{"title":"Polyethylene and Polyvinyl Chloride Nanoplastics in Human Follicular Fluid and Seminal Plasma: Impact on Fertilization and Sperm Quality.","authors":"Feifei Kong,Lu Fang,Yuanyuan Gui,Hongyan Lan,Panpan Zhao,Yinli Zhang,Lingying Jiang,Songying Zhang,Xiaomei Tong","doi":"10.1021/acsnano.5c00918","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Plastic pollution is a growing global issue, with nanoplastics (NPs) posing a greater threat than microplastics. Micro/nanoplastics have been detected in various human tissues and bodily fluids, but their impacts on human fertility remain unclear. We used pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) with liquid extraction to detect NPs in the follicular fluid (FF) and seminal plasma (SP) of 51 couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) to investigate the impact of NPs on fertility. In our study, polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the most frequently detected NPs. In FF, the average PE and PVC concentrations were 1.21 μg/g and 1.85 μg/g, respectively, whereas in SP, they were 3.02 μg/g and 2.67 μg/g, respectively. For NPs in FF, no significant association was detected between PE or PVC levels and the ovarian reserve, whereas IVF data indicated that higher PE concentrations in the T2 and T3 groups were associated with significantly lower fertilization rates than those in the low-concentration T1 group (p = 0.0003, p = 0.007, respectively), a trend similar to that observed for PVC (p = 0.009, p = 0.008, respectively). For the NPs in SP, the PVC concentration was associated with reduced sperm motility (p-trend = 0.044), whereas no significant difference was observed among the PE or PVC groups according to the IVF data. Neither maternal nor paternal levels of NPs were significantly associated with embryo implantation or clinical pregnancy. In conclusion, these results indicate that NPs are detectable in both FF and SP, with PE and PVC nanoparticles adversely affecting fertilization rates and sperm quality.","PeriodicalId":21,"journal":{"name":"ACS Nano","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"ACS Nano","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c00918","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a growing global issue, with nanoplastics (NPs) posing a greater threat than microplastics. Micro/nanoplastics have been detected in various human tissues and bodily fluids, but their impacts on human fertility remain unclear. We used pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) with liquid extraction to detect NPs in the follicular fluid (FF) and seminal plasma (SP) of 51 couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) to investigate the impact of NPs on fertility. In our study, polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the most frequently detected NPs. In FF, the average PE and PVC concentrations were 1.21 μg/g and 1.85 μg/g, respectively, whereas in SP, they were 3.02 μg/g and 2.67 μg/g, respectively. For NPs in FF, no significant association was detected between PE or PVC levels and the ovarian reserve, whereas IVF data indicated that higher PE concentrations in the T2 and T3 groups were associated with significantly lower fertilization rates than those in the low-concentration T1 group (p = 0.0003, p = 0.007, respectively), a trend similar to that observed for PVC (p = 0.009, p = 0.008, respectively). For the NPs in SP, the PVC concentration was associated with reduced sperm motility (p-trend = 0.044), whereas no significant difference was observed among the PE or PVC groups according to the IVF data. Neither maternal nor paternal levels of NPs were significantly associated with embryo implantation or clinical pregnancy. In conclusion, these results indicate that NPs are detectable in both FF and SP, with PE and PVC nanoparticles adversely affecting fertilization rates and sperm quality.
期刊介绍:
ACS Nano, published monthly, serves as an international forum for comprehensive articles on nanoscience and nanotechnology research at the intersections of chemistry, biology, materials science, physics, and engineering. The journal fosters communication among scientists in these communities, facilitating collaboration, new research opportunities, and advancements through discoveries. ACS Nano covers synthesis, assembly, characterization, theory, and simulation of nanostructures, nanobiotechnology, nanofabrication, methods and tools for nanoscience and nanotechnology, and self- and directed-assembly. Alongside original research articles, it offers thorough reviews, perspectives on cutting-edge research, and discussions envisioning the future of nanoscience and nanotechnology.