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Toxicological effects of microcystin-LR on earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in soil

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Abstract

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a cyclic heptapeptide toxin produced by cyanobacteria in eutrophic water. It can be transferred into soil–crop systems via irrigation and cyanobacterial paste fertilization. No studies have examined the potential toxicity of MC-LR to soil animals. Therefore, in the present study, the toxicological effects of MC-LR on earthworm (Eisenia fetida), including survival, growth, reproduction, oxidative stress, and cell viability, were investigated. The LC50 of MC-LR was 0.149 μg cm−2 at 72 h based on a filter paper test and 0.460 mg kg−1 at 14 days based on an acute soil test. MC-LR seriously affected the reproduction of earthworms. Based on hatchability, the EC50 of MC-LR was 0.268 mg kg−1, similar to environmentally relevant concentrations of microcystins. The changes in activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, together with the levels of glutathione and malondialdehyde, indicated that oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation played significant roles in MC-LR toxicity. In addition, the toxicity of MC-LR in earthworms increased despite degradation of MC-LR in soil over time, possibly due to the formation of toxic metabolites of MC-LR or the bioaccumulation of MC-LR in earthworms. A reduction in the neutral red retention time along with an increase in coelomocyte apoptosis with increasing MC-LR concentrations indicated a severe damage to viability. These results suggest that environmentally relevant MC-LR concentrations in agricultural soil may cause reproductive, biochemical, and cellular toxicity to Eisenia fetida. This information can be used in ecological risk assessments on MC-LR in soil.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the NSFC-Guangdong Joint Fund (U1501233), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41301337, 41573093), the Research Team Project of the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2016A030312009), the Project on the Integration of Industry, Education and Research of Guangdong Province (2015B090903070 and 2013B090600143), the Program of the Guangdong Science and Technology Department (2016B020242005, 2015B020235008), Science and Technology Project of Guangzhou (201704020074), 2017 Science and Technology Project of Guangzhou Water Resources Bureau. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

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  1. Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Environment Pollution Control and Remediation Materials, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Hong-Fei Wen, Yan-Wen Li, Lei Xiang, Hai-Ming Zhao, Lei Chen, Quan-Ying Cai, Hui Li, Ce-Hui Mo, Dong-Mei Zhou & Ming-Hung Wong

  2. Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Dong-Mei Zhou

  3. Consortium on Health, Environment, Education and Research (CHEER), Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China

    Ming-Hung Wong

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  1. Hong-Fei Wen
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Wen, HF., Li, YW., Xiang, L. et al. Toxicological effects of microcystin-LR on earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in soil. Biol Fertil Soils 53, 849–860 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-017-1225-x

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