{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T05:18:36Z","timestamp":1788153516984,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) damage the male reproductive system, although the potential impacts on mammalian reproductive health remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the protective effect of\n                      <jats:italic>Astragalus<\/jats:italic>\n                      polysaccharides (APS) on testicular and epididymal functions in a mouse against PS-NPs as environmental pollutants.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Male mice were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 6 each): control, PS-NPs at 50 mg\/kg\/day (P group), and PS-NPs at 50 mg\/kg\/day plus APS at 100 mg\/kg\/day (P+A group), aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of PS-NPs exposure on sperm and the protective effects of APS. Testicular microstructure and function, serum testosterone level, enrichment of PS-NPs in the epididymis, sperm morphology and motility, concentration of zinc ions, the CuZn-superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), malondialdehyde content (MDA) in seminal plasma, and protein tyrosine phosphorylation of non-\/capacitated sperm were evaluated.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Exposure to PS-NPs significantly decreased the percentage of normal seminiferous tubules and serum testosterone levels (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05). The seminal plasma Zn\n                      <jats:sup>2+<\/jats:sup>\n                      levels, CuZn-SOD activity, T-AOC, and sperm quality (density, motility, normal morphology) significantly reduced, with the increased the enrichment of PS-NPs in the epididymis and MDA levels of sperm on PS-NPs treatment group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05). Exposure to PS-NPs induced the 32 ~ 35KDa protein tyrosine phosphorylation of non-capacitated sperm (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05). The protein tyrosine phosphorylation of capacitated sperm exposure by PS-NPs were decreased compare with control group (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05), which located in sperm flagella. After APS treatment, the functional impairments caused by PS-NPs were alleviated, and there was no significant difference in related indicators compared to the physiological group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;gt; 0.05).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>APS relieved oxidative damage to sperm, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and protected against testicular and epididymal damage caused by exposure to PS-NPs. APS regulated protein tyrosine phosphorylation to prevented the of \u201ccapacitation-like\u201d phenomenon of non-capacitated sperm caused by PS-NPs. Meanwhile, APS alleviated the decrease in proteins tyrosine phosphorylation of capacitated sperm exposed by PS-NPs. These results indicate that APS could be used to ameliorate sperm quality induced by environmental toxins.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1924767","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T04:28:53Z","timestamp":1788150533000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The potential protective roles of Astragalus polysaccharides against toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics on mice sperm exposed"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Qimeng","family":"Hu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Diversity, Institute of Animal Diversity and Ecological Restoration, College of Life Sciences, Langfang Normal University, Langfang","place":["Hebei, 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