Protective effects and mechanisms of luteolin on vascular injury induced by polystyrene microplastics
10.19405/j.cnki.issn1000–1492.2026.03.007
- VernacularTitle:木犀草素防治聚苯乙烯微塑料诱导的血管损伤机制研究
- Author:
Deyu ZHU
1
;
Qi HUANG
1
;
Xiao LIANG
2
;
Zhuangzhuang WEI
1
;
Xinyu BAO
2
;
Ping MA
2
;
Yang WU
2
;
Cuiyu BAO
2
Author Information
1. School of Pharmacy，
2. Key Laboratory of Environmental Diseases and Whole Health， School of Basic Medical Sciences， Hubei University of Science and Technology， Xianning 437100
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
polystyrene microplastics;
oxidative stress;
vascular toxicity;
vascular endothelial injury;
vascular remodeling;
luteolin;
environmental pollutants
- From:
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui
2026;61(3):432-438
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo explore the vascular endothelial injury in male mice caused by exposure to polystyrene microplastics （PS-MPs） and the intervention effect of luteolin on vascular remodeling. Additionally， to investigate the mechanism through the oxidative system and metabolomics. MethodsThirty-two C57BL/6 mice （6-8 weeks old） were randomly divided into the saline group （saline group）， the 0.1 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure group （0.1PS-MPs group）， the 1 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure group （1PS-MPs group）， and the 1 mg/kg PS-MPs + luteolin treatment group （1PS-MPs + Lut group）， with 8 mice in each group. After 8 weeks of intervention， the body weight， blood pressure， aortic organ coefficient， and aortic histopathological changes of mice in each group were detected； the total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） lipid metabolism-related indicators in the aorta of mice were detected； the reactive oxygen species （ROS）， glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） oxidative stress-related indicators were detected； the endothelin （ET-1）， nitric oxide （NO）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGF-A）， vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1/CD106）， and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1/CD54） endothelial function-related indicators and serum metabolomics were detected. ResultsCompared to the saline group， exposure to PS-MPs resulted in pathological thickening of the mouse aorta， increased aortic organ coefficient， and elevated blood pressure. Lipid metabolism-related indicators， including TC and TG， were elevated， while HDL-C was reduced， indicating lipid metabolism disorder in mice. Oxidative stress markers such as ROS and MDA increased， whereas GSH decreased， demonstrating oxidative damage. Vascular endothelial inflammation and injury markers， including ET-1， VEGF-A， VCAM-1， and ICAM-1， were upregulated， while the vasodilatory substance NO was downregulated， confirming endothelial injury. Furthermore， serum metabolomics results revealed that PS-MPs exposure induced endothelial damage by disrupting metabolic pathways such as the citrate cycle. Compared to the PS-MPs group， luteolin significantly reversed these effects， attenuating oxidative stress and lipid metabolism disorders， and effectively repairing endothelial injury. ConclusionPS-MPs induce vascular toxicity through oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. Luteolin effectively alleviates endothelial damage and vascular remodeling.
