Gut microbiome and plasma metabolome changes in rats after oral gavage of nanoparticles: sensitive indicators of possible adverse health effects

Table 4 Key findings of the combined microbiome-/metabolome profiling for toxicological endpoints

Endpoint	Key finding
Clinical pathology	High dose oral application of SiO₂ and Ag nanoparticles had no detectable effects on established clinical pathology endpoints in male Wistar rats
Gut microbiome	Ingested SiO₂ and Ag nanoparticles altered the gut microbiome significantly
	SiO₂ and Ag NP influence the level of microbial genera some of which are known to mediate probiotic or adverse effects
	The gut microbiome is a sensitive indicator for possible hazards caused by orally administrated NP
Plasma metabolome	Orally applied SiO₂ and Ag NP led to changes in the level of several plasma metabolites known to be crucial for human health
	Key plasma metabolites (e.g. gut-microbiota derived IAA) are suitable markers for potential adverse effects induced by orally applied NP
Combined gut microbiome and plasma metabolome	The combination of gut microbiome and plasma metabolome profiling has a strong potential as a sensitive tool to disclose early detrimental effects of ingested NP

ISSN: 1743-8977