Chronic toxicity effects of sediment-associated polystyrene nanoplastics alone and in combination with cadmium on a keystone benthic species Bellamya aeruginosa.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging pollutants that may adversely affect aquatic fauna. However, the adverse effects of NPs and heavy metals, both alone and combined on freshwater benthic fauna remain largely unclear. Here, we performed a 28-day sediment toxicity test with Bellamya aeruginosa to examine the effects of exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) and co-exposure to PSNPs and Cd. Cd bioavailability, the bioaccumulation of PSNPs and Cd, and changes in multiple biomarkers were determined. The results revealed that PSNPs significantly increased Cd bioavailability and thereby facilitated Cd bioaccumulation; however, PSNPs displayed a negligible vector role in Cd uptake by B. aeruginosa. The results demonstrated that PSNPs can accumulate in B. aeruginosa and induce oxidative damage and DNA damage. Co-exposure to PSNPs and Cd significantly enhanced oxidative damage and DNA damage and reduced metallothionein levels. The integrated biomarker response index analysis showed that co-exposure to PSNPs and Cd considerably increased toxic stress in B. aeruginosa compared to single PSNPs or Cd exposure, suggesting that PSNPs may have a synergistic effect with Cd. Collectively, our findings highlight that PSNPs not only cause toxicity to B. aeruginosa but also significantly enhance the toxicity of Cd by increasing Cd bioavailability in the sediment.

Evaluating the potential of KOH-modified composite biochar amendment to alleviate the ecotoxicity of perfluorooctanoic acid-contaminated sediment on Bellamya aeruginosa.

Modified composite biochar offers a cost-effective solution for the remediation of contaminated sediments; however, few studies have evaluated the effects of modified composite biochar amendment on the ecotoxicity of contaminated sediment based on benthic macroinvertebrates. A 21-day sediment toxicity test was conducted using the freshwater snail Bellamya aeruginosa to examine the intrinsic ecotoxicity of a novel KOH-modified composite biochar (KOH-CBC) and its efficacy for reducing the bioavailability, uptake, and ecotoxicity of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). It was found that KOH-CBC is toxic to B. aeruginosa, which may be attributed to its high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content and alkalinity. The addition of KOH-CBC to PFOA-contaminated sediments can markedly reduce the bioavailability and uptake of PFOA by more than 90% and 50%, respectively, and subsequently alleviate the toxicity of PFOA to B. aeruginosa by at least 30%. Increasing the KOH-CBC dosage is not beneficial for further mitigating the toxicity of PFOA-contaminated sediments. Our findings imply that KOH-CBC is a promising sorbent for the in-situ remediation of PFOA-contaminated sediments. Application of acidified KOH-CBC at a dosage of approximately 1-3% will be sufficient to control the ecotoxicity of PFOA; however, its long-term environmental effects should be further validated.

Effects of sediment-associated CuO nanoparticles on Cu bioaccumulation and oxidative stress responses in freshwater snail Bellamya aeruginosa.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) may pose high ecological risks to aquatic ecosystems. While sediments are the final destinations for CuO-NPs, little is known about the potential ecotoxicity of sediment-associated CuO-NPs on freshwater deposit-feeding macroinvertebrates. The gastropod Bellamya aeruginosa was chosen as an ecotoxicological test species. Adult snails were exposed to Cu (180µg/g dry weight (DW)) added to sediments in the form of CuO-NPs, CuO microparticles (CuO-MPs, size control), and CuSO4 (solubility control) for 7, 14, and 28days, Cu burdens in different tissues and biomarkers of oxidative stress were determined to understand Cu accumulation differences among tissues, potential mechanisms of Cu uptake, time-effect relationships, particle size effects, and the relative contribution of toxicity from CuO-NPs and its soluble Cu ions. There was no difference in Cu ion concentrations in porewaters between the CuO-NPs and CuO-MPs treatments. In addition, relatively low Cu ion concentrations in porewater might indicate their remarkably low solubility. The hepatopancreas and gonad of B. aeruginosa are the primary target tissues for Cu accumulation. Cu accumulation in the hepatopancreas and gonad from CuSO4 treatments was consistently higher than that from the CuO-NPs and CuO-MPs treatments. After long-term exposure, Cu accumulation was higher from CuO-NPs than from CuO-MPs, especially, the Cu accumulation rate from CuO-NPs was greater than that from CuSO4. Short-term exposure to the three Cu forms caused oxidative stress to the hepatopancreas. CuO-MPs did not cause oxidative damage. Long-term exposure to CuO-NPs and CuSO4 resulted in oxidative damage. Overall, prolonged exposure to CuO-NPs will increase the ecotoxicity risk to B. aeruginosa. Although there was no difference in Cu accumulation between the CuO-NPs and CuO-MPs treatments after 14days of exposure, pronounced oxidative damage was caused by exposure to CuO-NPs but not to CuO-MPs, implying that toxicity of CuO-NPs could be attributed to specific nanoparticulate effects.

Impacts of Sediment Organic Matter Content and pH on Ecotoxicity of Coexposure of TiO2 Nanoparticles and Cadmium to Freshwater Snails Bellamya aeruginosa.

The environmental factors are expected to affect the ecotoxicity of heavy metals in the presence of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in aquatic ecosystems. However, in sediment scenario, little is known regarding their impacts on the ecotoxicity of co-exposure of sediment-associated heavy metals and NPs. This study evaluated the impacts of different levels of organic matter (OM) (4.8-11.6%) and pH (6-9) on the ecotoxicological effects of co-exposure of sediment-associated titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) and cadmium (Cd) to a freshwater gastropod Bellamya aeruginosa. The burdens of Ti and Cd and biomarkers of DNA damage, Na+/K+-ATPase, lipid peroxidation (LPO), and protein carbonylation (PC) in the hepatopancreas were determined following 21 days of exposure. At background level of OM (4.8%) in sediments, TiO2-NPs significantly promoted Cd accumulation in low-Cd treatments (5 mg/kg) but did not promote Cd accumulation in high-Cd treatments (25 mg/kg). At the relatively higher OM levels (7.1 and 11.6%), TiO2-NPs significantly enhanced Cd accumulation and toxicity as evidenced by aggravated DNA damage, decreased Na+/K+-ATPase activities, and increased LPO and PC levels. Moreover, Cd burdens in both low-Cd and high-Cd treatment were positively correlated with corresponding Ti burdens, indicating TiO2-NPs partially acted as carrier of Cd. At all pH levels, in low-Cd treatments, TiO2-NPs did not affect Cd accumulation, LPO, and PC levels but significantly enhanced DNA damage and slightly facilitated the inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase activities. In high-Cd treatments, only at pH 9, TiO2-NPs significantly enhanced Cd accumulation and toxicity. Our results implied that interaction between TiO2-NPs and OM or pH significantly affected the accumulation and toxicity of Cd in B. aeruginosa, but the underlying mechanisms need further investigation. Additionally, it should be noted that the potential ecological risk of co-exposure of NPs and coexisting pollutants might be closely species-specific and related to environmental media.

Laboratory culture of the freshwater benthic gastropod Bellamya aeruginosa (Reeve) and its utility as a test species for sediment toxicity.

This study aimed to develop original laboratory culture and sediment toxicity testing protocols for the freshwater gastropod Bellamya aeruginosa (Reeve), a new potential species for sediment toxicity testing. B. aeruginosa was successfully cultured with an effective culture system under proposed laboratory conditions. Optimal ad libitum feeding levels for larvae, juveniles, and adults were 2.0, 6.0, and 16.0 mg fish food/(snail x day), respectively. Mean survival rates of juveniles were higher than 90%. The snails could be sexed at 9 weeks of age, and their generation time is approximately 4 months. Reproduction continued all year around; the mean fecundity was 0.55 newborn/(female x day). The utility of this species for bioassays was evaluated in both 10-day and 28-day case studies with artificial sediments. The 10-day LC50 of Cu for larvae was 480 gg/g dry weight (dw), and the lowest observed effects concentration of Cu for survival and growth of larvae was 195 microg/g dw. Survival and growth are reliable indicators of acute toxicity. Larvae accumulated more Cu than adults. B. aeruginosa exhibited a higher sensitivity to Cu exposure than standard test species (Hyalella azteca and Chironomus tentans). The 28-day test of sediment toxicity with adults showed that fecundity was a robust endpoint indicator of reproductive toxicity, and the biochemical endpoints of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione could be used as sensitive biomarkers for Cu-induced oxidative damage. B. aeruginosa can be therefore recommended as a candidate for the standardization of the freshwater sediment toxicity test protocol.

[Leaf cell damage and changes in photosynthetic pigment contents of three moss species under cadmium stress].

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the leaf cell damage and the changes in photosynthetic pigment contents of three moss species under Cd stress, aimed to reveal the Cd sensibility and tolerance of the species. Even though the Cd stress was relatively low (1 mg Cd x L(-1)), the leaf cells of Dolichomitriopsis diversiformis and Plagiomnium acutum were damaged. With the increasing level of Cd stress, the leaf cell damage of the three moss species aggravated significantly, and the resulted damage under high level (100 mg x L(-1)) Cd stress was in the order Brachythecium procumbens > P. acutum > D. diversiformis. Relatively low (1 mg x L(-1)) Cd stress had no significant effects on the total chlorophyll content of the three species. However, with the increase of Cd stress (> or = 10 mg x L(-1)), the total chlorophyll content decreased significantly, with the order of B. procumbens > P. acutum > D. diversiformis. The Cd stress at 1 and 10 mg x L(-1) had no significant effects on the chlorophyll a/b, but the Cd stress at 100 mg x L(-1) led to a significant decrease of chlorophyll a/b in P. acutum and B. procumbens. The maximal decline of carotenoid content in B. procumbens was observed at 1 mg x L(-1) of Cd. The three moss species could significantly enrich Cd, and the Cd enrichment was D. diversiformis > P. acutum > B. procumbens. The leaf cell damage rate and the changes of chlorophyll and carotenoid contents could be used to indicate the differences in the sensitivity of D. diversiformis, P. acutum, and B. procumbens to Cd stress. D. diversiformis had the strongest tolerance to Cd stress, while P. acutum and B. procumbens had weaker tolerance. The tolerance of the three moss species to Cd stress was positively correlated to the capability of their Cd enrichment.

Comparative sensitivity in Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) and Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed to ethinylestradiol.

Morphological and biochemical indices, including hepatosomatic index, gonadosomatic index, and vitellogenin (VTG) induction, were compared between two teleostean species to determine their relative sensitivity of exposure to 17-alpha -ethinylestradiol (EE2). Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were exposed to aqueous concentrations of EE2 ranging from 0.2 to 100 ng/L for 21 days. A stronger liver response to EE2 in Chinese rare minnow was observed than that in Japanese medaka. In Japanese medaka, significantly increased male GSI could be observed at 50 and 100 ngEE2/L. The semi-quantitative estimation by integrated optic density following electrophoresis showed that exposure of male Chinese rare minnow and Japanese medaka to EE2 resulted in significant (P<0.05) induction of VTG at 0.2 and 2 ngEE2/l, respectively. It indicated that the sensitivity of Chinese rare minnow to the stress of EE2 is about 10-fold greater than that of Japanese medaka.