Polystyrene nanoplastics disrupt epididymal initial segment by perturbing NK cell differentiation and epithelial homeostasis.

ABSTRACT: Spermatozoa exit the testis in an immotile and immature state, and obtain motility and maturity in the epididymis with the most abundant functions acquired in its initial segment (IS). The reshaping of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) exposure on the epididymis, however, has never been studied in detail yet, let alone from a multi-omic perspective. Herein, we utilized single-cell transcriptomics, untargeted metabolomics and in vivo experiments to explore PS-NPs-induced cellular remodeling of rat IS. A dose-dependent decrease in the epithelial thickness was merely observed in the IS (Control vs. low vs. medium vs. high group, 38.33 ± 2.52 vs. 32.67 ± 3.15 vs. 21.67 ± 3.58 vs. 11.08 ± 1.67 μm, respectively; P < 0.001) instead of the other three epididymal segments. PS-NPs exposure inhibited

SUBMITTER: Chen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12797957 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature