Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107386
Halina Binde Doria , Nida Sohal , Barbara Feldmeyer , Markus Pfenninger
{"title":"Size over substance: Microplastic particle size drives gene expression and fitness loss in a freshwater insect","authors":"Halina Binde Doria , Nida Sohal , Barbara Feldmeyer , Markus Pfenninger","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MP) are a diverse class of contaminants for which it is challenging to assess their effects on freshwater biota. As polyamide (PA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are two of the most abundant microplastic materials in natural environments, the present study investigated whether their chronic presence, particle size (< 100 μm and > 100 μm) and their mixture influenced gene transcription patterns and inclusive fitness of <em>C. riparius.</em> Transcriptome data as the lowest phenotypic trait level suggested that MP exposure impacted a range of organismic processes like oxidative stress and inflammations, leading to an innate immune response, downregulation of metabolism in organs directly exposed to the particles and triggered premature molting, regardless of the MP material or their mixture. A life-cycle fitness assessment was performed using PA, PVC and a mixture of both in, respectively. The integration of the fitness components survival, developmental time and fertility into the daily population growth rate as comprehensive fitness parameter on the highest trait level showed that any chronic microplastic exposure led to a considerable fitness loss. Partitioning the effects of substance and size class showed that microplastic exposure as such and size played an important role, while the MP material was of minor importance. The observed decrease in daily population growth rates between 2.3 and 7.6 % upon chronic MP exposure suggested a dramatic reduction of the species’ population size and thus for freshwater ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"284 ","pages":"Article 107386"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143887672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107381
Naveen Chand , Stefan Krause , Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati
{"title":"The potential of microplastics acting as vector for triclosan in aquatic environments","authors":"Naveen Chand , Stefan Krause , Sanjeev Kumar Prajapati","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is increased evidence of the co-occurrence of microplastics (MPs) with other co-pollutants in surface water globally, leading to ecological and environmental concerns. The risks and toxicity of co-occurring pollutants largely depend on the mechanisms controlling the activation of their various sources, their fate and transport in different environmental media. Due to their size-specific surface area, MPs in the environment can have a strong affinity for interactions with hydrophobic compounds and have a high sorption capacity for various emerging contaminants (ECs). ECs like the antibacterial and antifungal agent such as Triclosan (TCS) are persistent in the environment. Moreover, TCS in aquatic environments has a low solubility, and high octanol–water partitioning co-efficient which raises the possibility of TCS to interact with other environmental pollutants such as MPs. The interactions of TCS with MPs in the environment are controlled by a range of mechanism such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, π-π interactions as well as electrostatic interactions. The interacting behaviour of these driving forces needs to be fully understood to determine how the co-occurrence of TCS and MPs may lead to adverse effects on the biological functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Hence, here we conduct a systematic review of the current state-of-the-art and synthesize the available knowledge of how MPs can act as vectors for TCS in aquatic environments. This review reveals MP and TCS interactions in aquatic ecosystems, their individual and collective fate, and toxicological impacts on aquatic organisms, evidencing that MPs can act as potential vectors for transporting TCS across different trophic levels. This review also reveals critical limitations in the research of the combined toxicity and interactions of co-occurring MPs and TCS. Based on the rigorous review of the current knowledge base, we propose that multifactorious investigations along with long-terms monitoring are crucial to fully understand the impacts of co-occurring MPs and TCS in aquatic systems to underline future mitigation policies and management plans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"284 ","pages":"Article 107381"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143887671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-21DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107373
Maria Fischer , Raoul Wolf , Robin Hannemann , Thomas Braunbeck
{"title":"Generalized additive modeling as a tool for the analysis of the time course of tail coiling behavior in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos – A proof-of-concept study with nicotine, a known developmental neurotoxicant","authors":"Maria Fischer , Raoul Wolf , Robin Hannemann , Thomas Braunbeck","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107373","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107373","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The early detectable tail coiling behavior of zebrafish (<em>Danio rerio</em>) embryos is receiving increasing attention in the context of (developmental) neurotoxicity testing and may be used as a rapid screening tool for compounds with unknown or suspected neurotoxic potential. The observation of this behavior over a longer period of time already offered advantages such as the possibility of detecting effects that only occur after a few hours of development. The two major parameters, duration and frequency of coiling, allow a detailed characterization of the movements. However, this approach usually leads to complex data sets, which are often heavily simplified to allow for simpler analysis of the effects on an hourly basis. In this study, the suitability of generalized additive modeling (GAM) for the analysis of coiling behavior was tested in order to obtain an integrated impression of the trends in movement patterns. To this end, nicotine, a known potent developmental neurotoxicant, was used in a proof-of-concept study. The main advantage of GAM for biological data lies in the relaxation of assumptions, such as effect monotony, data distribution and homogeneity of variances and is, therefore, more flexible in describing different trends over time. The possibility to consider replicates and individuals as additional sources of (biological) variance is a further benefit, as highly variable data are common in behavioral studies. Here, the modeling approach demonstrates a monotone reduction of movement duration as a direct consequence of nicotine exposure. Additional pathomorphological studies revealed structural damage in secondary motoneurons and skeletal muscles as potential underlying mechanisms of changes in movement patterns. The GAM proved well-suited to illustrate and analyze complex non-linear behavioral data with high natural variability. The model also allows to reliably extract no observed effect (NOEC) and lowest observed effect concentrations (LOEC) from complex data sets, which may be of relevance in a regulatory context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"284 ","pages":"Article 107373"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-20DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107371
Shuting Qiang, Yufeng Che, Mingyang Lu, Yuan Tian, Lin Gao, Jingwen Chen, Tingzhang Hu
{"title":"Buprofezin causes early developmental toxicity of zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos: morphological, physiological and biochemical responses","authors":"Shuting Qiang, Yufeng Che, Mingyang Lu, Yuan Tian, Lin Gao, Jingwen Chen, Tingzhang Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107371","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107371","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Buprofezin (BPFN), a pesticide used to control crop pests and diseases, causes potential harm to aquatic animals and the environment by leaching into aquatic ecosystems. However, there are limited studies on the toxicity of BPFN to aquatic organisms. Using zebrafish embryos, we integrated flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, RNA-seq and other techniques to assess BPFN's developmental toxicity. Additionally, IBRv2 index and Mantel test correlation were applied to comprehensively evaluate the developmental toxicity of BPFN. The results showed that BPFN induced cytotoxicity, including increased reactive oxygen species levels, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, and apoptosis, which further resulted in developmental toxicity of zebrafish embryos such as delayed hatching, reduced survival rate, and severe morphological deformities. BPFN also affected the number and distribution of immune cells, resulting in immunotoxicity, and disrupted the endogenous antioxidant system by altering the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione S-transferase and contents of malondialdehyde and glutathione. Gene expression analysis revealed that BPFN induced changes in the expression of genes associated with oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, swim bladder development, and eye development. In the comprehensive evaluation, BPFN showed the strongest developmental toxic effect in the 20 μM BPFN-treated group at 48 hpf, and there was the significant correlation between embryonic development, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory response. The rescue experiment confirmed that astaxanthin can alleviate the embryonic developmental toxicity caused by BPFN to a certain extent. In summary, BPFN induced early developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos, which might be associated with mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway induced by oxidative stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"284 ","pages":"Article 107371"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ibuprofen exposure interferes with the mitochondrial dynamics processes and affects lipid metabolism in the yellowstripe goby (Mugilogobius chulae)","authors":"Huiyu Zhang, Yufei Zhao, Weibo Gong, Chunni Duan, Yuanyuan Xiao, Yimeng Wang, Xiangping Nie","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ibuprofen (IBU), a prevalent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is extensively utilized in medical practices. Especially since the popularity of COVID-19, its use has become more widespread, coupled with its low degradation rate and high environmental residues. Thus, more focus is warranted on the possible detrimental impacts on non-target organisms, as well as the underlying mechanisms of toxicity. The present study investigated the relationships and molecular mechanisms between hepatic mitochondrial dynamics processes and lipid metabolism in the yellowstripe goby (<em>Mugilogobius chulae</em>) exposed to IBU at concentrations of 0.5, 5, 50, and 500 μg/L over 7 days. The results showed that IBU exposure inhibited mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion but promoted mitochondrial fission by interfering with the SESN/PGC/ULK signaling pathway, causing an imbalance in mitochondrial dynamics. Thus, high concentration of IBU exposure caused mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Molecular biological evidences suggested that IBU caused a decrease in ATP production and lipogenesis, leading to an energetic crisis in <em>M. chulae</em>. Hepatic tissue also showed a significant decrease in relative weight, an increase in mitochondrial damage and adipocyte degeneration. Correspondingly, the exposed organism attempted to mitigate these crises by promoting mitophagy and lipophagy via the Pink-Parkin pathway. Overall, IBU exposure interfered with mitochondrial dynamics processes and caused abnormalities in hepatic lipid metabolism in <em>M. chulae</em>. The present study highlighted the discovery of mitochondrial dynamics imbalance to lipid dysregulation cascade mechanism. We emphasized the negative effects of NSAIDs such as IBU on aquatic non-target organisms at different levels. It provided valuable insights into the ecological risk assessment of IBU in aquatic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"284 ","pages":"Article 107372"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143876552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107370
Le Qian, Jia Jiang, Yikai Zhang, Xiaobo Huang, Zhiping Che, Genqiang Chen, Shengming Liu
{"title":"Sublethal exposure to boscalid induced respiratory abnormalities and gut microbiota dysbiosis in adult zebrafish","authors":"Le Qian, Jia Jiang, Yikai Zhang, Xiaobo Huang, Zhiping Che, Genqiang Chen, Shengming Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Boscalid (BO), one of the frequently detected fungicides of succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor in water environments, has unknown effects on the respiratory function and gut health of aquatic organisms. Therefore, zebrafish were exposed to BO solutions (0.01–1.0 mg/L) for 21 days to assess its effects on zebrafish respiration and intestinal microbiota in this study. The results showed that exposure to 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L BO for 21 days resulted in zebrafish exhibiting aggregation of gill filaments, reduction of mucous cells, and significantly decreased opercular movement, linked to a marked decline in the activity of respiratory chain complex II. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed significant changes in the intestinal microbiota composition of zebrafish exposed to 1.0 mg/L BO. Specifically, the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (Cetobacterium) was markedly reduced, while pathogenic bacteria (such as Ralstonia, Legionella, Acinetobacter, Escherichia/Shigella) associated with energy metabolism and immune pathways in zebrafish showed a significant increase in relative abundance. Accordingly, metagenomic functional prediction analysis further revealed the potential impact of BO-induced gut microbiota changes on energy metabolism and immune pathways in zebrafish. Furthermore, histopathological analysis of intestinal tissues revealed that exposure to BO resulted in necrosis and shedding of epithelial cells, as well as a decrease in goblet cell count, which exacerbated adverse effects on intestinal health. In conclusion, sublethal exposure to BO affects the respiratory function and intestinal health of zebrafish. Therefore, the impact of BO in aquatic environments on fish health warrants attention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"283 ","pages":"Article 107370"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-15DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107369
Jenevieve Hara , Gethrie B. Oraño , Maaike Vercauteren , Kayawe Valentine Mubiana , Colin R. Janssen , Ronny Blust , Jana Asselman , Raewyn M. Town
{"title":"Cellular and tissue-level responses of mussels (Mytilus edulis) to aged polyethylene terephthalate (PET) micro- and nanoplastic particles","authors":"Jenevieve Hara , Gethrie B. Oraño , Maaike Vercauteren , Kayawe Valentine Mubiana , Colin R. Janssen , Ronny Blust , Jana Asselman , Raewyn M. Town","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107369","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107369","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPs) are pollutants of global concern due to their persistence, ubiquity, and associated risks. Laboratory studies, however, have predominantly focused on pristine MNPs, which do not adequately reflect the characteristics of environmental plastic debris. To address this gap, this study investigated the cellular and tissue-level responses of mussels (<em>Mytilus edulis</em>) to aged polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MNPs (diameter 600 nm to 3.1 µm) at three environmentally relevant concentrations: 10, 10<sup>3</sup>, and 10<sup>5</sup> particles/L. The particles’ physicochemical characteristics and stability in exposure media were analyzed using a combination of advanced analytical techniques. The biological responses were analyzed across multiple effect endpoints during both the exposure (days 1, 3, 7, and 14) and the subsequent recovery periods (3 and 10 days post-exposure), via flow cytometry and histopathology. The results revealed the sensitivity of hemocyte subpopulations, including granulocytes and hyalinocytes, to aged PET MNPs. Concentration- and time-dependent changes in lysosomal stability, oxidative activity, and hemocyte mortality were observed, demonstrating both immediate cellular perturbations and recovery potential to alleviate particle-induced effects. Histopathological analysis of key tissues exhibited significant alterations, particularly in the gill, suggesting potential impairment of essential physiological functions. No mussel mortality or significant changes in growth metrics were observed under the tested experimental conditions. These findings underscore the systemic impacts across multiple tissues of aged MNP exposure and highlight the importance of adopting integrative, environmentally realistic approaches to assess the biological consequences in future research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"283 ","pages":"Article 107369"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143856026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-14DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107366
Menglin Bao , Fei Sheng , Qi Zhang , Jichen Liu , Rongyu Xin , Fang Yan , Shasha Zang , Zhiguang Xu , Hongyan Wu
{"title":"Toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics to benthic Sargassum horneri: The role of nitrogen availability in modulating stress responses","authors":"Menglin Bao , Fei Sheng , Qi Zhang , Jichen Liu , Rongyu Xin , Fang Yan , Shasha Zang , Zhiguang Xu , Hongyan Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107366","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107366","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the past few decades, the accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) have identified as enduring contaminants, posing significant risks to aquatic organisms. However, the interplay of MNPs and environmental stressors (e.g. nutrient etc.) is not well understood. In this study, <em>Sargassum horneri</em>, a typical benthic macroalgae, was cultured with two sizes of plastic particles (MPs (5 μm), NPs (0.05 μm) and nitrogen concentrations (LN (30 μM), HN (120 μM)) for 20 days to investigate the interactive effects between MNPs and nitrogen levels by measuring different physiological and biochemical parameters. The results demonstrated that both MPs and NPs decrease growth rate, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), and catalase (CAT) activity, but increased the chlorophyll <em>a</em> and <em>c</em>, carotenoid, and soluble protein contents at low nitrogen level. Notably, the inhibitory effect on growth rate was more pronounced in the NPs conditions. Compared to low nitrogen groups, high nitrogen concentration increased the growth rate, NPQ, the ratio of carotenoids to chlorophyll <em>a</em>, the energy absorbed by each reaction center (ABS/RC), the energy dissipated by each reaction center (DI<sub>0</sub>/RC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and CAT levels at same MPs or NPs treatment, respectively. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference among different sizes of plastic particle treatment groups in high nitrogen conditions. These results imply that NPs may exhibit potentially greater detrimental effects than MPs<strong>,</strong> when the algae were cultured under low nitrogen conditions. However, increased nitrogen availability appears to alleviate the toxic effects of MNPs by enhancing the algal photoprotective and antioxidant capacities. These findings highlight the potential for nutrient enrichment to mitigate the toxic impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on benthic macroalgae, providing valuable insights into future ecosystem response to increasing MNPs pollution in nutrient-variable coastal environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"283 ","pages":"Article 107366"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-14DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107368
Shi-Hui Huang , Yu-Qing Wang , Ji-Yue Ni , Yi-Feng Li
{"title":"BPA-induced disruption of muscle development and larval metamorphosis in the mussel Mytilus coruscus","authors":"Shi-Hui Huang , Yu-Qing Wang , Ji-Yue Ni , Yi-Feng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107368","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107368","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bisphenol A (BPA) has been found in aquatic environments worldwide, raising concerns about its potentially harmful effects, particularly during the early stages of organismal development. In this study, exposure to BPA significantly inhibited the development of <em>Mytilus coruscus</em> larvae and led to abnormal muscle development, characterized by a reduction in adductor muscle size and a decrease in the branching of velum retractor muscles. BPA exposure impaired larval metamorphosis, with reduced metamorphosis rates at 0.01 and 0.1 μg/mL concentrations. Inhibition of velum retractor muscle degeneration and a substantial reduction in the size of adductor muscles were observed, particularly at BPA concentrations of 3 and 5 μg/mL. BPA exposure significantly inhibited the expression of muscle growth-related genes, <em>MHC-2560</em> and <em>MHC-1792</em>, with suppression observed at multiple stages, indicating impaired muscle development. Transcriptomic analysis showed that BPA exposure significantly affected normal physiological processes in larvae. qPCR analysis confirmed the up-regulation of genes involved in autophagy, the AMPK pathway, and detoxification, alongside the down-regulation of genes associated with apoptosis, hedgehog signaling, and neuroendocrine signaling. These findings highlight the ecological risks of BPA, as environmentally relevant concentrations disrupt critical developmental processes, including muscle degeneration during larval metamorphosis, which are essential for the survival and population dynamics of marine bivalves. BPA exposure was found to negatively impact muscle development by inhibiting the expression of genes critical for muscle growth, leading to abnormal muscle morphology. The molecular mechanisms of BPA toxicity provide important insights into its broader impact on marine ecosystems, especially during early development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"283 ","pages":"Article 107368"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic ToxicologyPub Date : 2025-04-12DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107367
Zeyang Sun, Anqi Han, Jingsong Gao, Yuan Zhou, Huawei Bu, Jian Mao, Wei Chen, Chuncai Yan, Jinsheng Sun
{"title":"Detrimental effects of thiamethoxam on the physiological status, gut microbiota, and gut metabolomics profile of Propsilocerus akamusi chironomid larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae)","authors":"Zeyang Sun, Anqi Han, Jingsong Gao, Yuan Zhou, Huawei Bu, Jian Mao, Wei Chen, Chuncai Yan, Jinsheng Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thiamethoxam, a widely applied neonicotinoid pesticide, poses a non-negligible risk to aquatic organisms and has garnered considerable attention. The biological impacts of thiamethoxam on chironomid larvae and protective strategies for tolerance remain to be investigated. In this study, we addressed the functional role of gut microbiota and determined the potential effects of thiamethoxam on physiological status, microbial commensals, and gut metabolome profile. A disturbed physiological status was induced by semi-lethal and sub-lethal thiamethoxam, with a higher concentration resulting in a more rapid and stronger response, as reflected by a conspicuous alteration of detoxifying and oxidative markers. Our results also demonstrated that an intact gut microflora was necessary for chironomid larvae to survive better under thiamethoxam-challenged condition. A low dosage of thiamethoxam could remarkably decrease the relative abundance of beneficial bacterial strains (e.g. <em>Cetobacterium</em> and <em>Tyzzerella</em>) while significantly increase the prevalence of opportunistic pathogens, including the genera <em>Serratia, Shewanella, Aeromonas</em> and <em>Pseudomonas</em>. Additionally, an evident variability of bacterial correlations was observed, and the thiamethoxam exposure impaired the genus-genus interaction and destabilized the whole community structure. The metabolome profile revealed that the toxic factor induced a significant downregulation of metabolites involved in glycolysis, amino acid metabolism and fatty acid metabolism pathways. Notably, the integration of metabolomics and gut microbiota data highlighted that representative substrates related to energy metabolism were negatively correlated with the elevated opportunities pathogens when chironomid larvae were challenged with thiamethoxam. These results suggested that a balanced microbial community was pivotal for maintaining energy expenditure and intake system, thus conferring benefits for chironomid larvae to defend against the invading thiamethoxam and preserve their physical well-being. This work provides theoretical guidance for the practical use of thiamethoxam in aquatic ecosystem and offers insights into the potential mechanisms utilized by chironomid larvae to detoxify pesticides.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":248,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Toxicology","volume":"283 ","pages":"Article 107367"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}