Abstract
Nitrite, as a part of nitrogen cycle, is one of the most common toxic compounds in aquatic ecosystems. Since skeletal development is an essential process during amphibian metamorphosis, exposure of larval amphibians to nitrite might disrupt skeletal development. To evaluate whether nitrite affects skeletal development of amphibian larvae, Bufo gargarizans larvae at Gs26 were exposed to 10, 100, 500 and 1000 μg/L nitrite–nitrogen (NO2-N) in the present study. The metamorphosis rate, body weight, body length, forelimb length and hindlimb length of B. gargarizans exposed to NO2-N were decreased. The microscopic structures of thyroid gland were altered under NO2-N exposure at Gs42. The skeletal lengths of the humerus, femur and fibulare of tadpole at Gs42 were significantly reduced under 100, 500 and 1000 μg/L NO2-N treatment groups, and the lengths of humerus, tibia-fibula and tibiale of tadpole at Gs46 were significantly reduced under 1000 μg/L NO2-N treatment groups. In addition, the expression levels of thyroid hormone (TH) and endochondral ossification-related genes of tadpoles at Gs42 and Gs46 were tested by qRT-PCR. Overall, NO2-N exposure could affect the expressions of these genes and then may influence the activity and function of thyroid gland, further disturbing the amphibian metamorphosis and skeletal development of amphibian larvae.
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We would like to thank the reviewers for all comments and suggestions. We are also indebted to Angela Dong and Professor Zhongmin Dong for language help.
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This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant numbers [42077370]) and Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province, China (Grant numbers [2020JM232]).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Hongyuan Wang, Lihong Chai and Yutian Liu. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Hemei Wang and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Wang, H., Liu, Y., Chai, L. et al. Effects of nitrite exposure on metamorphosis and skeletal development of Bufo gargarizans. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 51847–51859 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19468-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19468-5