As a common fungicide, tebuconazole are ubiquitous in the natural environment and poses many potential risks. In this study, we examined the effects of exposure to tebuconazole on colitis in mice and explored its underlying mechanism. Specifically, exposure to tebuconazole could cause structural damage and inflammatory cell infiltration in colon tissue, activate the expression of inflammation-related genes, disrupt the expression of barrier function-related genes, and induce the colonic inflammation in mice. Similarly, exposure to tebuconazole could also exacerbate DSS-induced colitis in mice. In addition, we found that tebuconazole also could change the composition of the gut microbiota. In particular, tebuconazole significantly increases the relative abundance of Akkermansia of mice. Moreover, tebuconazole resulted in metabolic profiles disorders of the serum, leading to significant changes in the relative contents of metabolites involving glycolipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Particularly, the results of the gut microbiota transplantation experiment showed that exposure to tebuconazole could induced colonic inflammation in mice in a gut microbiota–dependent manner. Taken together, these results indicated that tebuconazole could induce colitis in mice via regulating gut microbiota. Our findings strongly support the concept that the gut microbiota is a key trigger of inflammatory bowel disease caused by pesticide intake.

Industrial phosphate rock (PR) treatment has introduced lead (Pb) contamination into phosphate mining wasteland, causing serious contamination. Although bioremediation is considered an effective method and studies have investigated the bioimmobilization of Pb contamination in phosphate mining wasteland by phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), the bioimmobilization mechanism remains unclear. In this study, a strain Citrobacter farmeri CFI-01 with phosphate-solubilizing and Pb-tolerant abilities was isolated from a phosphate mining wasteland. Liquid culture experiments showed that the maximum content of soluble phosphate and the percentage amount of Pb immobilized after 14 days were 351.5 mg/L and 98.18%, respectively, with a decrease in pH. Soil experiments showed that CFI-01 had reasonable bioimmobilization ability, and the percentage amount of Pb immobilized was increased by 7.790% and 22.18% in the groups inoculated with CFI-01, respectively, compared with that of the groups not inoculated with CFI-01. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed that the immobilization of Pb was also ascribed to changes in the functional groups (e.g., hydroxyl and carboxyl groups) and the formation of lead phosphate sediments. Finally, the results of the metagenomic analysis indicated that changes in the microbial community structure, enrichment of related functional abundances (e.g., metal metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and amino acid metabolism functions), and activation of functional genes (e.g., zntA, smtB, cadC, ATOX1, smtA, and ATX1) could help immobilize soil Pb contamination and explore the mechanism of bacterial bioimmobilization in Pb-contaminated soil. This study provides insights for exploring the immobilization mechanism of Pb contamination in phosphate mining wasteland using PSB, which has significance for further research.

Understanding the metabolic defense and compensation to maintain homeostasis is crucial for assessing the potential health risk of organic pollutants in crops. Currently, limited understanding is available regarding the targeted metabolic pathways and response mechanism under contaminant stress. This study showed that ciprofloxacin (CIP) at the environmental concentrations (1, 5, 25, 50 mg/L) did not significantly inhibit growth or cause severe oxidative damage to rice (Oryza sativa L.). Instead, the increment in CIP concentration induced a series of sequential metabolic disorders, which were characterized predominantly by primary and secondary metabolic disturbances, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, the carbohydrate, lipid and amino acid metabolism. After CIP in vivo exceeded a certain threshold level (>0.29 mg/g dry weight), β-glucosidases (BGLUs) mediated the transition from the activation of the genes related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis to the inhibition of the genes related to carbohydrate metabolism in rice. In particular, starch and sucrose metabolism showed the most profound perturbation stressed by environmental concentrations of CIP (5 mg/L) and other tested organic pollutants (10 μg/L of tricyclazole, thiamethoxam, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and polychlorinated biphenyls). Besides, the key genes encoding endoglucanase and BGLU were significantly downregulated (|log₂FC| > 3.0) under 100 μg/L of other tested organic pollutants, supporting the transition from the activation of secondary defense metabolism to the disruption of primary energy metabolism. Thus, in addition to bioaccumulation, changes in BGLU activity and starch and sucrose metabolism can reflect the potential adverse effects of pollutants on rice. This study explained the stepwise metabolic and transcriptional responses of rice to organic pollutants, which provided a new reference for the comprehensive evaluation of their environmental risks.

Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic metalloid adversely affecting the environment, human health, and crop productivity. The present study assessed the synergistic effects of salinity and As on photosynthetic attributes, stomatal regulations, and metabolomics responses of the xero-halophyte Salvadora persica to decipher the As-salinity cross-tolerance mechanisms and to identify the potential metabolites/metabolic pathways involved in cross-tolerance of As with salinity. Salinity and As stress-induced significant stomatal closure in S. persica suggests an adaptive response to decrease water loss through transpiration. NaCl supplementation improved the net photosynthetic rate (by +39%), stomatal conductance (by +190%), water use efficiency (by +55%), photochemical quenching (by +37%), and electron transfer rate (54%) under As stress as compared to solitary As treatment. Our results imply that both stomatal and non-stomatal factors account for a reduction in photosynthesis under high salinity and As stress conditions. A total of 64 metabolites were identified in S. persica under salinity and/or As stress, and up-regulation of various metabolites support early As-salinity stress tolerance in S. persica by improving antioxidative defense and ROS detoxification. The primary metabolites such as polyphenols (caffeic acid, catechin, gallic acid, coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and cinnamic acid), amino acids (glutamic acid, cysteine, glycine, lysine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine), citrate cycle intermediates (malic acid, oxalic acid, and α-ketoglutaric acid), and most of the phytohormones accumulated at higher levels under combined treatment of As + NaCl compared to solitary treatment of As. Moreover, exogenous salinity increased glutamate, glycine, and cysteine, which may induce higher synthesis of GSH-PCs in S. persica. The metabolic pathways that were significantly affected in response to salinity and/or As include inositol phosphate metabolism, citrate cycle, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. Our findings indicate that inflections of various metabolites and metabolic pathways facilitate S. persica to withstand and grow optimally even under high salinity and As conditions. Moreover, the addition of salt enhanced the arsenic tolerance proficiency of this halophyte.

Insufficient evidence exists regarding the effects of microplastics (MPs) on the neuronal toxicity of heavy metals in the early stages of organisms. Herein, the effects of micro-polystyrene (μ-PS; 157 μm) and nano-polystyrene (n-PS; 100 nm) particles on the neurodevelopmental toxicity of mercury (Hg) in zebrafish embryos were compared. Zebrafish embryos exposed to Hg at the concentration of 0.1 mg L⁻¹ revealed blood disorders, delayed hatching, and malformations such as pericardial oedema and tail deformity. The length of the larval head was significantly reduced (P < 0.01) and in vivo expression of atoh1a in the cerebellum of neuron-specific transgenic zebrafish Tg(atoh1a:dTomato) larvae was inhibited by 29.46% under the Hg treatment. Most of the toxic effects were inhibited by the combined exposure to μ-PS or n-PS with Hg, and n-PS decreased the neurodevelopmental toxicity of Hg more significantly than μ-PS. Metabolomic analysis revealed that in addition to inhibiting the amino acid metabolism pathway as in the μ-PS+Hg treatment, the n-PS+Hg treatment inhibited unsaturated fatty acid metabolism in zebrafish larvae, likely because of a greater reduction in Hg bioavailability, thus reducing the oxidative damage caused by Hg in the larvae. The combined effects of MPs and heavy metals differ greatly among different species and their targeted effects. We conclude that the combined toxicity mechanisms of MPs and heavy metals require further clarification.

This study simulated the effects of diving activities on the physiology, enzymatic, and transcriptional responses of Acropora microphthalma. Touching had less impact on Fv/Fm, but a few zooxanthellae were decreased and minor MDA was elevated. Caspase 3 was activated to remove damaged cells, and SOD was increased to alleviate oxidative damage. Under double or triple diving stress, we observed mass loss of zooxanthellae and Fv/Fm, a significant increase in MDA, and SOD, CAT was activated in response to oxidative stress. Transcriptome analyses showed that corals activated immune signaling pathways, anti-oxidation pathways, lysosomal, phagosomal, and cellular autophagy pathways to manage oxidation stress. Moreover, it up-regulated carbohydrate metabolisms, as well as lipopolysaccharide metabolism, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, photorespiration, amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid beta-oxidation, but down-regulated fatty acid biosynthesis to answer energy insufficiency. This research supported that even in a short time, improper diving activities could have a serious impact on coral health.

Dinotefuran is a chiral insecticide widely used to control Nilaparvata lugens in agriculture. However, little is known about the toxic effects of dinotefuran enantiomers on aquatic organisms. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to 1.00 and 10.00 mg/L dinotefuran enantiomers for 96 h, after which multivariate pattern recognition, metabolite identification, and pathway analysis were performed. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were then conducted to reveal the metabolic perturbations caused by dinotefuran enantiomers. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed the perturbation of five main pathways, including phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis; phenylalanine metabolism; retinol metabolism; arginine and proline metabolism; and glycerophospholipid metabolism. These disturbed metabolic pathways were strongly correlated with energy, amino acid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. Pathway analysis also indicated that the metabolic pathway changes induced by the same level of R and S-dinotefuran were enantioselective. Our research may provide better insight into the risk of chiral dinotefuran in aquatic organisms in the environment.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a serious heavy metal pollution in paddy fields, but its effect and underlying mechanism on soil arthropod overwintering and cold resistance are still unclear. In the present study, adult females of the wolf spider Pirata subpiraticus exposed to Cd stress underwent a simulated temperature process (25℃ → 16℃ → 8℃ → 4℃). The mortality rate and content of nutrients in the Cd-treated spiders were dramatically elevated after low-temperature treatment compared to those in the Cd-free control spiders under the same temperature condition. To uncover the putative modulatory mechanism of Cd on cold tolerance in P. subpiraticus, we employed an in-depth RNA sequencing analysis and yielded a total of 888 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Besides, we characterized genes that participate in multiple cryoprotectant syntheses, including arginine, cysteine, glucose, glycerol, heat shock protein, and mannose. The enrichment analyses found that most of the DEGs involved in biological processes and pathways were related to carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. Notably, ten Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, such as starch and sucrose metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, mineral absorption, and vitamin digestion and absorption, were distinctively enriched with downregulated genes. Meanwhile, we also identified that seven DEGs might inhibit the KEGG pathway of ovarian steroidogenesis and potentially cripple ovarian function and fecundity in the spider. The decreased egg sac weight, number of hatched spiderlings, and vitellin concentration further supported the view that Cd exposure vitiates the overwintering spider’s fecundity. Collectively, the comparative analysis provides a novel perspective regarding the survival response and fecundity on the cold tolerance of spiders under Cd stress and offers a profound insight for evaluating Cd-induced toxicity on overwintering arthropods.