Biological effect-based monitoring is essential for predicting or alerting to a possible deterioration in drinking water quality. In the present study, a reporter gene assay based on oxidative stress-mediated Pgst-4::GFP induction in the Caenorhabditis elegans strain VP596 (VP596 assay) was assessed for its applicability in evaluating drinking water safety and quality. This assay was used to measure the oxidative stress response in VP596 worms exposed to six ubiquitous components (As3+, Al3+, F-, NO3--N, CHCl3, and residual chlorine) in drinking water, eight mixtures of these six components designed through orthogonal design, ninety-six unconcentrated water samples from source to tap water in two supply systems, and organic extracts (OEs) of twenty-five selected water samples. Pgst-4::GFP fluorescence was not induced by Al3+, F-, NO3--N, and CHCl3, and was significantly enhanced by As3+ and residual chlorine only at concentrations higher than their respective drinking water guideline levels. Pgst-4::GFP induction was not detected in any of the six-component mixtures. Induction of Pgst-4::GFP was observed in 9.4% (3/32) of the source water samples but not in the drinking water samples. However, a notable induction effect was revealed in the three OEs of drinking water, with a relative enrichment factor of 200. These results suggest that the VP596 assay has limited utility for screening drinking water safety by testing unconcentrated water samples; however, it offers a supplemental in vivo tool for prioritizing water samples for an enhanced quality assessment, monitoring pollutant removal performance by drinking water treatment plants, and evaluating water quality in water supplies.
Keywords: Biomonitoring; C. elegans; Drinking water; Oxidative stress; Safety screening; Water quality.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.