Metabolomics Reveals the Impact of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 on Escherichia coli

The increasing use of metal organic frameworks can have many unintended consequences for ecosystems and the environment. However, knowledge of their toxicological behavior and mechanisms of action within the environmental microbial community is extremely limited. In this study, biological and metabolic responses of Escherichia coli to zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) were investigated. The results revealed that ZIF-8 could bind to and accumulate on the surface of E. coli cells. Low concentrations of ZIF-8 had little effects on the metabolism of E. coli, while exposure to high-dosage ZIF-8 led to perturbation of cellular functions, including changes of cell membrane permeability, leading to a shortage of energy supply. Moreover, the high-dosage ZIF-8 treatment induced stress-related biological pathways, such as increased metabolism of amino acids, sugars and sugar alcohols. All of these changes resulted in poor growth and low viability of E. coli. Taken together, the results provide detailed picture of the metabolic changes induced by ZIF-8 and are beneficial for assessing the toxicity of ZIF-8 and their further applications.