Institutes of Health provided partial funding for this work.
