이장재 (한국화학연구원)

조성희 (한국화학연구원)

이장재 (한국화학연구원)

박수빈 (한국생명공학연구원)

이다용 (한국생명공학연구원)

조성희 (한국화학연구원)

Polypropylene nanoplastics (PPNPs) are one of the most common types of environmental nanoplastics. However, the potential impact of maternal PPNP exposure during gestation on the developing brain lipidome of offspring remains largely unexplored. In this study, pregnant mice were orally administered PPNPs via jelly from gestational day 8 to postnatal day 3. Male and female offspring were sacrificed at postnatal day 21, and four brain regions—hippocampus (HP), cortex (CTX), dorsal raphe (DR), and cerebellum (CB)—were collected for targeted lipidomic profiling using UPLC-nanoESI-MS/MS. Multivariate PLS-DA models revealed region- and sex-dependent separations between the control and PPNP-exposed groups. Further statistical analyses based on VIP scores and p-values identified significant alterations in multiple lipid species and classes, including phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), ceramides (Cer), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and PC plasmalogen (PC P). Notably, several lipids showed divergent regulation between sexes within the same brain region, suggesting sex-specific susceptibility to microplastic-associated neurochemical disruption. These findings highlight that maternal exposure to PPNPs during gestation may contribute to sex- and region-specific remodeling of the developing brain lipidome in offspring. This study provides new insights into the potential neurodevelopmental risks associated with prenatal nanoplastic exposure.