Ecotoxicological impact of naproxen on Eisenia fetida: Unraveling soil contamination risks and the modulating role of microplastics

Lili Zhang; Dingxin Wang; Jiahui Yuan; Jiazhe Chen; Tengda Ding; Tingting Zhu; Juying Li

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172267

Ecotoxicological impact of naproxen on Eisenia fetida: Unraveling soil contamination risks and the modulating role of microplastics

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jun 10:928:172267. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172267. Epub 2024 Apr 5.

Authors

Lili Zhang¹, Dingxin Wang¹, Jiahui Yuan¹, Jiazhe Chen¹, Tengda Ding¹, Tingting Zhu², Juying Li³

Affiliations

¹ Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecological Remediation, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
² State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Source Management and Technology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Emerging Contaminants Detection and Control in Water Environment, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Low Energy Sewage Treatment, Shenzhen Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shenzhen 518001, China.
³ Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecological Remediation, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. Electronic address: jyli@szu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38583628
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172267

Abstract

Soils represent crucial sinks for pharmaceuticals and microplastics, making them hotspots for pharmaceuticals and plastic pollution. Despite extensive research on the toxicity of pharmaceuticals and microplastics individually, there is limited understanding of their combined effects on soil biota. This study focused on the earthworm Eisenia fetida as test organism to evaluate the biotoxicity and bioaccumulation of the typical pharmaceutical naproxen and microplastics in earthworms. Results demonstrated that high concentrations of naproxen (100 mg kg^-1) significantly increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, inducing lipid peroxidation. Even though the low exposure of naproxen exhibits no significant influence to Eisenia fetida, the lipid peroxidation caused by higher concentration than environmental relevant concentrations necessitate attention due to temporal and spatial concentration variability found in the soil environment. Meanwhile, microplastics caused oxidative damage to antioxidant enzymes by reducing the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and MDA content in earthworms. Metabolome analysis revealed increased lipid metabolism in naproxen-treated group and reduced lipid metabolism in the microplastic-treated group. The co-exposure of naproxen and microplastics exhibited a similar changing trend to the microplastics-treated group, emphasizing the significant influence of microplastics. The detection of numerous including lipids like 17-Hydroxyandrostane-3-glucuronide, lubiprostone, morroniside, and phosphorylcholine, serves to identify potential biomarkers for naproxen and microplastics exposure. Additionally, microplastics increased the concentration of naproxen in earthworms at sub-organ and subcellular level. This study contributes valuable insights into the biotoxicity and distribution of naproxen and microplastics in earthworms, enhancing our understanding of their combined ecological risk to soil biota.

Keywords: Distribution; Ecotoxicity; Eisenia fetida; Microplastics; Naproxen.

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecotoxicology
Environmental Monitoring
Microplastics* / toxicity
Naproxen* / toxicity
Oligochaeta* / drug effects
Soil / chemistry
Soil Pollutants* / toxicity

Substances

Naproxen
Soil Pollutants
Microplastics
Soil