Fig. 4

Transcription of inflammatory cytokines. The levels of NF-κB, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, TGF-β, and IL-10 transcripts in the total mRNA of mid colons were measured by RT-qPCR using specific primers. The mRNA levels of the six genes were calculated based on the intensity of actin as an endogenous control. Four to six mice per group were used to prepare total RNA; RT-qPCR analyses were assayed in duplicate for each sample. The data are reported as the mean ± SD. *p < 0.05 compared with Vehicle treated group; #p < 0.05 compared with LoMP treated group; †p < 0.05 compared with MiMP treated group. LoMP, Low concentration of microplastics; MiMP, Medium concentration of microplastics; HiMP, High concentration of microplastics; RT-qPCR, Quantitative real time-PCR; NF-κB, Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; IL-6, Interleukin-6; TNF-α, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α; IL-1β, Interleukin-1β; TGF-β, Transforming Growth Factor-β