Disruption of midgut homeostasis by microplastics in Spodoptera frugiperda: Insights into inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms

Zeyun Fan; Muhammad Musa Khan; Kai Wang; Yihan Li; Fengliang Jin; Jing Peng; Xinyi Chen; Weizhen Kong; Xiaolu Lv; Xiaoyuan Chen; Baoli Qiu; Xingmin Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137262

Disruption of midgut homeostasis by microplastics in Spodoptera frugiperda: Insights into inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms

J Hazard Mater. 2025 Jan 16:487:137262. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137262. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zeyun Fan¹, Muhammad Musa Khan², Kai Wang³, Yihan Li⁴, Fengliang Jin⁴, Jing Peng⁴, Xinyi Chen⁴, Weizhen Kong⁴, Xiaolu Lv⁴, Xiaoyuan Chen⁵, Baoli Qiu⁶, Xingmin Wang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Engineering Research Center of Biocontrol, Ministry of Education Guangdong Province, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China.
² Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Sanya 572000, China.
³ Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
⁴ Engineering Research Center of Biocontrol, Ministry of Education Guangdong Province, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510640, China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China.
⁶ Engineering Research Center of Biotechnology for Active Substances, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China. Electronic address: baileyqiu@scau.edu.cn.
⁷ Engineering Research Center of Biocontrol, Ministry of Education Guangdong Province, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: wangxmcn@scau.edu.cn.

PMID: 39842122
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137262

Abstract

Microplastics have evolved as widespread contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic environments, raising significant environmental concerns due to their persistence and bioaccumulation. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) on the agricultural insect, Spodoptera frugiperda. Maize leaves containing three sizes (0.5 μm, 5 μm, and 50 μm) of PE-MPs were fed to fall armyworm larvae for 12 days at concentrations of 1.25 g/ L, 5 g/L, and 20 g/L. The results showed that smaller size and higher concentration of microplastics led to increased toxicity. Furthermore, different sizes and maximum concentrations of PE-MPs were selected for subsequent experiments to observe changes in histological and enzymatic biomarkers, midgut microbiome, and metabolic responses. Following PE-MPs exposure, inflammation signs and oxidative stress were detected in the midgut. Significant changes were also observed in midgut microbiota and metabolomes, most related with oxidative stress, inflammatory disorders, and energy metabolism. These results provide evidence of midgut damage and alterations in the microbiota and metabolome of S. frugiperda because of PE-MPs exposure, highlighting the harm that microplastics can inflict on agricultural insects. Additionally, the study lays a theoretical foundation for future research on the transmission of microplastics through the food chain in agricultural ecosystems.

Keywords: Inflammatory; Metabolomics; Microplastics; Midgut microbiome; Oxidative mechanisms.