Effects of Oral Polyethylene Microplastic Dose on Wistar Rats’ Cognition Assessed by Morris Water Maze

Authors

  • Michael Yohanes Kuncoro Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
  • Nita Kurniawati Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
  • Yudhiakuari Sincihu Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
  • Pauline Meryana Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
  • L. Suwandito Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58954/epj.v6i1.434

Keywords:

LDPE Microplastik, cognitive function, Morris Water Maze, Wistar

Abstract

Orally ingested polyethylene (LDPE) microplastics are suspected to impair cognitive function through disturbances in the central nervous system, particularly in cognitive regions such as the cortex and hippocampus. This study aims to evaluate the effect of varying oral doses of LDPE microplastics on the cognitive function of Wistar Rattus norvegicus using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test. This experimental study employed a post-test only control group design involving 21 male Wistar rats divided into four groups: a control group and three treatment groups receiving LDPE microplastics at low dose and high dose administered orally for 28 days (particle size ≤20 µm). Cognitive function was assessed using the latency time to locate the hidden platform in the MWM and analyzed statistically. The mean latency tended to increase with increasing dose. Using the control group as the baseline, there was a slight increase in the outcome in the low dose group, and a markedly higher increase observed in the high dose group. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the control group and the high dose group (p = 0.009). Oral administration of LDPE microplastics at  high dose for 28 days was associated with a significant impairment in cognitive function.

References

Albano, G. D., Gagliardo, R. P., Montalbano, A. M., & Profita, M. (2022). Overview of the Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress: Impact in Inflammation of the Airway Diseases. In Antioxidants (Vol. 11, Issue 11). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11112237

Blackburn, K., & Green, D. (2022). The potential effects of microplastics on human health: What is known and what is unknown. In Ambio (Vol. 51, Issue 3, pp. 518–530). Springer Science and Business Media B.V. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01589-9

Cui, J., Zhang, Y., Liu, L., Zhang, Q., Xu, S., & yao Guo, M. (2023). Polystyrene microplastics induced inflammation with activating the TLR2 signal by excessive accumulation of ROS in hepatopancreas of carp (Cyprinus carpio). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114539

Dzierżyński, E., Gawlik, P. J., Puźniak, D., Flieger, W., Jóźwik, K., Teresiński, G., Forma, A., Wdowiak, P., Baj, J., & Flieger, J. (2024). Microplastics in the Human Body: Exposure, Detection, and Risk of Carcinogenesis: A State-of-the-Art Review. Cancers, 16(21), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16213703

Hall, P. J. E., & Guyton, A. C. (2021). Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology (14th ed.).

Hesti, M., T, E., & Larasuci, A. (2021). Edukasi Bahaya Penggunaan Plastik Bagi Kesehatan. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10753

Hong, Y., Boiti, A., Vallone, D., & Foulkes, N. S. (2024). Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling and Oxidative Stress: Transcriptional Regulation and Evolution. In Antioxidants (Vol. 13, Issue 3). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13030312

Kaur, M., Sharma, A., John, P., & Bhatnagar, P. (2024). Manifestation of polystyrene microplastic accumulation in tissues of vital organs including brain with histological and behaviour analysis on Swiss albino mice. Neurotoxicology, 105, 231–246. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3073756/v1

Kopatz, V., Wen, K., Kovács, T., Keimowitz, A. S., Pichler, V., Widder, J., Vethaak, A. D., Hollóczki, O., & Kenner, L. (2023). Micro- and Nanoplastics Breach the Blood–Brain Barrier (BBB): Biomolecular Corona’s Role Revealed. Nanomaterials, 13(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13081404

Lee, C. W., Hsu, L. F., Wu, I. L., Wang,

Y. L., Chen, W. C., Liu, Y. J., Yang, L. T., Tan, C. L., Luo, Y. H., Wang, C. C., Chiu, H. W., Yang, T. C. K., Lin, Y. Y., Chang, H. A., Chiang, Y. C., Chen, C. H., Lee, M. H., Peng, K. T., & Huang, C. C. Y. (2022). Exposure to polystyrene microplastics impairs hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in mice. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128431

Liu, X., Yang, H., Yan, X., Xu, S., Fan, Y.,

Xu, H., Ma, Y., Hou, W., Javed, R., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Co-exposure of polystyrene microplastics and iron aggravates cognitive decline in aging mice via ferroptosis induction. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113342

Luo, W. Q., Cao, M. T., Sun, C. X., Wang, J. J., Gao, M. X., He, X. R., Dang, L. N., Geng, Y. Y., Li, B. Y., Li, J., Shi, Z. C., & Yan, X. R. (2025). Size-dependent internalization of polystyrene microplastics as a key factor in macrophages and systemic toxicity. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137701

Naomi, P. P. (2023). Pengaruh intake oral mikroplastik terhadap perubahan struktur nefron pada ginjal rattus norvegicus strain wistar jantan. Journal of Widya Medika Junior Vol. 5 No. 3 July 2023.

Nunez, J. (2008). Morris water maze experiment. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 19. https://doi.org/10.3791/897

Palyama, P. N., Sincihu, Y., & Parengkuan, I. L. (2023). Effect of Oral Intake of Microplastic on the Changes in Nephron Structure among Male Wistar Rats. Journal of Widya Medika Junior, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.33508/jwmj.v5i3.4831

Pilapitiya, P. G. C. N. T., & Ratnayake, A. S. (2024). The world of plastic waste: A review. In Cleaner Materials (Vol. 11). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2024.100220

Pragholapati, A., Ardiana, F., & Nurlianawati, L. (2021). Gambaran fungsi kognitif pada lanjut usia (lansia). Jurnal Mutiara Ners, 4(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.51544/jmn.v4i1.1269

Prahasasgita, M. S., & Lestari, M. D. (2023). Stimulasi Fungsi Kognitif Pada Lanjut Usia Di Indonesia: Tinjauan Literatur. Buletin Psikologi, 31(2), 247. https://doi.org/10.22146/buletinpsikologi.80371

Rahmawati, A. (2015). Pengaruh Penggunaan Plastik Polyethylene (Pe) Dan High Density Polyethylene (Hdpe) Pada Campuran Lataston-Wc Terhadap Karakteristik Marshall Characteristic) (Vol. 18, Issue 2). https://journal.umy.ac.id/index.php/st/article/view/1816

Sharma, V. K. (2009). Morris water maze-a versatile cognitive tool. J. Biosci Tech, 1(1), 15–19. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267959188

Sies, H., & Jones, D. P. (2020). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) as pleiotropic physiological signalling agents. In Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology (Vol. 21, Issue 7, pp. 363–383). Nature Research. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-0230-3

Yao, Z., Seong, H. J., & Jang, Y. S. (2022). Environmental toxicity and decomposition of polyethylene. In Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (Vol. 242). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113933

Downloads

Published

2026-03-10

How to Cite

Kuncoro, M. Y., Nita Kurniawati, Yudhiakuari Sincihu, Pauline Meryana, & L. Suwandito. (2026). Effects of Oral Polyethylene Microplastic Dose on Wistar Rats’ Cognition Assessed by Morris Water Maze. Environmental Pollution Journal, 6(1), 79–87. https://doi.org/10.58954/epj.v6i1.434

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1: April 2026

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Michael Yohanes Kuncoro, Nita Kurniawati, Yudhiakuari Sincihu, Pauline Meryana, L. Suwandito

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.