水生生态系统中分子生物标记物的研究进展

生物标记物可用来评价水生生态系统中污染物 (金属、有机异生物质、有机金属化合物等 )的暴露和效应。金属硫蛋白、乙酰胆碱酯酶、细胞色素 P4 5 0、性别异常、应激蛋白等都是当前国内外的研究热点。文章对几种重要生物标记物的适用范围、测定方法及应用前景加以综述     

汞吸附研究进展

汞是常温常压下唯一以液态存在的金属,由于其高挥发性和剧毒性,排放到环境中容易造成严重的污染。而且,长期暴露在汞含量超标的环境中对人体具有极大的伤害。主要综述了当前应用吸附法治理气体、水体和土壤中汞污染的研究进展,并指出生物吸附技术是今后治理重金属污染的重要发展方向。     

环境中多氯联苯醚的污染现状及研究进展

多氯联苯醚(PCDEs)作为工业氯酚或氯代苯氧乙酸的生产副产物在环境介质中广泛存在。PCDEs与多氯联苯(PCBs)和多氯代二苯并呋喃(PCDFs)的化学结构具有一定相似性,属于潜在的持久性有机污染物,生态风险较高。相对于PCBs和PCDFs,广大学者对PCDEs污染水平、生物毒性以及人体暴露风险的研究相对较少。为了提高对PCDEs研究的重视程度,综述了近年来PCDEs的研究状况,详细讨论了PCDEs的结构性质、来源、形成机理、降解规律、生物毒性以及在生物体、环境介质中的暴露水平,并对未来PCDEs的研究方向做出预测。     

生物标志物在环境评价中的应用研究概况与趋向

生物标志物在环境评价中的应用日显重要，近几年国内已有这一领域的文献综述，但若干基本方面还有待阐述。文章在回顾文献的基础上，旨在提出侧重于这些方面的全面评述，包括：生物标志物及相关术语的基本概念；暴露生物标志物，反应或毒性效应生物标志物和易感性生物标志物的性质和实例；生物标志物对污染物的特异性和生物标志物有害效应的关系；生物标志物在环境评价中的作用和发展趋向。     

危险废物分级管理方法研究

危险废物因具有毒性、易燃性、腐蚀性和反应性等多种危害特性,如果暴露于环境中将会对人类健康和生态环境造成很大威胁.深入分析了欧美等一些国家对危险废物进行分级管理的方法,针对中国目前危险废物的产生现状和管理现状,提出了综合考虑危险废物的产生量和活性大小等各个方面,借助风险评价对危险废物进行分级管理的方法和原则,以及相应的分级管理程序的建议,为完善中国的危险废物管理体系提供参考.     

用SOS/Umu生物测试评价北方某自来水厂对遗传毒性物质的去除效果

大量研究表明,饮用水中存在着能导致遗传毒性的物质,在我国许多水厂水质检测能力有限的前提下,生物毒性指标作为反映有毒物质综合指标具有重要的现实意义.本研究应用SOS/Umu生物毒性测试评价了北方某市一自来水厂的A、B、C、D 4套试验工艺在不同的季节(冬春两季)各工艺段出水的遗传毒性效应.结果显示,冬春两季地表水加氯后遗传毒性效应均显著增加,冬季间接遗传毒性效应高于春季;活性炭吸附对去除遗传毒性物质效果显著,但后期加氯使遗传毒性效应增加;冬春两季比较,以及地下水和地表水比较,各工艺出水的遗传毒性效应差别很大.通过研究表明,本研究所应用的生物毒性测试SOS/Umu能够快速、准确地对水厂工艺过程中致突变物质的处理效果进行评价,能对工艺改进提出指导,是自来水质安全性评价的重要补充手段.     

人工纳米材料在水-生物膜体系中的环境行为与毒性效应研究进展

随着纳米技术的飞速发展,人工纳米材料随人类活动以及纳米产品进入水-生物膜体系的环境行为以及毒性效应受到越来越多的关注。概述了纳米材料释放到水体后可能发生的环境行为及机理,阐述了纳米颗粒对生物膜中细菌活性的毒性作用,并揭示了生物膜抵抗纳米毒性的机制,为深入研究纳米颗粒在水体中的环境行为及生态效应提供重要的理论依据。     

农药对藻类的生态毒理学研究Ⅰ:毒性效应

随着现代农业的发展,世界范围内使用的农药品种越来越多,用量不断增加。农药对非靶生物的影响以及农药残留导致环境污染,造成生态系统结构和功能的破坏,早已受到了国内外的广泛关注。有关农药对生态系统中消费者类群毒性效应的研究较多。近年来,农药对于生态系统初级生产者－ 藻类的毒性及其生态毒理学的研究倍受重视。大力开展这方面的研究对于深入了解农药在生态系统中的迁移、转化及整体生态效应以及农药的生态风险评价无疑具有重要的理论意义和应用价值。本文综述了近年来国内外有关农药对单种藻类和藻类群落的毒性效应,影响毒性的环境因子。     

浅谈重金属对生物毒性效应的分子机理

初步阐明了重金属对生物产生毒性效应的分子机理以及重金属参与生物过程的生物活性点位；阐述了金属离子对生物活性点位的竞争及其对金属生物毒性的影响；讨论了重金属在生物体内积累的分子机理以及对生物毒性的关系。     

白洋淀水中铜、铅的化学形态及其分布

前言 目前,我们在评价水体受重金属污染的现状,以及重金属对水生动植物的毒性作用或生物效应时,一般都是以金属的总浓度作指标,但这往往会获得令人误解的结果.重金属对水生动植物的毒性作用取决于其化学形态,例如铜对永生物的毒性是随其络合程度的增强而减弱的,铅和锌也有同样表现.通过研究重金属的化学形态,可以为水体质量评价提供有意义的数据并可较     

Measurement of movement patterns of Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda) with the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor (MFB)--a potential new method to study a behavioral toxicity parameter of nematodes in sediments

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans receives increasing attention in sediment ecotoxicology and new toxicity tests with sensitive test parameters are under development. In this study, the motility of C. elegans could be measured for the first time online in sediment, using the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor. Whereas single nematodes could not be recorded, groups of 10 nematodes gave typical locomotive signals in different media (water, agar, sediment) with comparable precision and accuracy. The results of this study encourage to develop a new rapid online whole-sediment toxicity test with behaviour as sensitive test parameter.     

Enhanced growth and reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda) in the presence of 4-nonylphenol

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was exposed over a whole fife-cycle (72 h) to several concentrations of 4-nonylphenol (NP; nominal concentrations: 0-350 microg/l). Growth and reproduction of C. elegans were enhanced at NP concentrations of 66 and 40 microg/l, respectively, with effects showing dose-response relationships. These stimulatory effects might be of ecological relevance in benthic habitats, where organisms can be exposed to high concentrations of NP.     

Humic substances

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Freshwater bodies which chemistry is dominated by dissolved humic substances (HS) seem to be the major type on Earth, due to huge non-calcareous geological formations in the Northern Hemisphere and in the tropics. Based on the paradigm of the inertness of being organic, direct interactions of dissolved HS with freshwater organisms are mostly neglected. However, dissolved organic carbon, the majority of which being HS, are natural environmental chemicals and should therefore directly interact with organisms. Major results that widened our perspective on humic substance ecology come from experiments with the compost nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, which behaved contradictorily to textbook knowledge and provoked an in-depth re-consideration of some paradigms. APPROACH: To overcome old paradigms on HS and their potential interactions with organisms, we reviewed recent international literature, as well as 'grey' literature. We also include results from own ongoing studies. RESULTS: This review focuses on direct interactions of dissolved HS with freshwater organisms and disregards indirect effects, such as under-water light quenching. Instead we show with some macrophyte and algal species that HS adversely interfere with photosynthesis and growth, whereby closely related algal species show different response patterns. In addition to this, HS suppress cyanobacteria more than eukaryotic algae. Quinones in the HS appear to be the effective structure. Furthermore, HS can modulate the offspring numbers in the nematode C. elegans and cause feminization of fish and amphibians--they possess hormone-like properties. The ecological consequences of this potential remain obscure at present. HS also have the potential to act as chemical attractants as shown with C. elegans and exert a mild chemical stress upon aquatic organisms in many ways: induction of molecular chaperons (stress proteins), induction and modulation of biotransformation and anti-oxidant enzymes. Furthermore, they produce an oxidative stress with lipidperoxidation as one clear symptom or even stress defense strategy. Stronger chemical stresses by HS may even lead to teratogenic effects as shown with fish embryos; all physiological responses to HS-mediated stress require energy, which were compensated on the expense of yolk as shown with zebra fish embryos. One Finnish field survey supports the view of a strong chemical stress, as the weight yield in fish species decreases with increasing HS content in the lakes. DISCUSSION: HS exert a variety of stress symptoms in aquatic and compost organisms. According to current paradigms of ecotoxicology, these symptoms have to be considered adverse, because their compensation consumes energy which is deducted from the main metabolism. However, the nematode C. elegans looks actively for such stressful environments, and this behavior is only understandable in the light of new paradigms of aging mechanisms, particularly the Green Theory of Aging. In this respect, we discuss the mild HS-mediated stress to aquatic and compost organisms. New empirical findings with HS themselves and HS building blocks appear to be consistent with this emerging paradigm and show that the individual lifespan may be expanded. At present the ecological consequences of these findings remain obscure. However, a multiple-stress resistance may be acquired which improves the individual fitness in a fluctuating environment. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that dissolved HS have to be considered abiotic ecological driving forces, somewhat less obvious than temperature, nutrients, or light. PERSPECTIVES: The understanding of the ecological control by dissolved humic substances is still fragmentary and needs to be studied in more details.     

Nickel sulfate induces numerous defects in Caenorhabditis elegans that can also be transferred to progeny

Whether the multiple biological toxicities from nickel exposure could be transferred to progeny has not been clarified. In this report, we explored the Caenorhabditis elegans to analyze the multiple toxicities of nickel and their possibly transferable properties. The nickel toxicity caused multiple biological defects in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, most of these toxicities could be transferred and could be only partially rescued in progeny. Some specific phenotypes in progeny were also found to exhibit no obvious rescue phenotypes or to show even more severe defects than their parents. The defects caused by nickel exposure could be classified into four groups according to their transferring properties. That is, the defects caused by nickel exposure could be largely, or partially, or unable to be rescued, or became even more severe in progeny animals. Therefore, most of the nickel exposure-caused defects can be transferred from parents to their progeny to different degrees in C. elegans.     

Chronic toxicity of sediment-associated linear alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS) to freshwater benthic organisms

The toxicity of linear alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS), to freshwater benthic organisms was assessed during exposure to spiked sediment. Lethal and sub-lethal end-points were monitored for two organisms (oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus and nematode Caenorhabditis elegans). Results demonstrated relatively low toxicity (LOECs>100 mg/kg dry weight). No observed effect concentrations (NOECs) of 81 mg/kg dw (Lumbriculus) and 100 mg/kg dw (Caenorhabditis) were determined. For the oligochaete, no specific endpoint was particularly sensitive to LAS. For the nematode, egg production was the most sensitive endpoint. Significant degradation was measured over the 28-day duration of the Lumbriculus study, equating to a half-life of 20 days in sediment.     

Single and double metallothionein knockout in the nematode C. elegans reveals cadmium dependent and independent toxic effects on life history traits

The genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans contains two metallothionein genes, both involved in metal homeostasis and/or detoxification. Single metallothionein knockout mutants have been created and now, for the first time, a double mutant has been isolated. Life history studies in the presence or absence of cadmium showed that all metallothionein mutants are viable. Although cadmium did not influence longevity, a dose dependent reduction in total brood size and volumetric growth was observed in wild type animals, which was magnified in single knockouts and further exacerbated in the double knockout. However, the metallothionein deletion caused two effects that are independent of cadmium exposure, namely all knockout strains displayed a reduced total brood size and the deletion of both metallothionein loci caused a significant reduction in volumetric growth. In summary, metallothionein is undoubtedly an important player in cadmium detoxification, but evidently also an important factor in cadmium independent pathways.     

Expression profiling of five different xenobiotics using a Caenorhabditis elegans whole genome microarray

The soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is frequently used in ecotoxicological studies due to its wide distribution in terrestrial habitats, its easy handling in the laboratory, and its sensitivity against different kinds of stress. Since its genome has been completely sequenced, more and more studies are investigating the functional relation of gene expression and phenotypic response. For these reasons C. elegans seems to be an attractive animal for the development of a new, genome based, ecotoxicological test system. In recent years, the DNA array technique has been established as a powerful tool to obtain distinct gene expression patterns in response to different experimental conditions. Using a C. elegans whole genome DNA microarray in this study, the effects of five different xenobiotics on the gene expression of the nematode were investigated. The exposure time for the following five applied compounds beta-NF (5 mg/l), Fla (0.5 mg/l), atrazine (25 mg/l), clofibrate (10 mg/l) and DES (0.5 mg/l) was 48+/-5 h. The analysis of the data showed a clear induction of 203 genes belonging to different families like the cytochromes P450, UDP-glucoronosyltransferases (UDPGT), glutathione S-transferases (GST), carboxylesterases, collagenes, C-type lectins and others. Under the applied conditions, fluoranthene was able to induce most of the induceable genes, followed by clofibrate, atrazine, beta-naphthoflavone and diethylstilbestrol. A decreased expression could be shown for 153 genes with atrazine having the strongest effect followed by fluoranthene, diethylstilbestrol, beta-naphthoflavone and clofibrate. For upregulated genes a change ranging from approximately 2.1- till 42.3-fold and for downregulated genes from approximately 2.1 till 6.6-fold of gene expression could be affected through the applied xenobiotics. The results confirm the applicability of the gene expression for the development of an ecotoxicological test system. Compared to classical tests the main advantages of this new approach will be the increased sensitivity and it's potential for a substance class specific effect determination as well as the large numbers of genes that can be screened rapidly at the same time and the selection of well regulated marker genes to study more in detail.     

Bioaccumulation and toxicity of a cationic surfactant (DODMAC) in sediment dwelling freshwater invertebrates

Dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride (DODMAC, CAS No. 107-64-2) is the principal active component of Di(hydrogenated tallow alkyl) dimethylammonium chloride (DHTDMAC, CAS No. 61789-80-8), a cationic surfactant formerly used principally in laundry fabric softeners. After discharge to water, DODMAC partitions strongly to sediment, therefore the assessment of the effects of DODMAC to benthic organisms is essential in any risk assessment. Chronic toxicity studies were conducted with Lumbriculus variegatus (Oligochaete), Tubifex tubifex (Oligochaete) and Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematode). NOECs were greater than 5738, 1515 and 1351 mg/kg dw, respectively, even for sub-lethal effects. Measurement of the route of uptake of DODMAC by L. variegatus demonstrated the relative importance of uptake via ingestion (86%) compared with direct contact with the sediment and via pore water (14%). The overall tendency of DODMAC to bioaccumulate, however, was low with measured accumulation factors of 0.22 and 0.78 for L. variegatus and T. tubifex, respectively.     

The effect of the corticosteroid hormone cortexolone on the metabolites produced during phenanthrene biotransformation in Cunninghamella elegans

The metabolism of phenanthrene and the mammalian corticosteroid hormone cortexolone by the fungus Cunninghamella elegans was studied. The amounts of the cortexolone transformation products, cortisol and epicortisol, were affected by the presence of phenanthrene. Approximately 40% more cortisol was produced by C. elegans in cultures with phenanthrene. In contrast, epicortisol formation decreased. C. elegans transformed phenanthrene to phenanthrene trans-1,2-,3,4-, and 9,10-dihydrodiols, phenols, diphenols (diols) and glucoside conjugates of 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 9-phenanthrols. Almost all of the phenanthrene initially added was metabolized to ethyl acetate extractable metabolites. In the mycelia and culture medium extracts, phenanthrol glucosides represented 80% and 94% of the total metabolites, respectively. The major metabolite was the glucoside conjugate of 1-phenanthrol. The presence of cortexolone affected the biodegradation of phenanthrene by decreasing the amounts of phenanthrene metabolites compared to control cultures.