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Trans-generational effects are increasingly used to indicate long-term influences of environmental pollutants. However, such studies can be complex and yield inconclusive results. In this study, the trans-generational effects of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on Caenorhabditis elegans on lifespan, reproduction and population growth were tested for 7 consecutive generations, which included gestating generation (F0), embryo-exposed generation (F1), germline-exposed generation (F2), the first non-exposed generation (F3) and the three following generations (F4–F6). Results showed that lifespan was significantly affected by embryo exposure (F1) at 400 µm SMX with a value as low as 47% of the control. The reproduction (a total brood size as 49% of the control) and population growth (81% of the control) were significantly affected in germline exposure (F2). Lifespan and reproduction were severely inhibited in non-exposed generations, confirming the real trans-generational effects. Notably, initial reproduction and reproduction duration showed opposite generation-related changes, indicating their interplay in the overall brood size. The population growth rate was well correlated with median lethal time, brood size and initial reproduction, which indicated that the population would increase when the nematodes lived longer and reproduced more offspring within shorter duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbamazepine (CBZ) in the aquatic environment is recognized as a potential threat to aquatic organisms and public health. However, the response of organism intestinal health, resistome, microbiota, and their relationship after CBZ exposure has been rarely reported. This study aimed to explore the impacts of CBZ on gut microbiota, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the expression of intestinal health related genes as well as their interaction using the zebrafish model. 16 S ribosomal RNA sequencing indicated CBZ altered the composition of gut microbiota. Using high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (HT-qPCR), we found the number and abundance of ARGs were impacted by CBZ levels and exposure duration. We also observed the upregulated expression of the pro-inflammatory gene IL6 and downregulated expression of toll-like receptor gene TLR2 and intestinal barrier gene TJP2a at different exposure times. Correlation analyses revealed that Geobacillus , Rhodococcus , Ralstonia , Delftia , Luteolibacter and Escherichia-Shigella might be the main bacterial genera carrying ARGs. Meanwhile, Cetobacterium and Aeromonas could be the dominant bacteria affecting intestinal health related genes. Our results could contribute to understanding the health risks of CBZ to the intestinal microecology of aquatic animals. [Display omitted] • Carbamazepine (CBZ) induced intestinal microflora dysbiosis of zebrafish. • CBZ altered the number and abundance of ARGs of zebrafish. • CBZ upregulated the expression of IL6 gene and downregulated the expression of TLR2 and TJP2a genes in zebrafish gut. • Specific intestinal bacteria were significantly correlated with the alteration of ARGs and intestinal health-related genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential uptake and trophic transfer ability of nanoparticles (NPs) in aquatic organisms have not been well understood yet. There has been an increasing awareness of the subcellular fate of NPs in organisms, but how the subcellular distribution of NPs subsequently affects the trophic transfer to predator remains to be answered. In the present study, the food chain from Scenedesmus obliquus to Daphnia magna was established to simulate the trophic transfer of fullerene aqueous suspension ( n C 60 ). The n C 60 contaminated algae were separated into three fractions: cell wall (CW), cell organelle (CO), and cell membrane (CM) fractions, and we investigated the n C 60 uptake amounts and trophic transfer efficiency to the predator through dietary exposure to algae or algal subcellular fractions. The n C 60 distribution in CW fraction of S. obliquus was the highest, following by CO and CM fractions. n C 60 uptake amounts in D. magna were found to be mainly relative to the NPs’ distribution in CW fraction and daphnia uptake ability from CW fraction, whereas the n C 60 trophic transfer efficiency (TE) were mainly in accordance with the transfer ability of NPs from the CO fraction. CW fed group possessed the highest uptake amount, followed by CO and CM fed groups, but the presence of humic acid (HA) significantly decreased the n C 60 uptake from CW fed group. The CO fed groups acquired high TE values for n C 60 , while CM fed groups had low TE values. Moreover, even though CW fed group had a high TE value; it decreased significantly with the presence of HA. This study contributes to the understanding of fullerene NPs’ dietary exposure to aquatic organisms, suggesting that NPs in different food forms are not necessarily equally trophically available to the predator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As emerging pollutants, antibiotic sulfonamides are continuously emitted into the environment and encounter those already-existing contaminants, e.g., heavy metals, which may cause toxicity interactions in polluted habitats. So far, the sulfonamide mixture effects and the combinational effects between sulfonamides and metals have been seldom studied. In this study, lifespan, lethality (24 and 120 h), locomotion behavior and growth (96 h) of Caenorhabditis elegans were measured after exposure to mixtures containing sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethazine as representatives) and/or metals (cadmium, copper, lead and zinc as representatives) at environmental concentrations. Results showed that sulfonamides did not cause acute (24 h) lethality at chosen concentrations, but they decreased the lifespan in a concentration dependent fashion. Moreover, sulfonamide mixtures caused synergisms at higher concentrations but antagonisms at lower concentrations on the subacute (120 h) lethal effects. The toxicity interactions of sulfonamide mixtures were addition action on body bending frequency, and antagonism on reversal movement and body length. In sulfonamide and metal mixtures, the toxicity interactions were different in acute and subacute lethal results, indicating the influence of the exposure time. According to the comparison among effects of mixtures containing sulfonamides and/or metals, subacute lethality of sulfonamides was enhanced by metals based on the synergistic mixture effects, while their inhibitions on the growth and behavior were weakened by metals based on the antagonistic mixture effects. Our findings highlighted studies on combinational effects between emerging and common contaminants for more accurate environmental risk evaluation, and also urged further mechanism studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enchytraeus bulbosus is listed in the ISO and OECD standard guidelines as a possible test species of enchytraeid. However, in contrast to other listed species, its applicability in ecotoxicological studies as well as its sensitivity is widely unknown. Therefore, copper, pentachlorophenol(PCP), carbendazim, and chloroacetamide have been investigated by performing two-generation studies with multiple endpoints. Comparable toxicity trends to the existing studies were shown for copper and PCP in the two-generation studies of E. bulbosus. Dose-related abnormal swelling of clitella were found for the first time with PCP and chloroacetamide treatments. Sensitivity comparisons of E. bulbosus to other terrestrial test species were also conducted. E. bulbosus showed high sensitivity, it has comparable sensitivity as other sensitive species of genus Enchytraeus (E. albidus or E. luxuriosus)to different chemicals, and was more sensitive than E. crypticus and earthworm species (Eisenia fetida or Eisenia andrei). Combined with the phylogenetic and biological characterization, the results lead to the conclusion that E.bulbosus is a suitable model species in ecotoxicology and the chemical risk assessment (especially in multi-generation) because it has a short generation time, comparatively moderate fecundity, ideal and reasonable sensitivity. • Dose-related abnormal swelling of clitella were found upon the exposure to PCP and chloroacetamide. • Ideal sensitivity of E. bulbosus has been proved by sensitivity comparsion to other test species. • E. bulbosus is suitable used as a model species in ecotoxicology and chemical risk assesment studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Heavy metals are ubiquitous environmental pollutants, and their toxic effects have been widely studied. However, their transgenerational effects between parent and progeny at environmental relevant concentrations need further investigations. Currently, L3 stage of Caenorhabditis elegans was exposed to aqueous metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) at environmentally realistic concentrations for 96h. The whole exposure time covered the formation of sperm, ovum and eggs. Subsequently the behavior and growth indicators were measured. The parent nematodes were then bleached to gain synchronized eggs, which were cultured under non-toxic conditions to L3 stage when the same indicators were measured in the progeny. The parent suffered concentration-dependent inhibitions on behavior and growth. Based on the median effective concentration (EC50) values, body bending frequency showed relatively higher sensitivity than other behavior indicators. The inhibitions on growth and behavior of progeny were more severe than those of the parent, based on their respective EC50 values. Interestingly, Cd was not the most toxic metal in either parent or progeny according to EC50 values, but its EC50 ratios between parent and progeny (EC50, parent/EC50, progeny) were the most significant, indicating its greatest transgenerational effects. The results demonstrated the higher sensitivity of L3 larva stage of C. elegans in the transgenerational effect studies than other life stages used before. Our findings suggested that parental exposure to heavy metals can multiply their harmful effects in following generations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The rapid increase in nanotechnology has led to growing concerns on environmental effects and health risks of nanoparticles (NPs). Many studies investigated the adsorption of toxic pollutants on NPs; however, the interaction between heavy metals and natural organic matter (NOM) coated metal oxide NPs was scarcely studied. In this study, using humic acid (HA) as model NOM, the adsorption of Cd(II) on humic acid coated titanium dioxide (HA–TiO2) NPs was investigated. Solution parameters such as pH and salinity were investigated to exploit the mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that the adsorption isotherms of Cd(II) to both TiO2 and HA–TiO2 complied well with Freundlich model. qe values increased with pH increase, mainly due to electrostatic attraction, whereas qe values increased initially and then decreased at 100mmolL−1 with salinity increase, mainly due to complexation and electrostatic effects. It is noteworthy that an overall trend of higher Cd(II) adsorption was observed on HA–TiO2 compared to that on TiO2, implying that HA coating might modify bioavailability of heavy metals in aquatic environment. The possible adsorption mechanisms in views of electrostatic interactions and covalent effects were interpreted, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results also verified the possible mechanisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Pentachlorophenol (PCP), which was reported to be a typical persistent organic pollutant and environmental endocrine disruptor, may cause threat to aquatic species. In this study, serum testosterone concentration, activity of liver microsome ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and glutathione S-tranferases (GST) of crucian carp (Carassius carassius) exposed to PCP for 7 and 15d, respectively, were examined. The results showed that testosterone concentration was induced remarkably after 7d (P<0.05), and the testosterone concentrations in 15d treatment crucian carp were higher than those in 7d treatment. It was found that there were significant effects on activities of EROD and GST after crucian carp were exposed to PCP for 7 and 15d (P<0.05), compared to the controls. EROD and GST activities increased with increase in PCP concentration and also with increase in time on exposure. The results indicated that serum testosterone, EROD and GST were sensitive endpoints to PCP. PCP may have endocrine disrupting activities and may affect the reproductive success of this species. It is possible that the changes of hepatic microsome enzyme activities may result in alterations of serum testosterone levels in crucian carp. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mesoporous carbon, CMK-3, was prepared using hexagonal SBA-15 mesoporous silica as the template and the adsorption of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) onto CMK-3 was investigated. The adsorption process was well described using pseudo-second-order kinetics. At initial NPE concentrations of 107 and 530 mg l−1, the adsorption rate constants were found to be and , indicating that a higher initial concentration or adsorption amount resulted in a lower adsorption rate. NPE adsorption onto CMK-3 fitted a Langmuir–Freundlich model and the maximum amounts of NPE absorbed at 15, 25, and 35 °C were 923, 720, and 463 mg g−1, suggesting an elevated adsorption capacity of CMK-3 for NPE with decreased adsorption temperature. In addition, increasing adsorption temperature led to the change of the adsorption model from the Langmuir–Freundlich to the Langmuir model. N2 adsorption results showed that the adsorption of NPE led to a decrease in the mesopore volume of CMK-3. However, the pore width of NPE-loaded CMK-3 was found to be identical to that of CMK-3. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Specific ion effects on the aggregation behavior of a reference aquatic natural organic matter (NOM), Suwannee River NOM (SRNOM), were investigated using kinetic, titration, calorimetric, and surface tension methods. Monovalent cations induced structural compacting of SRNOM, but not its aggregation. Their ability to induce structural compacting follows the order: Cs+ > Rb+ > K+ > Na+ > Li+. Divalent cations except Mg2+ can readily induce SRNOM aggregation. Their critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) follow the order: CCC Sr > CCC Ca > CCC Ba. Electrokinetic, titration, and calorimetric data suggest that monovalent cations have weak interactions with SRNOM, while divalent cations strongly interact with SRNOM. Overall, the cation specificity in aggregation is determined by cation-NOM interactions and their ability to modulate surface tension. Specific ion effects of monovalent cations correlate to their hydration free energy, while that of divalent cations correlate to the ratio of the hydration entropy of cation to the enthalpy change of cation-NOM interactions. The cation specificity is consistent with the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory, and the intermolecular interaction energy is dominated by the Lewis acid-base interactions. Our results suggest that specific cations should be targeted to predict or manipulate intermolecular interactions of aquatic NOM in natural and engineered settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction was prepared with a loosened multilayered structure. • The heterojunction exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation towards sulfonamides. • Sulfonamides spiked in actual surface water could be efficiently removed. • The mechanism of amorphous Fe 2 O 3 -mediated Z-scheme photocatalysis was proposed. • Degradation pathways were elucidated based on byproducts identified by QToF-MS. Abstract ZnO grafted amorphous Fe 2 O 3 matrix (ZnO/Fe 2 O 3) was coupled with g-C 3 N 4 to synthesize heterojunction photocatalysts with a loosened multilayered structure. The ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation of sulfamethazine under visible-light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), with an optimum photocatalytic degradation rate approximately 3.0, 2.4 times that of pure g-C 3 N 4 and binary ZnO/g-C 3 N 4. Moreover, the target sulfonamides spiked in actual surface water samples could be efficiently photodegraded by ZnO/Fe 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 after 8 h of irradiation, demonstrating its practical potential. An amorphous Fe 2 O 3 -mediated Z-scheme mechanism was proposed for the charge transfer at the heterojunction surface, which involved a Fe(III)/Fe(II) oxidation-reduction center that favored the retarded charge recombination and improved photocatalytic activity. Such a mechanism was well supported by the direct detection of surface generated O 2 − and OH reactive species. Finally, detailed transformation pathways were proposed based on the photodegradation products identified by QToF-MS analyses. This work provides an illustrative strategy for developing efficient Z-scheme photocatalysts for water purification, by taking advantage of amorphous Fe-based oxides in the semiconductor lattice matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a prevalent pollutant in the environment and has been demonstrated to be a serious toxicant to humans and animals. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanism underlying its toxic effects on vertebrate early development. To explore the impacts and underlying mechanisms of PCP on early development, zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to PCP at concentrations of 0, 20 and 50μg/L, and microscopic observation and cDNA microarray analysis were subsequently conducted at gastrulation stage. The morphological observations revealed that PCP caused a developmental delay of zebrafish embryos in a concentration-dependent manner. Transcriptomic data showed that 50μg/L PCP treatment resulted in significant changes in gene expression level, and the genes involved in energy metabolism and cell behavior were identified based on gene functional enrichment analysis. The energy production of embryos was influenced by PCP via the activation of glycolysis along with the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The results suggested that PCP acts as an inhibitor of OXPHOS at 8hpf (hours postfertilization). Consistent with the activated glycolysis, the cell cycle activity of PCP-treated embryos was higher than the controls. These characteristics are similar to the Warburg effect, which occurs in human tumors. The microinjection of exogenous ATP confirmed that an additional energy supply could rescue PCP-treated embryos from the developmental delay due to the energy deficit. Taken together, our results demonstrated that PCP causes a Warburg-like effect on zebrafish embryos during gastrulation, and the affected embryos had the phenotype of developmental delay. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Intracellular chemical reaction of chemical mixtures is one of the main reasons that cause synergistic or antagonistic effects. However, it still remains unclear what the influencing factors on the intracellular chemical reaction are, and how they influence on the toxicological mechanism of chemical mixtures. To reveal this underlying toxicological mechanism of chemical mixtures, a case study on mixture toxicity of cyanogenic toxicants and aldehydes to Photobacterium phosphoreum was employed, and both their joint effects and mixture toxicity were observed. Then series of two-step linear regressions were performed to describe the relationships between joint effects, the expected additive toxicities and descriptors of individual chemicals (including concentrations, binding affinity to receptors, octanol/water partition coefficients). Based on the quantitative relationships, the underlying joint toxicological mechanisms were revealed. The result shows that, for mixtures with their joint effects resulting from intracellular chemical reaction, their underlying toxicological mechanism depends on not only their interaction with target proteins, but also their transmembrane actions and their concentrations. In addition, two generic points of toxicological mechanism were proposed including the influencing factors on intracellular chemical reaction and the difference of the toxicological mechanism between single reactive chemicals and their mixtures. This study provided an insight into the understanding of the underlying toxicological mechanism for chemical mixtures with intracellular chemical reaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]