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Volume 14
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10.3390/foods14162781
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Untargeted Metabolomics Uncovers Food Safety Risks: Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Metabolic Disorders in Chicken Liver

by
Xuan Hu
1,2,†,
Yinyin Liu
1,†,
Yinpeng Ma
1,
Jing Zhang
1,
Lina Ma
1,
Wanqiang Chen
1,
Xiujun Tang
1,
Junxian Lu
1,
Lingzhi Chen
2,
Guodong Cai
2,
Jianchun Bian
2,3,* and
Yushi Gao
1,*
1
Jiangsu Institute of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225009, China
2
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
3
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2781; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162781 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 28 June 2025 / Revised: 5 August 2025 / Accepted: 8 August 2025 / Published: 10 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Detection Approaches of Biological and Non-Biological Risk Factors in Foods—2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Polystyrene nanoplastics (NPs) threaten agricultural ecosystems and the food chain; however, their hepatotoxicity in chickens, a key poultry species, remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of chronic NP exposure on hepatic metabolism to evaluate food safety risks in poultry products. Chickens were orally exposed to 100 nm polystyrene NPs via feed for 120 days. Histopathological evaluation, serum biochemical analysis revealed hepatotoxicity in NP-exposed poultry, characterized by histopathological liver injury, elevated lipid droplet accumulation, significantly increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, and elevated triglyceride (TG) levels (p < 0.05). Untargeted LC-MS/MS Metabolomics profiling identified 193 differentially abundant metabolites—predominantly organic acids and lipids—with L-leucine and NADH emerging as pivotal metabolic hubs. A KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated significant enrichment in purine metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, while a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) confirmed the suppression of ABC transporters. Notably, the key biomarkers 9-cis-retinal and phenylalanyl phenylalanine were significantly altered, reflecting metabolic disturbances linked to NPs exposure. Overall, this study characterized exposure-associated metabolic signatures and established NP-induced hepatic injury phenotypes in poultry production systems.
Keywords: nanoplastics; chicken; LC-MS/MS metabolomics; metabolic disruption; liver; food safety nanoplastics; chicken; LC-MS/MS metabolomics; metabolic disruption; liver; food safety

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Hu, X.; Liu, Y.; Ma, Y.; Zhang, J.; Ma, L.; Chen, W.; Tang, X.; Lu, J.; Chen, L.; Cai, G.; et al. Untargeted Metabolomics Uncovers Food Safety Risks: Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Metabolic Disorders in Chicken Liver. Foods 2025, 14, 2781. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162781

AMA Style

Hu X, Liu Y, Ma Y, Zhang J, Ma L, Chen W, Tang X, Lu J, Chen L, Cai G, et al. Untargeted Metabolomics Uncovers Food Safety Risks: Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Metabolic Disorders in Chicken Liver. Foods. 2025; 14(16):2781. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162781

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hu, Xuan, Yinyin Liu, Yinpeng Ma, Jing Zhang, Lina Ma, Wanqiang Chen, Xiujun Tang, Junxian Lu, Lingzhi Chen, Guodong Cai, and et al. 2025. "Untargeted Metabolomics Uncovers Food Safety Risks: Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Metabolic Disorders in Chicken Liver" Foods 14, no. 16: 2781. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162781

APA Style

Hu, X., Liu, Y., Ma, Y., Zhang, J., Ma, L., Chen, W., Tang, X., Lu, J., Chen, L., Cai, G., Bian, J., & Gao, Y. (2025). Untargeted Metabolomics Uncovers Food Safety Risks: Polystyrene Nanoplastics Induce Metabolic Disorders in Chicken Liver. Foods, 14(16), 2781. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162781

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