Comparison of toxicokinetics and toxic effects of PFOS and its novel alternative OBS in zebrafish larvae.

Sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzene sulfonate (OBS), a novel alternative to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), is widely used in industry as a surfactant, firefighting foam and photographic material. The occurrence of OBS in the aquatic environment has been recently reported, but little information is available on its accumulation and toxic effects in aquatic organisms. In this study, zebrafish larvae (3 d post-fertilization) were subjected to OBS (10, 100 µg/L) and PFOS (10 µg/L) for a period of 48 h, followed by a 24 h of depuration period. The bioconcentration and depuration kinetics, oxidative stress and possible molecular mechanisms of OBS and PFOS were investigated in zebrafish larvae. Our results showed that the uptake and depuration of both OBS and PFOS fitted well with a first-order kinetic model. The uptake rate constant of OBS was similar to that of PFOS, but the depuration rate constant was much higher than PFOS with a half-life of 69.7-85 h for OBS and 222.2 h for PFOS. The calculated BCFs of OBS and PFOS were 238.0-242.5 and 644.2, respectively. In our acute toxicity assay, the enhanced expression of Nrf2 protein accompanied by the upregulation of CAT and SOD protein expressions indicated OBS and PFOS induced oxidative stress in zebrafish larvae, and the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway was involved in this process. Collectively, OBS has a lower bioconcentration potential than PFOS, but its toxic effect on oxidative stress was comparable to PFOS in zebrafish larvae.

Performance of different macrophytes in the decontamination of and electricity generation from swine wastewater via an integrated constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell process.

Plants constitute a major element of constructed wetlands (CWs). In this study, a coupled system comprising an integrated vertical flow CW (IVCW) and a microbial fuel cell (MFC) for swine wastewater treatment was developed to research the effects of macrophytes commonly employed in CWs, Canna indica, Acorus calamus, and Ipomoea aquatica, on decontamination and electricity production in the system. Because of the different root types and amounts of oxygen released by the roots, the rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) removal from the swine wastewater differed as well. In the unplanted, Canna indica, Acorus calamus, and Ipomoea aquatica systems, the COD removal rates were 80.20%, 88.07%, 84.70%, and 82.20%, respectively, and the NH4+-N removal rates were 49.96%, 75.02%, 70.25%, and 68.47%, respectively. The decontamination capability of the Canna indica system was better than those of the other systems. The average output voltages were 520±42, 715±20, 660±27, and 752±26mV for the unplanted, Canna indica, Acorus calamus, and Ipomoea aquatica systems, respectively, and the maximum power densities were 0.2230, 0.4136, 0.3614, and 0.4964W/m3, respectively. Ipomoea aquatica had the largest effect on bioelectricity generation promotion. In addition, electrochemically active bacteria, Geobacter and Desulfuromonas, were detected in the anodic biofilm by high-throughput sequencing analysis, and Comamonas (Proteobacteria), which is widely found in MFCs, was also detected in the anodic biofilm. These results confirmed the important role of plants in IVCW-MFCs.

Tetracycline antibiotics as PI3K inhibitors in the Nrf2-mediated regulation of antioxidative stress in zebrafish larvae.

Scientific concern about veterinary antibiotics (VAs) residues in the aquatic environment has increased in recent years. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanism of antioxidative stress caused by VAs in fish. In this study, zebrafish larvae were exposed to two representatives of VAs, chlortetracycline (CTC) and oxytetracycline (OTC), for 48 h. The oxidative stress responses and possible molecular mechanism of action were investigated. The results showed that the activities of CAT, SOD and GPx were significantly inhibited and the contents of GSH and MDA increased after CTC exposure. Moreover, SOD and CAT activity were parallel to their mRNA and protein levels. Under OTC exposure, CAT and GST activity were inhibited, while GPx activity was induced, and MDA content decreased significantly. After treatment with CTC and OTC, glucose levels and Nrf2 mRNA and protein levels in zebrafish larvae were significantly downregulated. Further molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that CTC and OTC are capable of docking into the binding pocket of zebrafish PI3K, an important molecule in the activation of Nrf2, and can form stable interactions through hydrogen bonds. The overall results indicated that CTC and OTC significantly induced oxidative stress responses in zebrafish larvae, and both CTC and OTC act as inhibitors of PI3K to inhibit the activation of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, thus reducing the antioxidant capacity of fish.

Assessing bioaccessibility of Se and I in dual biofortified radish seedlings using simulated in vitro digestion.

Selenium (Se) and iodine (I) are essential elements for humans, and biofortification of vegetables with these elements is an effective way to amend their deficiencies in the diet. In this study, the distribution and transformation of Se and I species were investigated in radish seedlings that were simultaneously supplemented with these two elements; the fate and the bioaccessibility of Se and I species were dynamically surveyed in the oral, gastric and intestinal phases using a simulated in vitro digestion method. The radish seedlings were cultivated in hydroponic conditions with Se (IV), Se (VI), I- and IO3- (each 1 mg L-1). The results revealed that Se-methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys), selenocystine (SeCys2), selenomethionine (SeMet) and Se (VI) were present in radish, and MeSeCys was the dominant species in both gastric and intestinal extracts, comprising 32.7 ±â€¯1.5% and 39.6 ±â€¯1.1% of the total content, respectively. I- was also the dominant species, which accounted for 57.1 ±â€¯2.1%, 46.6 ±â€¯1.5% and 68.8 ±â€¯1.8% of the total digested content respectively in the oral, gastric and intestinal extracts. Meanwhile, IO3- was absent and organic I accounted for approximately 20%. The bioaccessibility of Se and I in the intestinal phase reached 95.5 ±â€¯2.5% and 85.8 ±â€¯0.9%, respectively; although after dialysis through membranes, the data reduced to 60.1 ±â€¯2.8% and 39.6 ±â€¯0.8%, respectively. Contents of MeSeCys and I- increased from the oral to intestinal phase and the bioaccessibility of both Se and I in radish was above 85%. So radish is suitable as a potential dietary source of Se and I with biofortification.

Organic matter and ammonia removal by a novel integrated process of constructed wetland and microbial fuel cells.

A novel approach, combining a microbial fuel cell (MFC) with an integrated vertical flow constructed wetland (IVCW), was developed, and its ability to simultaneously produce electrical energy while treating swine wastewater was verified. The system combined the singular water flow path of a traditional vertical flow constructed wetland (upflow and downflow)-microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC), which demonstrates better characteristics in the aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic regions. It not only enhanced the anti-pollution load ability and the organic compound removal effect, but also improved the gradient difference in the redox potential of the system. The results showed that the structure and substrate distribution in the device could both improve swine wastewater treatment and increase bioelectricity generation capabilities. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4 +-N) removal efficiencies were as high as 79.65% and 77.5%, respectively. Long-term and stable bioelectricity generation was achieved under continuous flow conditions. The peak values of the output voltage and power density were 713 mV and 456 mW m-3. The activated carbon layer at the bottom of this system provided a larger surface for the growth of microbes. It showed significant promotion of the relative abundance of electrochemically active bacteria, which might result in the increase of bioelectricity generation in integrated vertical flow constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells (IVCW-MFCs). The electrochemically active bacteria, Geobacter and Desulfuromonas, were detected in the anodic biofilm by high-throughput sequencing analysis.

Multiple approaches to assess the effects of F-53B, a Chinese PFOS alternative, on thyroid endocrine disruption at environmentally relevant concentrations.

A Chinese perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) substitute frequently detected in the environment, 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (F-53B), has a similar structure to PFOS and it is proposed to cause thyroid dysfunction. To further confirm this hypothesis, the effects of F-53B on the thyroid endocrine system and underlying mechanisms were investigated in vitro and in vivo using rat pituitary GH3 cells and developing zebrafish, respectively. In GH3 cells, F-53B enhanced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, indicative of thyroid receptor agonistic activity. In zebrafish larvae, F-53B exposure induced significant developmental inhibition and increased thyroxine (T4) but not 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) levels accompanied by a decrease in thyroglobulin (TG) protein and transcript levels of most genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Interestingly, T4 levels remained significantly increased while TG protein and gene transcription levels were markedly upregulated after depuration. Molecular docking studies revealed that F-53B binds to transthyretin (TTR) by forming hydrogen bonds with Lys123 and Lys115, thereby interfering with thyroid hormone homeostasis. Our collective in vitro, in vivo and in silico studies provide novel evidence that F-53B disrupts the thyroid endocrine system at environmentally relevant concentrations, which cannot be recovered after depuration. Given the persistence of F-53B in the environment, the long-term consequences of thyroid hormone disruption by this chemical warrant further investigation.

Photosynthetic responses and accumulation of mesotrione in two freshwater algae.

Mesotrione is a herbicide used for killing annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds in maize. A recent investigation has shown that mesotrione has been detected as an organic contaminant in aquatic environments and may have a negative impact on aquatic organisms. To evaluate the eco-toxicity of mesotrione to algae, experiments focusing on photosynthetic responses and mesotrione accumulation in Microcystis sp. and Scenedesmus quadricauda were carried out. Both algae treated with mesotrione at 0.05-10 mg L(-1) for 7 days reduced the photosynthetic capacity. The fluorescence of chlorophyll a, the maximal PSII activity (Fv/Fm), and the parameters (Ik, α and ETRmax) of rapid light curves (RLCs) in both algae were decreased under mesotrione exposure. The 96 h EC50 values for mesotrione on S. quadricauda and Microcystis sp. were 4.41 and 6.19 mg L(-1), respectively. The latter shows more tolerance to mesotrione. Mesotrione was shown to be readily accumulated by both species. Such uptake of mesotrione led to the rapid removal of mesotrione from the medium. Overall, this study represents the initial comprehensive analyses of Microcystis sp. and S. quadricauda in adaptation to the mesotrione contaminated aquatic ecosystems.

Diversity and composition of the bacterial community of Poyang Lake (China) as determined by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.

Poyang Lake is the largest fresh water lake in China. In this study, the objective was to examine the diversity of bacterial community in this environment. The phylogenetic composition of bacterioplankton communities from two sites and two dates (northern and southern sub-basins in October 2006 and in May 2007, respectively) in the water column of Poyang Lake were investigated by partially sequencing cloned 16SrRNA genes. Moreover, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was applied in the 16SrRNA gene clones. In total, four clone libraries were constructed and 347 clones were screened by RFLP, yielding 153 operational taxonomic units, which mainly belonged to the proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Planctomycetes. Our results showed that Beta-proteobacteria was the most significant lineage, with dominant numbers of operational taxonomic units in the northern October 2006, southern October 2006 and May 2007 libraries. The highest bacterial diversity occurred in the library from the southern sub-basin in May 2007 and the lowest in the library from the northern sub-basin in May 2007. Horizontal and temporal differences associated with the concentration of total phosphorus, water temperature and pH suggested that the trophic state and the physicochemical properties of lake play key roles in sustaining bacterial community composition structure.

Biodegradation of oil wastewater by free and immobilized Yarrowia lipolytica W29.

The ability of Yarrowia lipolytica W29 immobilized by calcium alginate to degrade oil and chemical oxygen demand (COD) was examined. The degradation rules of oil and COD by immobilized cells with the cell density of 6.65 x 106 CFU/mL degraded 2000 mg/L oil and 2000 mg/L COD within 50 h at 30 degrees C (pH 7.0, 150 r/min), similarly to those of free cells, and the degradation efficiencies of oil and COD by immobilized cells were above 80%, respectively. The factors affecting oil and COD degradation by immobilized cells were investigated, the results showed that immobilized cells had high thermostability compared to that of free cells, and substrate concentration significantly affected degrading ability of immobilized cells. Storage stability and reusability tests revealed that the oil degradation ability of immobilized cells was stable after storing at 4 degrees C for 30 d and reuse for 12 times, respectively, the COD degradation rate of immobilized cells was also maintained 82% at the sixth cycle. These results suggested that immobilized Y. lipolytica might be applicable to a wastewater treatment system for the removal of oil and COD.

[Study on the determination of trace composition and impurity elements in kaolin with ICP-MS].

The direct determination method of trace composition, Fe2O3, TiO2, MnO, K2O, Na2O, CaO and MgO, and impurity elements, Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu and As, in kaolin was studied by using inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). After the samples were dissolved completely in HF-HNO3 at low temperature, silicon was volatilized in the form of SiF4 and separated from the solution. Then the solution was continually evaporated to dry to get the solid substance which was dissolved by the nitric acid (1+3). The internal elements 45Sc, 115In and 205Tl were added on line and the effect of matrix, interface and fluctuation of instrument was overcome effectively by using internal standard calibration method. By choosing the optional operating parameters and appropriate isotopes of element to be detected, the influence of mass spectrometry interference was conquered effectively. The effect of temperature in samples preparation on the determination of arsenic was tested. The recovery for spiking sample is in the range from 95.0% to 101.0% and the relative standard deviation is in the range from 1.1% to 2.01%. In order to check the accuracy of the method, the kaolin standard reference material GBW03122 was also analyzed, and the analytical values conformed to standard values. This method has the characteristics of being simple, rapid and accurate, and can be used in the testing of trace composition and impurity elements in kaolin and ceramic product.