Environmental factor – September 2022: exposure to antibacterial chemicals via lactation is associated with liver damage in newborn mice.

Researchers at the University of California (UC), San Diego I found clues that newborn mice can be exposed to triclosan during lactation, which leads to a significant accumulation of fat in the liver – an early sign of liver damage. The study was supported in part by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) By NIEHS Exploratory/Development Research Scholarship.

Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical linked to many health issues, including endocrine disruption, antimicrobial drug resistance, and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of triclosan in over-the-counter soaps, but the chemical is still found in antibacterial medical soaps, toothpastes, and some cosmetics.

Triclosan and liver disease

The team, led by Robert Tukey, PhD, and Michael Karen, PhD, previously reported that exposure to triclosan exacerbated NAFLD in mice fed a high-fat diet. NAFLD occurs when fats build up in liver cells, impairing organ function and can lead to more advanced forms of liver disease and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes later in life.

“The increasingly widespread use of triclosan in consumer products presents a risk of liver toxicity to humans,” Tukey said in a 2021 press release. (Image via Maskmedicare/Unsplash.com)

Although liver disease usually occurs in adults, the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children is on the rise in the United States.

breast milk chemistry

Triclosan was previously discovered in humans Breast milkexposing children to the chemical.

“Recent increases in NAFLD in children may be the result of mother-to-child transmission of environmental toxins such as triclosan,” said Toki at the University of California, San Diego. press release.

Karen and SRP staff after the 2018 NIEHS Distinguished Lecture. Left to Right: SRP Health Scientist Heather Henry, Ph.D.; Karen. SRP Health Specialist Brittany Trotier; SRP Health Scientist Director, Michelle Hickok, Ph.D.; and SRP Director William Sock, Ph.D. (Photo courtesy of the NIEHS Superfund Research Program)

To test their hypothesis, the researchers exposed pregnant mice to triclosan in their diet and found that it was efficiently transferred by lactation to newborn mice. They observed that newborn mice exposed to triclosan through breast milk had a higher liver weight and accumulated more liver fat, among other common early signs of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Possible goals of treatment

In the new study, the scientists also revealed that triclosan modulated the expression of two metabolic mechanisms involved in the development of NAFLD: transcription activating factor 4 (ATF4) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα).

The team discovered that blocking these mechanisms reduced triclosan-induced lipid accumulation in the liver and inhibited the expression of genes associated with increased de novo lipogenesis, a key feature associated with NAFLD. De novo lipogenesis is the metabolic process that converts carbohydrates into fats.

The authors note that these mechanisms have an important role in the development of NAFLD and may provide a basis for the development of potential treatments for toxicity-related liver disease.

the quote: Weber AA, Yang X, Minilu E, Ding Jie, Watros JD, Jane M, Chen S, Karen M, Toki RH. 2022. The pathogenesis of triclosan aids in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in neonatal mice. Nat Common 13 (1): 4346.

(Mali Velasco is a science writer at MDB Inc., contracted to the NIEHS Superfund Research Program.)

from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/environmental-factor-september-2022-exposure-to-antibacterial-chemicals-via-lactation-is-associated-with-liver-damage-in-newborn-mice/