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Guerreiro Gomes E, Dorneles Caldeira Balboni M, Velasque Werhli A, Dos Santos Machado K, Monserrat JM. In silico simulation of benzo[a]pyrene toxicity in the worm Caenorhabditiselegans. Environ Pollut 2024; 340:122782. [PMID: 37865330 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to develop a toxicological screening tool using a virtual (in silico) population of Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to different concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BAP). The model used computational tools based on a previous study to simulate the life cycle and characteristics of C. elegans. The model was implemented in Python and adapted with fewer repetitions of simulations to reduce execution time. The toxicity function was based on in vivo data from previous studies, and the results of the model were compared with experimental results. The model showed good accuracy in reproducing the survival data of worms exposed to BAP since the lethal concentration for 50% (LC50) and the 95% confidence interval of exposed worms during 72 h was 77.92 μg/L (71.32-85.12 μg/L). The LC50 of the simulated data was 87.10 μg/L (76.13-99.85 μg/L). It was concluded that the in silico model can be a useful alternative to conventional in vivo testing methods, saving cost and time and addressing ethical concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Guerreiro Gomes
- Graduate Program in Physiological Science, Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Adriano Velasque Werhli
- Computational Biology Laboratory - COMBI-Lab, Center for Computational Sciences (C3), FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Karina Dos Santos Machado
- Computational Biology Laboratory - COMBI-Lab, Center for Computational Sciences (C3), FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - José María Monserrat
- Graduate Program in Physiological Science, Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB), Federal University of Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
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Roy P, Rutter A, Gainer A, Haack E, Zeeb BA. Phytotoxicity of weathered petroleum hydrocarbons in soil to boreal plant species. Environ Res 2023; 238:117136. [PMID: 37717802 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Canada has extensive petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination in northern areas and the boreal forest region from historical oil and gas activities. Since the 2013 standardization of boreal forest species for plant toxicity testing in Canada, there has been a need to build the primary literature of the toxicity of weathered PHCs to these species. A series of toxicity experiments were carried out using fine-grained (<0.005-0.425 mm) background (100 total mg/kg total PHCs) and weathered contaminated soil (11,900 mg/kg total PHCs) collected from a contaminated site in northern Ontario, Canada. The PHC mixture in the contaminated site soil was characterized through Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Fractions, as indicated by the number equivalent normal straight-chain hydrocarbons (nC). The soil was highly contaminated with Fraction 2 (>nC10 to nC16) at 4790 mg/kg and Fraction 3 (>nC16 to nC34) at 4960 mg/kg. Five plant species (Elymus trachycaulus, Achillea millefolium, Picea mariana, Salix bebbiana, and Alnus viridis) were grown from seed in 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% relative contamination mixtures of the PHC-contaminated and background soil from the site over 2-6 weeks. All five species showed significant inhibition in shoot length, shoot weight, root length, and/or root weight (Kruskal-Wallis Tests: p < 0.05, df = 4.0). Measurements of 25% inhibitory concentrations (IC25) following PHC toxicity experiments revealed that S. bebbiana was most significantly impaired by the PHC-contaminated soil (410-990 mg/kg total PHCs), where it showed <35% germination. This study indicates that natural weathering of Fraction 2- and Fraction 3-concentrated soil did not eliminate phytotoxicity to boreal plant species. Furthermore, it builds on the limited existing literature for toxicity of PHCs on boreal plants and supports site remediation to existing Canadian provincial PHC guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prama Roy
- School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | - Allison Rutter
- School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | - Amy Gainer
- Clear-Site Solutions (formerly with Advisian/Worley Canada Services), 9807 83 Ave Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth Haack
- Ecometrix Incorporated, 6800 Campobello Road, Mississauga, ON, L5N 2L8, Canada.
| | - Barbara A Zeeb
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4, Canada.
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3
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Wu J, Gao Y, Xi J, You X, Zhang X, Zhang X, Cao Y, Liu P, Chen X, Luan Y. A high-throughput microplate toxicity screening platform based on Caenorhabditis elegans. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2022; 245:114089. [PMID: 36126550 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), an established model organism, has been widely used in environmental toxicology research. However, most of the current toxicity testing methods based on worms are time-consuming. In this study we aimed to develop an automated and highly-integrated platform for high-throughput and in situ toxicity testing. Considering the superiority of C. elegans as a neurotoxicological model, this platform mainly evaluates general toxicology and neurotoxicology endpoints, which are usually induced by metals and pesticides, the major environmental contaminants. Microplates were used as a worm culturing system, which have good compatibility with any commercial microplate applicable instruments. We developed a microfluidic-based module for worm dispensing, and an image acquisition/analysis module for monitoring worms and detecting toxicity endpoints in bright filed. These were collectively incorporated with a commercial pipetting workstation for automated food/drug delivery and a high-content analysis system for fluorescence detection. The integrated platform achieved an efficient on-demand worm dispensing, long-term maintenance, regular monitoring and imaging, survival assay and behavioral analyses, and visualized gene reporter assay. Moreover, "Lab on Web" was achieved by connecting the platform to the web for remote operation, worm monitoring, and phenotype calculation. To demonstrate the ability of the platform for automated toxicity testing assays; worms were treated with cadmium and longevity, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity and gst-4 expression were evaluated. We determined its feasibility and proposed the potential application in high-throughput toxicity screening for environmental risk assessment in the nearest future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Wu
- School of Public Health, Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yue Gao
- National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jing Xi
- School of Public Health, Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xinyue You
- School of Public Health, Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xiaohong Zhang
- Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- School of Public Health, Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Yiyi Cao
- School of Public Health, Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Peichuan Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Yang Luan
- School of Public Health, Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
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Höss S, Rauchschwalbe MT, Fueser H, Traunspurger W. Food availability is crucial for effects of 1-μm polystyrene beads on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in freshwater sediments. Chemosphere 2022; 298:134101. [PMID: 35292277 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater sediments represent a sink for microplastic (<5 mm) through various processes. Thus, benthic organisms can be exposed to relatively high concentrations of microplastics. Surprisingly, studies on benthic organisms are still underrepresented in the field of ecotoxicological effect assessment of microplastics. Therefore, we studied the effects of 1-μm polystyrene (PS) beads on the reproduction of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using a standardized protocol for toxicity testing in freshwater sediments (96 h; ISO 10872:2020), combined with ingestion experiments using fluorescent PS beads. To investigate the role of sediment properties (e.g., textures, organic contents) for ingestion and effects of PS beads, five different artificial and field-collected sediments were used. Body burdens of 1-μm PS beads in the intestinal tract of the nematodes after 96 h differed between the sediments, however, differences were not significant over the whole course of the experiment. EC10 and EC50-values of 1-μm PS beads for C. elegans' reproduction in the various sediments ranged from 0.9 to 2.0 and 4.8 to 11.3 mg PS/g dry sediment, respectively. The ECx-values showed to be considerably higher than values reported for water exposure (EC10/50: 0.2 and 0.6 mg PS/ml, respectively), which was probably due to higher food densities in sediment compared to water exposure. Based on the PS beads/bacteria ratio, ECx-values were comparable between sediment and water exposure, suggesting that also in sediments microplastic reduces the food availability for C. elegans causing lower reproduction. This indirect effect mechanism was confirmed by experiments with varying food densities. Thus, the nutritious conditions might play a crucial role for the overall ecological risk of microplastics in benthic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Höss
- Ecossa, Giselastr. 6, 82319, Starnberg, Germany; Bielefeld University, Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | | | - Hendrik Fueser
- Bielefeld University, Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Walter Traunspurger
- Bielefeld University, Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
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Côa F, Delite FDS, Strauss M, Martinez DST. Toxicity mitigation and biodistribution of albumin corona coated graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes in Caenorhabditis elegans. NanoImpact 2022; 27:100413. [PMID: 35940564 DOI: 10.1016/j.impact.2022.100413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In this work, the toxicity and biodistribution of graphene oxide (GO) and oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were investigated in Caenorhabditis elegans. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a model protein to evaluate the influence of protein corona formation on materials physicochemical properties, colloidal stability, and toxicity. Biological assays were performed to assess the effects of bare and albumin corona coated materials on survival, oxidative stress, intestinal barrier permeability, growth, reproduction, and fertility. Critical alterations in topography, surface roughness and chemistry of GO and MWCNT were observed due to albumin corona formation. These modifications were associated with changes in colloidal stability of materials and prevention of their aggregation and sedimentation in nematode testing medium. Both GO and MWCNT caused damage to nematode survival, growth, reproduction, and fertility, as well as enhanced oxidative stress and permeability of the intestinal barrier. But GO was more toxic than MWCNT to C. elegans, especially at long-term assays. Albumin corona mitigated 100% of acute and chronic effects of MWCNT. In contrast, the negative effects of GO were not completely mitigated; GO inhibited 16.2% of nematode growth, 86.5% of reproduction, and 32.0% of fertility at the highest concentration evaluated (10 mg L-1), while corona coated GO mitigated 50% and 100% of fertility and growth, respectively. Confocal Raman spectroscopy imaging was crucial to point out that bare and albumin corona coated GO and MWCNT crossed the C. elegans intestinal barrier reaching its reproductive organs. However, BSA corona protected the nematodes targeted organs from negative effects from MWCNT and blocked its translocation to other tissues, while coated GO was translocated inside the nematode affecting the functionality of crucial organs. In addition, coated MWCNT was excreted after 2 h of food resumption, whereas coated GO still accumulated in the nematode intestine. Our results demonstrate that the materials different translocation and excretion patterns in C. elegans had a relation to the impaired physiological functions of primary and secondary organs. This work is a contribution towards a better understanding of the impacts of protein corona on the toxicity of graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes; essential information for biological applications and nanosafety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francine Côa
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fabrício de Souza Delite
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mathias Strauss
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Center of Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Diego Stéfani Teodoro Martinez
- Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; School of Technology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Khabib MNH, Sivasanku Y, Lee HB, Kumar S, Kue CS. Alternative animal models in predictive toxicology. Toxicology 2022; 465:153053. [PMID: 34838596 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2021.153053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Toxicity testing relies heavily on animals, especially rodents as part of the non-clinical laboratory testing of substances. However, the use of mammalians and the number of animals employed in research has become a concern for institutional ethics committees. Toxicity testing involving rodents and other mammals is laborious and costly. Alternatively, non-rodent models are used as replacement, as they have less ethical considerations and are cost-effective. Of the many alternative models that can be used as replacement models, which ones can be used in predictive toxicology? What is the correlation between these models and rodents? Are there standardized protocols governing the toxicity testing of these commonly used predictive models? This review outlines the common alternative animal models for predictive toxicology to address the importance of these models, the challenges, and their standard testing protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Nur Hamizan Khabib
- Faculty of Health and Life Science, Management and Science University, Seksyen 13, 40100, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yogeethaa Sivasanku
- Faculty of Health and Life Science, Management and Science University, Seksyen 13, 40100, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hong Boon Lee
- School of Biosciences, Taylor's University Lakesike Campus, 47500, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Suresh Kumar
- Faculty of Health and Life Science, Management and Science University, Seksyen 13, 40100, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chin Siang Kue
- Faculty of Health and Life Science, Management and Science University, Seksyen 13, 40100, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Díaz-Morales DM, Erasmus JH, Bosch S, Nachev M, Smit NJ, Zimmermann S, Wepener V, Sures B. Metal contamination and toxicity of soils and river sediments from the world's largest platinum mining area. Environ Pollut 2021; 286:117284. [PMID: 33984780 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mining activities in the world's largest platinum mining area in South Africa have resulted in environmental contamination with Pt (e.g., the Hex River's vicinity). The present study compared a Pt mining area with a non-mining area along this river in terms of (1) metal concentrations in different grain size fractions from soils and aquatic sediments; (2) the toxicological potential of aquatic sediments based on the Consensus-Based Sediment Quality Guideline (CBSQG); and (3) the chronic toxicity of aqueous eluates from soils and sediments to Caenorhabditis elegans. Platinum concentrations were higher in the mining area than in the non-mining area. For most metals, the sediment silt and clay fraction contained the highest metal concentrations. Based on the CBSQG, most sampling sites exhibited a high toxicological potential, driven by Cr and Ni. Eluate toxicity testing revealed that C. elegans growth, fertility, and reproduction inhibition were not dependent on mining activities or the CBSQG predictions. Toxicity was instead likely due to Cd, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pt, and Pb. In conclusion, the investigated region is loaded with a high geogenic background resulting in high reproduction inhibition. The mining activities lead to additional environmental metal contamination (particularly Pt), contributing to environmental soil and sediment toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dakeishla M Díaz-Morales
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Johannes H Erasmus
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - Suanne Bosch
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - Milen Nachev
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Nico J Smit
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - Sonja Zimmermann
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany; Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - Victor Wepener
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman St, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
| | - Bernd Sures
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
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Johnson ME, Bennett J, Montoro Bustos AR, Hanna SK, Kolmakov A, Sharp N, Petersen EJ, Lapasset PE, Sims CM, Murphy KE, Nelson BC. Combining secondary ion mass spectrometry image depth profiling and single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to investigate the uptake and biodistribution of gold nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans. Anal Chim Acta 2021; 1175:338671. [PMID: 34330435 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.338671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Analytical techniques capable of determining the spatial distribution and quantity (mass and/or particle number) of engineered nanomaterials in organisms are essential for characterizing nano-bio interactions and for nanomaterial risk assessments. Here, we combine the use of dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (dynamic SIMS) and single particle inductively coupled mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) techniques to determine the biodistribution and quantity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) ingested by Caenorhabditis elegans. We report the application of SIMS in image depth profiling mode for visualizing, identifying, and characterizing the biodistribution of AuNPs ingested by nematodes in both the lateral and z (depth) dimensions. In parallel, conventional- and sp-ICP-MS quantified the mean number of AuNPs within the nematode, ranging from 2 to 36 NPs depending on the size of AuNP. The complementary data from both SIMS image depth profiling and spICP-MS provides a complete view of the uptake, translocation, and size distribution of ingested NPs within Caenorhabditis elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique E Johnson
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States.
| | - Joe Bennett
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Antonio R Montoro Bustos
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Shannon K Hanna
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Andrei Kolmakov
- Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Nicholas Sharp
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Elijah J Petersen
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Patricia E Lapasset
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Christopher M Sims
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Karen E Murphy
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
| | - Bryant C Nelson
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, United States
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Fajardo C, Blánquez A, Domínguez G, Borrero-López AM, Valencia C, Hernández M, Arias ME, Rodríguez J. Assessment of Sustainability of Bio Treated Lignocellulose-Based Oleogels. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13020267. [PMID: 33467395 PMCID: PMC7829808 DOI: 10.3390/polym13020267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of biological strategies to obtain new high-added value biopolymers from lignocellulosic biomass is a current challenge for scientific community. This study evaluates the biodegradability and ecotoxicity of new formulated oleogels obtained from fermented agricultural residues with Streptomyces, previously reported to show improved rheological and tribological characteristics compared to commercial mineral lubricants. Both new oleogels exhibited higher biodegradation rates than the commercial grease. Classical ecotoxicological bioassays using eukaryotic organisms (Lactuca sativa, Caenorhabditis elegans) showed that the toxic impact of the produced bio-lubricants was almost negligible and comparable to the commercial grease for the target organisms. In addition, high throughput molecular techniques using emerging next-generation DNA-sequencing technologies (NGS) were applied to study the structural changes of lubricant-exposed microbial populations of a standard soil. Results obtained showed that disposal of biomass-based lubricants in the soil environment did not substantially modify the structure and phylogenetic composition of the microbiome. These findings point out the feasibility and sustainability, in terms of biodegradability and eco-safety, of the new bio-lubricants in comparison with commercial mineral greases. This technology entails a promising biological strategy to replace fossil and non-renewable raw materials as well as to obtain useful biopolymers from agricultural residues with potential for large-scale applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Fajardo
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (A.B.); (G.D.); (M.H.); (M.E.A.); (J.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-91-885-46-76
| | - Alba Blánquez
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (A.B.); (G.D.); (M.H.); (M.E.A.); (J.R.)
| | - Gabriela Domínguez
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (A.B.); (G.D.); (M.H.); (M.E.A.); (J.R.)
| | - Antonio M. Borrero-López
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Campus de “El Carmen”, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain; (A.M.B.-L.); (C.V.)
| | - Concepción Valencia
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Campus de “El Carmen”, Universidad de Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain; (A.M.B.-L.); (C.V.)
| | - Manuel Hernández
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (A.B.); (G.D.); (M.H.); (M.E.A.); (J.R.)
| | - María E. Arias
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (A.B.); (G.D.); (M.H.); (M.E.A.); (J.R.)
| | - Juana Rodríguez
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; (A.B.); (G.D.); (M.H.); (M.E.A.); (J.R.)
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10
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Wittkowski P, Violet N, Oelgeschläger M, Schönfelder G, Vogl S. A quantitative medium-throughput assay to measure Caenorhabditis elegans development and reproduction. STAR Protoc 2020; 1:100224. [PMID: 33377116 PMCID: PMC7757729 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth and offspring count are two commonly determined toxicological endpoints for chemical- or gene-induced developmental and reproductive effects in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we present a protocol for a 96 h, medium-throughput assay, assessing both endpoints quantitatively within an automated framework using open-source software. The assay utilizes whole 96-well fluorescence images taken with a high-content screening system. Alternatively, conventional fluorescence images can also be utilized with only a few adjustments. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Wittkowski et al. (2019). A medium-throughput assay to determine C. elegans growth and offspring count Applicable to high-content screening and conventional fluorescence microscopy Automated data acquisition and processing with open-source software
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Wittkowski
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin 10589, Germany
| | - Norman Violet
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin 10589, Germany
| | - Michael Oelgeschläger
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin 10589, Germany
| | - Gilbert Schönfelder
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin 10589, Germany.,Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Silvia Vogl
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin 10589, Germany
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11
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Škulcová L, Chandran NN, Bielská L. Chiral conazole fungicides - (Enantioselective) terrestrial bioaccumulation and aquatic toxicity. Sci Total Environ 2020; 743:140821. [PMID: 32679504 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Five conazole fungicides (CFs) (epoxiconazole, tebuconazole, myclobutanil, uniconazole (P), rac-uniconazole, and diniconazole) were tested in order to provide additional information on i) the effects of CFs on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and on the aquatic insect Chironomus riparius under acute exposure scenarios and in multi-generation exposure studies, taking advantage of the short life cycle of nematodes and ii) on the bioaccumulation (earthworm Eisenia andrei) profiles of CFs including also the enantiomer-specific assessment of degradation in soils and uptake/elimination by earthworms. Acute toxicity was considered low following the exposure of up to 2.5 mg of CFs per liter of the test medium. In a multigeneration study on nematodes, all five generations exposed to epoxiconazole were significantly negatively affected in terms of reproductive efficiency, and the severity of effects increased from F0 to F1 generation and was sustained thereafter. Adverse effects were also observed in the case of uniconazole (P) and diniconazole, and similarly to epoxiconazole, the effects occurred within the active life of the pesticides and were assumed to be based on their half-lives in soil (e.g., 53.3 to 691 days for uniconazole and diniconazole in our study) and in sediment/water. Bioaccumulation of diniconazole and uniconazole by earthworms varied between soils (Lufa 2.1 ≥ Lufa 2.4 > sandy soil > Lufa 2.2) and compounds (diniconazole > uniconazole) and was enantioselective. Earthworms preferentially accumulated R-uniconazole as a result of faster elimination of the S-form, which was evidenced from the enantiomer-specific uptake/elimination rate constants derived from the bioaccumulation profiles. Our results suggest that multigeneration exposure studies can advantageously be used for assessing the long-term and trans-general effects of pesticides. Also, the enantioselectivity in bioaccumulation observed for both uniconazole and diniconazole suggests that enantioselectivity in the fate and effects should be considered when exploring ways for safer and sustainable use of chiral pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Škulcová
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Naveen Njattuvetty Chandran
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Bielská
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic; Faculty of Agrosciences, Mendel University, Zemědělská 1, Brno 613 00, Czech Republic.
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12
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Boros BV, Ostafe V. Evaluation of Ecotoxicology Assessment Methods of Nanomaterials and Their Effects. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2020; 10:nano10040610. [PMID: 32224954 PMCID: PMC7221575 DOI: 10.3390/nano10040610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes the ecotoxicological effects of nanomaterials (NMs) as well as their testing methods. Standard ecotoxicity testing methods are applicable to nanomaterials as well but require some adaptation. We have taken into account methods that meet several conditions. They must be properly researched by a minimum of ten scientific articles where adaptation of the method to the NMs is also presented; use organisms suitable for simple and rapid ecotoxicity testing (SSRET); have a test period shorter than 30 days; require no special equipment; have low costs and have the possibility of optimization for high-throughput screening. From the standard assays described in guidelines developed by organizations such as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and United States Environmental Protection Agency, which meet the required conditions, we selected as methods adaptable for NMs, some methods based on algae, duckweed, amphipods, daphnids, chironomids, terrestrial plants, nematodes and earthworms. By analyzing the effects of NMs on a wide range of organisms, it has been observed that these effects can be of several categories, such as behavioral, morphological, cellular, molecular or genetic effects. By comparing the EC50 values of some NMs it has been observed that such values are available mainly for aquatic ecotoxicity, with the most sensitive test being the algae assay. The most toxic NMs overall were the silver NMs.
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13
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Höss S, Roessink I, Brock TCM, Traunspurger W. Response of a nematode community to the fungicide fludioxonil in sediments of outdoor freshwater microcosms compared to a single species toxicity test. Sci Total Environ 2020; 710:135627. [PMID: 31785915 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
When entering aquatic ecosystems, hydrophobic organic chemicals like the fungicide fludioxonil partition to the sediment compartment where they pose potential risks to benthic invertebrates. To assess the ecological risk for sediment-dwelling invertebrates, nematodes are a suitable organism group, as they are abundantly present and possess key positions in the benthic food web. Therefore, the toxicity of the fungicide fludioxonil to nematodes was assessed in a standardized sediment toxicity test with Caenorhabditis elegans (ISO 10872), as well as in an outdoor sediment-spiked microcosm test system. In the microcosms, effects on the nematode species composition were studied, while exposure concentrations of fludioxonil were monitored in total sediment and pore water. Toxic effects on nematodes were better predicted using concentrations in pore water than total sediment concentrations. In laboratory single species tests, fludioxonil showed considerably lower toxicity in spiked field-collected sediment, compared to artificial ISO-sediments. Applying an assessment factor of 10 to the C. elegans 96-h EC10, a Tier-1 RACNematode of 7.99 mg kg-1 dry artificial sediment (corresponding to 69 μg l-1 in pore water) appeared to be protective for nematode communities in microcosms that showed no response in total abundance and species composition up to 39.9 mg fludioxonil kg-1 dry sediment (corresponding to 392 μg l-1 in pore water).
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Affiliation(s)
- S Höss
- Department of Animal Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Ecossa, Giselastr. 6, 82319 Starnberg, Germany.
| | - I Roessink
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - T C M Brock
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - W Traunspurger
- Department of Animal Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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14
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Preez GD, Fourie H, Daneel M, Miller H, Höss S, Ricci C, Engelbrecht G, Zouhar M, Wepener V. Oxygen consumption rate of Caenorhabditis elegans as a high-throughput endpoint of toxicity testing using the Seahorse XF e96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4239. [PMID: 32144330 PMCID: PMC7060326 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61054-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans presents functioning, biologically relevant phenotypes and is frequently used as a bioindicator of toxicity. However, most C. elegans in vivo effect-assessment methods are laborious and time consuming. Therefore, we developed a novel method to measure the oxygen consumption rate of C. elegans as a sublethal endpoint of toxicity. This protocol was tested by exposing 50 larval stage one C. elegans individuals for 48 h (at 20 °C) to different concentrations of two toxicants i.e. benzylcetyldimethylammonium chloride (BAC-C16) and cadmium (Cd). Following exposures, the oxygen consumption rate of the C. elegans individuals were measured using the high-throughput functionality of the Seahorse XFe96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Dose-response curves for BAC-C16 (R2 = 0.93; P = 0.001) and Cd (R2 = 0.98; P = 0.001) were created. Furthermore, a strong, positive correlation was evidenced between C. elegans oxygen consumption rate and a commonly used, ecologically relevant endpoint of toxicity (growth inhibition) for BAC-C16 (R2 = 0.93; P = 0.0001) and Cd (R2 = 0.91; P = 0.0001). The data presented in this study show that C. elegans oxygen consumption rate can be used as a promising functional measurement of toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Du Preez
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
- Agricultural Research Council - Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Private Bag X11208, Nelspruit, 1200, South Africa.
| | - H Fourie
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - M Daneel
- Agricultural Research Council - Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Private Bag X11208, Nelspruit, 1200, South Africa
| | - H Miller
- Human Metabolomics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - S Höss
- Ecossa, Giselastrasse 6, 82319, Starnberg, Germany
- University of Bielefeld, Department of Animal Ecology, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - C Ricci
- Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
- Pediatric Epidemiology, Department of Pediatrics, University Medicine Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - G Engelbrecht
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - M Zouhar
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
- Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Department of Plant Protection, Kamycka 129, 165 21, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - V Wepener
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
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Wittkowski P, Marx-Stoelting P, Violet N, Fetz V, Schwarz F, Oelgeschläger M, Schönfelder G, Vogl S. Caenorhabditis elegans As a Promising Alternative Model for Environmental Chemical Mixture Effect Assessment-A Comparative Study. Environ Sci Technol 2019; 53:12725-12733. [PMID: 31536708 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
A key challenge of mixture toxicity testing is that a multitude of substances with even more combinations need to be tested in a broad dose range. Consequently testing in rodent bioassays, the current gold standard of toxicity testing, is hardly feasible. High-throughput compatible cell culture systems, however, suffer from limitations with respect to toxicokinetics, tissue interactions, and compensatory mechanisms. Therefore, simple organisms like the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, combining relevant advantages of complex in vivo and fast in vitro assays might prove highly valuable within a testing strategy for mixtures. To investigate the comparability between results obtained with C. elegans and traditional rodent assays, we used five azole fungicides as well investigated model substances. Our findings suggest that azoles act additively in C. elegans which is in line with previous results in rats. Additionally, we show that toxicokinetics are one important factor for the differences in the relative toxicity of the azoles in both species. Importantly, we also demonstrate that in contrast to most rodent in vivo studies, C. elegans assays provide well-defined concentration-response relationships which are a very good basis for the prediction of mixture effects. We conclude that C. elegans may be an appropriate model for mixture toxicity testing at least within a first step to identify and prioritize relevant mixtures for further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Wittkowski
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
| | - Philip Marx-Stoelting
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
| | - Norman Violet
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
| | - Verena Fetz
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
| | - Franziska Schwarz
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
| | - Michael Oelgeschläger
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
| | - Gilbert Schönfelder
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin , Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health , 10117 Berlin , Germany
| | - Silvia Vogl
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment , German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) , 10589 Berlin , Germany
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16
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Höss S, Römbke J. Effects of waste materials on Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda) using the ISO standard soil toxicity test. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019; 26:26304-26312. [PMID: 31286377 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05891-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The ecotoxicological characterization of waste according to the European Waste List (HP14) is part of its hazard classification, which is based on 15 different hazardous properties and should include toxicity tests representing the aquatic and terrestrial compartment. Besides established soil toxicity tests with bacteria, plants, and earthworms, the standardized test with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (ISO 10872:2010) is suitable for testing soils and wastes, however, has never been validated for the purpose of waste toxicity assessment. Therefore, 23 different waste samples were tested for their toxicity on growth and reproduction of C. elegans to validate the suitability of ISO 10872 (ISO 2010) for assessing the ecotoxicological hazard of waste and to compare the results with those of other ecotoxicological test systems. C. elegans showed a comparable response to the waste samples as the earthworm avoidance test, however, with single samples where the nematodes indicated a higher toxicity than the E. fetida, thus, providing non-redundant information to the ecotoxicological hazard assessment of wastes. Also due to the short duration (4 days) and small-scale test set-up, the soil toxicity test with C. elegans turned out to be a valuable addition to already existing test batteries, for assessing the ecotoxicity of wastes in the soil compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Höss
- Ecossa, 82319, Starnberg, Germany.
- Department of Animal Ecology, University of Bielefeld, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Jörg Römbke
- ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH, D-65439, Flörsheim/Main, Germany
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17
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Acosta-Coley I, Duran-Izquierdo M, Rodriguez-Cavallo E, Mercado-Camargo J, Mendez-Cuadro D, Olivero-Verbel J. Quantification of microplastics along the Caribbean Coastline of Colombia: Pollution profile and biological effects on Caenorhabditis elegans. Mar Pollut Bull 2019; 146:574-583. [PMID: 31426195 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Caribbean Coast of Colombia has a flourishing plastic industry with weak and insufficient waste management policies and practices, leading to plastic pollution along its touristic beaches. In this work, primary and secondary microplastics (MPs) were surveyed at four different locations along the Colombian Caribbean Coast. Primary microplastics, specifically white new plastic pellets, represented the largest amount of MPs found, with densities decreasing in the order Cartagena > Coveñas > Puerto Colombia > Riohacha. This distribution was connected to the vicinity of MPs sources, marine currents and wind direction. The presence of secondary MPs was associated with urban centers and proximity to river mouths. The FTIR characterization showed polyethylene as the predominant resin type, with different degrees of surface oxidation. Aqueous extracts from sampled MPs were tested on Caenorhabditis elegans. Secondary MPs elicited greater toxicological responses than pellets, especially those from Cartagena Bay, suggesting MPs act as carriers for biologically-active pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Acosta-Coley
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena 130014, Colombia; Analytical Chemistry and Biomedicine Group, School of Sciences, San Pablo Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
| | - Margareth Duran-Izquierdo
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena 130014, Colombia
| | - Erika Rodriguez-Cavallo
- Analytical Chemistry and Biomedicine Group, School of Sciences, San Pablo Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
| | - Jairo Mercado-Camargo
- Research Group on Drug Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena 130014, Colombia
| | - Dario Mendez-Cuadro
- Analytical Chemistry and Biomedicine Group, School of Sciences, San Pablo Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
| | - Jesus Olivero-Verbel
- Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, Cartagena 130014, Colombia.
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18
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Schertzinger G, Zimmermann S, Sures B. Predicted sediment toxicity downstream of combined sewer overflows corresponds with effects measured in two sediment contact bioassays. Environ Pollut 2019; 248:782-791. [PMID: 30851588 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.02.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated the sediment toxicity along 100 m transects downstream from three different combined sewer overflows (CSOs) using a coupled substance risk assessment and bioassay approach. As a first step, a risk assessment according to the consensus based sediment quality guideline was performed to estimate the probability for an incidence of toxicity to benthic organisms in freshwater sediments using their pollutant concentrations of metals, PAHs and PCBs. Secondly, two sediment contact assays (SCAs) using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and embryos of the fish Danio rerio were conducted. Sediments downstream from CSOs were strongly influenced by discharged particles in terms of pollution, due to associated contaminants as well as oxygen depletion caused by oxygen consuming matter. In general, the calculated probability for sediment toxicity corresponded with results of the SCAs. With increasing distance from the CSOs both the toxic potential of the sediments as well as their effects detected in the SCAs decreased. However, clear correlations between concentrations of metals as well as PCBs and toxic effects were found for the nematode SCA. The toxicity assay with embryos of D. rerio was strongly influenced by oxygen depletion in the sediments. Therefore, it was not possible to differentiate between responses mediated by pollution or oxygen depletion using the D. rerio embryo test. The results of the present study demonstrated a clear effect of CSOs on the toxicity of downstream located sediments. As particles were identified as vector for pollutants and as source for oxygen depletion, the retention of particles within the sewer network is of high importance to minimize both stressors. The present study shows that a retention zone located between the CSO and the receiving creek is an efficient measure to enhance sediment and water quality downstream of CSOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Schertzinger
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 2, 45141, Essen, Germany.
| | - Sonja Zimmermann
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 2, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - Bernd Sures
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 2, 45141, Essen, Germany
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19
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Kim SW, Moon J, Jeong SW, An YJ. Development of a nematode offspring counting assay for rapid and simple soil toxicity assessment. Environ Pollut 2018; 236:91-99. [PMID: 29414378 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Since the introduction of standardized nematode toxicity assays by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO), many studies have reported their use. Given that the currently used standardized nematode toxicity assays have certain limitations, in this study, we examined the use of a novel nematode offspring counting assay for evaluating soil ecotoxicity based on a previous soil-agar isolation method used to recover live adult nematodes. In this new assay, adult Caenorhabditis elegans were exposed to soil using a standardized toxicity assay procedure, and the resulting offspring in test soils attracted by a microbial food source in agar plates were counted. This method differs from previously used assays in terms of its endpoint, namely, the number of nematode offspring. The applicability of the bioassay was demonstrated using metal-spiked soils, which revealed metal concentration-dependent responses, and with 36 field soil samples characterized by different physicochemical properties and containing various metals. Principal component analysis revealed that texture fraction (clay, sand, and silt) and electrical conductivity values were the main factors influencing the nematode offspring counting assay, and these findings warrant further investigation. The nematode offspring counting assay is a rapid and simple process that can provide multi-directional toxicity assessment when used in conjunction with other standard methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Woong Kim
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Jongmin Moon
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea
| | - Seung-Woo Jeong
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 54150, Korea
| | - Youn-Joo An
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea.
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20
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Abbas A, Valek L, Schneider I, Bollmann A, Knopp G, Seitz W, Schulte-Oehlmann U, Oehlmann J, Wagner M. Ecotoxicological impacts of surface water and wastewater from conventional and advanced treatment technologies on brood size, larval length, and cytochrome P450 (35A3) expression in Caenorhabditis elegans. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2018; 25:13868-13880. [PMID: 29512011 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1605-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic micropollutants and transformation products (TPs) negatively affect aquatic ecosystems and water resources. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) represent major point sources for (micro)pollutants and TPs in urban water cycles. The aim of the current study was to assess the removal of micropollutants and toxicity during conventional and advanced wastewater treatment. Using wild-type and transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans, the endpoint reproduction, growth, and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 35A3 induction (via cyp-35A3::GFP) were assessed. Samples were collected at four WWTPs and a receiving surface water. One WWTP included the advanced treatments: ozonation followed by granular activated carbon (GAC) or biological filtration (BF), respectively. Relevant micropollutants and WWTP parameters (n = 111) were included. Significant reproductive toxicity was detected for one WWTP effluent (31-83% reduced brood size). Three of four effluents significantly promoted the growth of C. elegans larvae (49-55% increased lengths). This effect was also observed for the GAC (34-41%) and BF (30%) post-treatments. Markedly, significant cyp-35A3::GFP induction was detected for one effluent before and after ozonation, being more pronounced for the ozonated samples (5- and 7.4-fold above controls). While the advanced treatments decreased the concentrations of most micropollutants, the observed effects may be attributed to effects of residual target compounds and/or compounds not included in the target chemical analysis. This highlights the need for an integrated assessment of (advanced) wastewater treatment covering both biological and chemical parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aennes Abbas
- Institute of Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Lucie Valek
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University Hospital, Theodor Stern Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ilona Schneider
- Institute of Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Anna Bollmann
- Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung, Spitziger Berg 1, 89129, Langenau, Germany
| | - Gregor Knopp
- Department of Wastewater Technology and Water Reuse, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Wolfram Seitz
- Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung, Spitziger Berg 1, 89129, Langenau, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schulte-Oehlmann
- Institute of Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jörg Oehlmann
- Institute of Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Martin Wagner
- Institute of Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, Realfagbygget, Trondheim, Norway
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21
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Bielská L, Kah M, Sigmund G, Hofmann T, Höss S. Bioavailability and toxicity of pyrene in soils upon biochar and compost addition. Sci Total Environ 2017; 595:132-140. [PMID: 28384569 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The study investigates the role of biochar and/or compost in mitigating the toxic effects of pyrene in soils using reproduction of nematodes and porewater concentration as measures of pyrene toxicity and bioavailability, respectively. Two soils were spiked with increasing levels of pyrene to achieve a concentration-response relationship for the reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans. The observed EC50 values (pyrene concentration causing 50% inhibition of reproduction) were 14mg/kg and 31mg/kg (dry mass) for these soils, corresponding to equilibrium porewater concentrations of 37μg/L and 47μg/L, respectively. Differences in organic carbon content were not sufficient to explain the variability in toxicity between the different soils. Soils causing a significant inhibition of reproduction were further amended with 10%-compost, 5%-biochar, or both, and the effects on reproduction and porewater concentration determined. Combined addition of compost and biochar was identified as the most effective strategy in reducing pyrene concentration in soil porewater, which was also partly reflected in soil toxicity. However, porewater concentrations predicted only 52% of pyrene toxicity to nematodes, pointing to particle-bound or dietary exposure pathways. Capsule: Amending pyrene-spiked soil with biochar and compost effectively reduced pyrene porewater concentrations and toxicity to nematodes, which were significantly related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Bielská
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Melanie Kah
- Department of Environmental Geosciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Gabriel Sigmund
- Department of Environmental Geosciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Thilo Hofmann
- Department of Environmental Geosciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sebastian Höss
- Institute of Biodiversity - Network, Nußbergerstr. 6a, 93059 Regensburg, Germany; Ecossa, Giselastr. 6, 82319 Starnberg, Germany.
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Johnson ME, Hanna SK, Montoro Bustos AR, Sims CM, Elliott LCC, Lingayat A, Johnston AC, Nikoobakht B, Elliott JT, Holbrook RD, Scott KCK, Murphy KE, Petersen EJ, Yu LL, Nelson BC. Separation, Sizing, and Quantitation of Engineered Nanoparticles in an Organism Model Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Image Analysis. ACS Nano 2017; 11:526-540. [PMID: 27983787 PMCID: PMC5459480 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b06582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
For environmental studies assessing uptake of orally ingested engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), a key step in ensuring accurate quantification of ingested ENPs is efficient separation of the organism from ENPs that are either nonspecifically adsorbed to the organism and/or suspended in the dispersion following exposure. Here, we measure the uptake of 30 and 60 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, using a sucrose density gradient centrifugation protocol to remove noningested AuNPs. Both conventional inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and single particle (sp)ICP-MS are utilized to measure the total mass and size distribution, respectively, of ingested AuNPs. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) imaging confirmed that traditional nematode washing procedures were ineffective at removing excess suspended and/or adsorbed AuNPs after exposure. Water rinsing procedures had AuNP removal efficiencies ranging from 57 to 97% and 22 to 83%, while the sucrose density gradient procedure had removal efficiencies of 100 and 93 to 98%, respectively, for the 30 and 60 nm AuNP exposure conditions. Quantification of total Au uptake was performed following acidic digestion of nonexposed and Au-exposed nematodes, whereas an alkaline digestion procedure was optimized for the liberation of ingested AuNPs for spICP-MS characterization. Size distributions and particle number concentrations were determined for AuNPs ingested by nematodes with corresponding confirmation of nematode uptake via high-pressure freezing/freeze substitution resin preparation and large-area SEM imaging. Methods for the separation and in vivo quantification of ENPs in multicellular organisms will facilitate robust studies of ENP uptake, biotransformation, and hazard assessment in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique E Johnson
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Shannon K Hanna
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Antonio R Montoro Bustos
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Christopher M Sims
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Lindsay C C Elliott
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Akshay Lingayat
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Adrian C Johnston
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Babak Nikoobakht
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - John T Elliott
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - R David Holbrook
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Keana C K Scott
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Karen E Murphy
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Elijah J Petersen
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Lee L Yu
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Bryant C Nelson
- Chemical Science Division, ‡Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, and §Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
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23
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Bielská L, Hovorková I, Kuta J, Machát J, Hofman J. The variability of standard artificial soils: cadmium and phenanthrene sorption measured by a batch equilibrium method. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2017; 135:17-23. [PMID: 27668322 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Artificial soil (AS) is used in soil ecotoxicology as a test medium or reference matrix. AS is prepared according to standard OECD/ISO protocols and components of local sources are usually used by laboratories. This may result in significant inter-laboratory variations in AS properties and, consequently, in the fate and bioavailability of tested chemicals. In order to reveal the extent and sources of variations, the batch equilibrium method was applied to measure the sorption of 2 model compounds (phenanthrene and cadmium) to 21 artificial soils from different laboratories. The distribution coefficients (Kd) of phenanthrene and cadmium varied over one order of magnitude: from 5.3 to 61.5L/kg for phenanthrene and from 17.9 to 190L/kg for cadmium. Variations in phenanthrene sorption could not be reliably explained by measured soil properties; not even by the total organic carbon (TOC) content which was expected. Cadmium logKd values significantly correlated with cation exchange capacity (CEC), pHH2O and pHKCl, with Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.62, 0.80, and 0.79, respectively. CEC and pHH2O together were able to explain 72% of cadmium logKd variability in the following model: logKd=0.29pHH2O+0.0032 CEC -0.53. Similarly, 66% of cadmium logKd variability could be explained by CEC and pHKCl in the model: logKd=0.27pHKCl+0.0028 CEC -0.23. Variable cadmium sorption in differing ASs could be partially treated with these models. However, considering the unpredictable variability of phenanthrene sorption, a more reliable solution for reducing the variability of ASs from different laboratories would be better harmonization of AS preparation and composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Bielská
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Ivana Hovorková
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Kuta
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Machát
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Hofman
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic.
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Clavijo A, Kronberg MF, Rossen A, Moya A, Calvo D, Salatino SE, Pagano EA, Morábito JA, Munarriz ER. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an integrated toxicological tool to assess water quality and pollution. Sci Total Environ 2016; 569-570:252-261. [PMID: 27343944 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Determination of water quality status in rivers is critical to establish a sustainable water management policy. For this reason, over the last decades it has been recommended to perform integrated water assessments that include water quantities and physicochemical, ecological and toxicological tests. However, sometimes resources are limited and it is not possible to perform large-scale chemical determinations of pollutants or conduct numerous ecotoxicological tests. To overcome this problem we use and measure the growth, as a response parameter, of the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to assess water quality in rivers. The C. elegans is a ubiquitous organism that has emerged as an important model organism in aquatic and soil toxicology research. The Tunuyán River Basin (Province of Mendoza, Argentina) has been selected as a representative traditional water monitoring system to test the applicability of the C. elegans toxicological bioassay to generate an integrated water quality evaluation. Jointly with the C. elegans toxic assays, physicochemical and bacteriological parameters were determined for each monitoring site. C. elegans bioassays help to identify different water qualities in the river basin. Multivariate statistical analysis (PCA and linear regression models) has allowed us to confirm that traditional water quality studies do not predict potential toxic effects on living organisms. On the contrary, physicochemical and bacteriological analyzes explain <62% of the C. elegans growth response variability, showing that ecotoxicological bioassays are important to obtain a realistic scenario of water quality threats. Our results confirm that the C. elegans bioassay is a sensible and suitable tool to assess toxicity and should be implemented in routine water quality monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Araceli Clavijo
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales, CONICET-Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina; Cátedra de Bioquímica, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina
| | - María Florencia Kronberg
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales, CONICET-Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina; Cátedra de Bioquímica, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina
| | - Ariana Rossen
- Laboratorio Experimental de Tecnologías Sustentables, Instituto Nacional del Agua, Av. Ezeiza-Cañuelas, tramo Jorge Newbery Km 1,620 Pcia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Aldana Moya
- Cátedra de Protección Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina
| | - Daniel Calvo
- Dirección de Servicios Hidrológicos, Instituto Nacional del Agua, Av. Ezeiza-Cañuelas, tramo Jorge Newbery Km 1,620 Pcia, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Eduardo Antonio Pagano
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales, CONICET-Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina; Cátedra de Bioquímica, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina
| | - José Antonio Morábito
- Centro Regional Andino, Instituto Nacional del Agua, Belgrano 210 (M5500FIF) Mendoza, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias (UNCuyo), Alte. Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Eliana Rosa Munarriz
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales, CONICET-Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina; Cátedra de Bioquímica, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE, CABA, Argentina.
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25
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Di Paolo C, Ottermanns R, Keiter S, Ait-Aissa S, Bluhm K, Brack W, Breitholtz M, Buchinger S, Carere M, Chalon C, Cousin X, Dulio V, Escher BI, Hamers T, Hilscherová K, Jarque S, Jonas A, Maillot-Marechal E, Marneffe Y, Nguyen MT, Pandard P, Schifferli A, Schulze T, Seidensticker S, Seiler TB, Tang J, van der Oost R, Vermeirssen E, Zounková R, Zwart N, Hollert H. Bioassay battery interlaboratory investigation of emerging contaminants in spiked water extracts - Towards the implementation of bioanalytical monitoring tools in water quality assessment and monitoring. Water Res 2016; 104:473-484. [PMID: 27585427 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Revised: 07/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Bioassays are particularly useful tools to link the chemical and ecological assessments in water quality monitoring. Different methods cover a broad range of toxicity mechanisms in diverse organisms, and account for risks posed by non-target compounds and mixtures. Many tests are already applied in chemical and waste assessments, and stakeholders from the science-police interface have recommended their integration in regulatory water quality monitoring. Still, there is a need to address bioassay suitability to evaluate water samples containing emerging pollutants, which are a current priority in water quality monitoring. The presented interlaboratory study (ILS) verified whether a battery of miniaturized bioassays, conducted in 11 different laboratories following their own protocols, would produce comparable results when applied to evaluate blinded samples consisting of a pristine water extract spiked with four emerging pollutants as single chemicals or mixtures, i.e. triclosan, acridine, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA). Assays evaluated effects on aquatic organisms from three different trophic levels (algae, daphnids, zebrafish embryos) and mechanism-specific effects using in vitro estrogenicity (ER-Luc, YES) and mutagenicity (Ames fluctuation) assays. The test battery presented complementary sensitivity and specificity to evaluate the different blinded water extract spikes. Aquatic organisms differed in terms of sensitivity to triclosan (algae > daphnids > fish) and acridine (fish > daphnids > algae) spikes, confirming the complementary role of the three taxa for water quality assessment. Estrogenicity and mutagenicity assays identified with high precision the respective mechanism-specific effects of spikes even when non-specific toxicity occurred in mixture. For estrogenicity, although differences were observed between assays and models, EE2 spike relative induction EC50 values were comparable to the literature, and E2/EE2 equivalency factors reliably reflected the sample content. In the Ames, strong revertant induction occurred following 3-NBA spike incubation with the TA98 strain, which was of lower magnitude after metabolic transformation and when compared to TA100. Differences in experimental protocols, model organisms, and data analysis can be sources of variation, indicating that respective harmonized standard procedures should be followed when implementing bioassays in water monitoring. Together with other ongoing activities for the validation of a basic bioassay battery, the present study is an important step towards the implementation of bioanalytical monitoring tools in water quality assessment and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Di Paolo
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Richard Ottermanns
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Steffen Keiter
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Man-Technology-Environment Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | | | - Kerstin Bluhm
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Werner Brack
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Magnus Breitholtz
- Department of Applied Environmental Science - ITM, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Buchinger
- Department Biochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany
| | | | - Carole Chalon
- ISSeP (Scientific Institute of Public Service), Liège, Wallonia, Belgium
| | - Xavier Cousin
- Laboratoire d'Ecotoxicologie, Ifremer, L'Houmeau, France; Laboratoire de Physiologie et Génétique des Poissons, Inra, Rennes, France
| | | | - Beate I Escher
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany; National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology - Entox, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Centre for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany
| | - Timo Hamers
- Institute for Environmental Studies -IVM, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Klára Hilscherová
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment - RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sergio Jarque
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment - RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Adam Jonas
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment - RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Yves Marneffe
- ISSeP (Scientific Institute of Public Service), Liège, Wallonia, Belgium
| | | | | | - Andrea Schifferli
- Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology Eawag-EPFL, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Schulze
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven Seidensticker
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Centre for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Janet Tang
- National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology - Entox, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ron van der Oost
- WATERNET Institute for the Urban Water Cycle, Division of Technology Research & Engineering, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Radka Zounková
- Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment - RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Nick Zwart
- Institute for Environmental Studies -IVM, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henner Hollert
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
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26
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Fajardo C, Gil-Díaz M, Costa G, Alonso J, Guerrero AM, Nande M, Lobo MC, Martín M. Residual impact of aged nZVI on heavy metal-polluted soils. Sci Total Environ 2015; 535:79-84. [PMID: 25863574 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.03.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, the residual toxicity and impact of aged nZVI after a leaching experiment on heavy metal (Pb, Zn) polluted soils was evaluated. No negative effects on physico-chemical soil properties were observed after aged nZVI exposure. The application of nZVI to soil produced a significant increase in Fe availability. The impact on soil biodiversity was assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). A significant effect of nZVI application on microbial structure has been recorded in the Pb-polluted soil nZVI-treated. Soil bacteria molecular response, evaluated by RT-qPCR using exposure biomarkers (pykA, katB) showed a decrease in the cellular activity (pykA) due to enhanced intracellular oxidative stress (katB). Moreover, ecotoxicological standardised test on Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) showed a decrease in the growth endpoint in the Pb-polluted soil, and particularly in the nZVI-treated. A different pattern has been observed in Zn-polluted soils: no changes in soil biodiversity, an increase in biological activity and a significant decrease of Zn toxicity on C. elegans growth were observed after aged nZVI exposure. The results reported indicated that the pollutant and its nZVI interaction should be considered to design soil nanoremediation strategies to immobilise heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fajardo
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Gil-Díaz
- IMIDRA, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentación, Finca "El Encín", A-2, Km 38,2, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - G Costa
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - J Alonso
- IMIDRA, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentación, Finca "El Encín", A-2, Km 38,2, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - A M Guerrero
- IMIDRA, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentación, Finca "El Encín", A-2, Km 38,2, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Nande
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M C Lobo
- IMIDRA, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentación, Finca "El Encín", A-2, Km 38,2, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Martín
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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27
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Martínez-García PM, Rodríguez-Palenzuela P, Arrebola E, Carrión VJ, Gutiérrez-Barranquero JA, Pérez-García A, Ramos C, Cazorla FM, de Vicente A. Bioinformatics Analysis of the Complete Genome Sequence of the Mango Tree Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae UMAF0158 Reveals Traits Relevant to Virulence and Epiphytic Lifestyle. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136101. [PMID: 26313942 PMCID: PMC4551802 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The genome sequence of more than 100 Pseudomonas syringae strains has been sequenced to date; however only few of them have been fully assembled, including P. syringae pv. syringae B728a. Different strains of pv. syringae cause different diseases and have different host specificities; so, UMAF0158 is a P. syringae pv. syringae strain related to B728a but instead of being a bean pathogen it causes apical necrosis of mango trees, and the two strains belong to different phylotypes of pv.syringae and clades of P. syringae. In this study we report the complete sequence and annotation of P. syringae pv. syringae UMAF0158 chromosome and plasmid pPSS158. A comparative analysis with the available sequenced genomes of other 25 P. syringae strains, both closed (the reference genomes DC3000, 1448A and B728a) and draft genomes was performed. The 5.8 Mb UMAF0158 chromosome has 59.3% GC content and comprises 5017 predicted protein-coding genes. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the presence of genes potentially implicated in the virulence and epiphytic fitness of this strain. We identified several genetic features, which are absent in B728a, that may explain the ability of UMAF0158 to colonize and infect mango trees: the mangotoxin biosynthetic operon mbo, a gene cluster for cellulose production, two different type III and two type VI secretion systems, and a particular T3SS effector repertoire. A mutant strain defective in the rhizobial-like T3SS Rhc showed no differences compared to wild-type during its interaction with host and non-host plants and worms. Here we report the first complete sequence of the chromosome of a pv. syringae strain pathogenic to a woody plant host. Our data also shed light on the genetic factors that possibly determine the pathogenic and epiphytic lifestyle of UMAF0158. This work provides the basis for further analysis on specific mechanisms that enable this strain to infect woody plants and for the functional analysis of host specificity in the P. syringae complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Manuel Martínez-García
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas UPM-INIA, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Área de Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
| | - Pablo Rodríguez-Palenzuela
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas UPM-INIA, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Arrebola
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental La Mayora, Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain
| | - Víctor J. Carrión
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
| | - José Antonio Gutiérrez-Barranquero
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
| | - Alejandro Pérez-García
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
| | - Cayo Ramos
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Área de Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco M. Cazorla
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
| | - Antonio de Vicente
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea “La Mayora”, Universidad de Málaga, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Málaga, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Saccà ML, Fajardo C, Costa G, Lobo C, Nande M, Martin M. Integrating classical and molecular approaches to evaluate the impact of nanosized zero-valent iron (nZVI) on soil organisms. Chemosphere 2014; 104:184-9. [PMID: 24287264 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2013] [Revised: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Nanosized zero-valent iron (nZVI) is a new option for the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, but the effect of nZVI on soil biota is mostly unknown. In this work, nanotoxicological studies were performed in vitro and in two different standard soils to assess the effect of nZVI on autochthonous soil organisms by integrating classical and molecular analysis. Standardised ecotoxicity testing methods using Caenorhabditis elegans were applied in vitro and in soil experiments and changes in microbial biodiversity and biomarker gene expression were used to assess the responses of the microbial community to nZVI. The classical tests conducted in soil ruled out a toxic impact of nZVI on the soil nematode C. elegans in the test soils. The molecular analysis applied to soil microorganisms, however, revealed significant changes in the expression of the proposed biomarkers of exposure. These changes were related not only to the nZVI treatment but also to the soil characteristics, highlighting the importance of considering the soil matrix on a case by case basis. Furthermore, due to the temporal shift between transcriptional responses and the development of the corresponding phenotype, the molecular approach could anticipate adverse effects on environmental biota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ludovica Saccà
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Moncloa Campus of International Excellence (UCM-UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Fajardo
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Costa
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Lobo
- Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Finca "El Encín" Km 38, 2 A-II Apdo 127, 28800 Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Nande
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Margarita Martin
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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29
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Feiler U, Ratte M, Arts G, Bazin C, Brauer F, Casado C, Dören L, Eklund B, Gilberg D, Grote M, Gonsior G, Hafner C, Kopf W, Lemnitzer B, Liedtke A, Matthias U, Okos E, Pandard P, Scheerbaum D, Schmitt-Jansen M, Stewart K, Teodorovic I, Wenzel A, Pluta HJ. Inter-laboratory trial of a standardized sediment contact test with the aquatic plant Myriophyllum aquaticum (ISO 16191). Environ Toxicol Chem 2014; 33:662-670. [PMID: 24375816 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A whole-sediment toxicity test with Myriophyllum aquaticum has been developed by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology and standardized within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO; ISO 16191). An international ring-test was performed to evaluate the precision of the test method. Four sediments (artificial, natural) were tested. Test duration was 10 d, and test endpoint was inhibition of growth rate (r) based on fresh weight data. Eighteen of 21 laboratories met the validity criterion of r ≥ 0.09 d(-1) in the control. Results from 4 tests that did not conform to test-performance criteria were excluded from statistical evaluation. The inter-laboratory variability of growth rates (20.6%-25.0%) and inhibition (26.6%-39.9%) was comparable with the variability of other standardized bioassays. The mean test-internal variability of the controls was low (7% [control], 9.7% [solvent control]), yielding a high discriminatory power of the given test design (median minimum detectable differences [MDD] 13% to 15%). To ensure these MDDs, an additional validity criterion of CV ≤ 15% of the growth rate in the controls was recommended. As a positive control, 90 mg 3,5-dichlorophenol/kg sediment dry mass was tested. The range of the expected growth inhibition was proposed to be 35 ± 15%. The ring test results demonstrated the reliability of the ISO 16191 toxicity test and its suitability as a tool to assess the toxicity of sediment and dredged material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ute Feiler
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany
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30
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Fajardo C, Saccà ML, Costa G, Nande M, Martin M. Impact of Ag and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles on soil organisms: in vitro and soil experiments. Sci Total Environ 2014; 473-474:254-61. [PMID: 24374587 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Revised: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In vitro analyses were conducted to assess the impact of Al2O3 and Ag nanoparticles on two common soil bacteria, Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas stutzeri. Al2O3 nanoparticles did not show significant toxicity at any dose or time assayed, whereas exposure to 5 mg L(-1) Ag nanoparticles for 48 h caused bactericidal effects. Moreover, alterations at the morphological level were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM); Ag but not Al2O3 nanoparticles evoked the entrance of B. cereus cells in an early sporulation stage and both nanoparticles penetrated P. stutzeri cells. At the molecular level, a dramatic increase (8.2-fold) in katB gene expression was found in P. stutzeri following Al2O3 nanoparticles exposure, indicative of an oxidative stress-defence system enhancement in this bacterium. In the microcosm experiment, using two different natural soils, Al2O3 or Ag nanoparticles did not affect the Caenorhabditis elegans toxicity endpoints growth, survival, or reproduction. However, differences in microbial phylogenetic compositions were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The use of katB- and pykA-based sequences showed that the microbial transcriptional response to nanoparticle exposure decreased, suggesting a decrease in cellular activity. These changes were attributable to both the nanoparticles treatment and soil characteristics, highlighting the importance of considering the soil matrix on a case by case basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fajardo
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M L Saccà
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Campus de Excelencia Internacional de Moncloa, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - G Costa
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Nande
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Martin
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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31
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Rudel D, Douglas CD, Huffnagle IM, Besser JM, Ingersoll CG. Assaying environmental nickel toxicity using model nematodes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77079. [PMID: 24116204 PMCID: PMC3792034 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2012] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although nickel exposure results in allergic reactions, respiratory conditions, and cancer in humans and rodents, the ramifications of excess nickel in the environment for animal and human health remain largely undescribed. Nickel and other cationic metals travel through waterways and bind to soils and sediments. To evaluate the potential toxic effects of nickel at environmental contaminant levels (8.9-7,600 µg Ni/g dry weight of sediment and 50-800 µg NiCl2/L of water), we conducted assays using two cosmopolitan nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus. We assayed the effects of both sediment-bound and aqueous nickel upon animal growth, developmental survival, lifespan, and fecundity. Uncontaminated sediments were collected from sites in the Midwestern United States and spiked with a range of nickel concentrations. We found that nickel-spiked sediment substantially impairs both survival from larval to adult stages and adult longevity in a concentration-dependent manner. Further, while aqueous nickel showed no adverse effects on either survivorship or longevity, we observed a significant decrease in fecundity, indicating that aqueous nickel could have a negative impact on nematode physiology. Intriguingly, C. elegans and P. pacificus exhibit similar, but not identical, responses to nickel exposure. Moreover, P. pacificus could be tested successfully in sediments inhospitable to C. elegans. Our results add to a growing body of literature documenting the impact of nickel on animal physiology, and suggest that environmental toxicological studies could gain an advantage by widening their repertoire of nematode species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Rudel
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Chandler D. Douglas
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ian M. Huffnagle
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - John M. Besser
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Christopher G. Ingersoll
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
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Huguier P, Manier N, Méline C, Bauda P, Pandard P. Improvement of the Caenorhabditis elegans growth and reproduction test to assess the ecotoxicity of soils and complex matrices. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013; 32:2100-2108. [PMID: 23703843 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2012] [Revised: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A growth and reproduction test using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was recently standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Performing the ISO 10872 protocol (2010) revealed some drawbacks when applied to soil or soil mixed with complex matrices. The authors propose some modifications to the current protocol to normalize the test conditions. An appropriate range of moisture conditions was determined as a percentage of the water-holding capacity (WHC) of the soil. According to the authors' results, C. elegans tests can be performed in the range of 60% to 100% WHC. To ensure that the modifications of the protocol did not affect the organisms' recovery, extraction ratios for the juveniles were subsequently estimated. The modified protocol was found to be as reliable as the standard one concerning recovery of juveniles (over 80%). The protocol was also applied to several chemicals to investigate their potential as reference chemicals for soil toxicity tests. Boric acid, copper chloride, and nickel sulfate showed deleterious effects in a concentration-dependent manner for the growth and reproduction of C. elegans. Finally, the modified protocol was used to assess the growth and reproduction of C. elegans in soil amended with a limed sewage sludge. The authors conclude that the C. elegans modified protocol is a promising tool for the assessment of soil toxicity as well as the toxicity of mixtures with complex matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Huguier
- National Institute of Industrial Environment and Risks, Verneuil-en-Halatte, France.
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Chapman EEV, Dave G, Murimboh JD. A review of metal (Pb and Zn) sensitive and pH tolerant bioassay organisms for risk screening of metal-contaminated acidic soils. Environ Pollut 2013; 179:326-342. [PMID: 23688951 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2012] [Revised: 02/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
To improve risk estimates at the screening stage of Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA), short duration bioassays tailored to undisturbed soil cores from the contaminated site could be useful. However, existing standardized bioassays use disturbed soil samples and often pH sensitive organisms. This is a problem as naturally acidic soils are widespread. Changing soil properties to suit the test organism may change metal bioavailability, leading to erroneous risk estimates. For bioassays in undisturbed soil cores to be effective, species able to withstand natural soil properties must be identified. This review presents a critical examination of bioassay species' tolerance of acidic soils and sensitivity to metal contaminants such as Pb and Zn. Promising organisms include; Dendrobaena octaedra, Folsomia candida, Caenorhabditis elegans, Oppia nitens, Brassica rapa, Trifolium pratense, Allium cepa, Quercus rubra and Acer rubrum. The MetSTICK test and the Bait lamina test were also identified as suitable microorganism tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Emily V Chapman
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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