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Toxicological evaluation and metabolic profiling of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) after exposure to microplastics and acetochlor
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Earthworms exposed to both UV-aged microplastics and the herbicide acetochlor suffered greater oxidative stress, tissue damage, and metabolic disruption than from either pollutant alone. Since earthworms are essential for healthy soil that grows our food, this combined toxicity from two common agricultural pollutants raises indirect concerns for the food supply and human health.
In recent years, microplastic (MPs) and pesticide pollution have become prominent issues in the field of soil pollution. This research endeavored to assess the impact of ultraviolet radiation (UV) on the characteristics of microplastics, as well as investigating the toxicological effect on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) when subjected to the dual stressors of microplastics and acetochlor (ACT). This research found that microplastics aged under UV were more prone to wear and tear in the environment, and produced more oxygen-containing functional groups. Chronic exposure experiments were conducted on ACT and aged-MPs. The results revealed that aged-MPs and ACT inhibited earthworm growth, induced oxidative stress, and caused damage to both the body cavity muscles and the intestinal lumen. Compared with individual exposure, combined exposure increased the oxidative products (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) and altered the expression levels of related genes (TCTP and Hsp70) significantly. PE inflicted more significant harm to the earthworm intestinal tissue compared to PBAT. By H-NMR metabolomics, the investigation delved into the repercussions of PE and ACT on the metabolic pathways of earthworms. Exposure to ACT and PE can disrupt the stability of intestinal membranes stability, amino acid metabolism, neuronal function, oxidative stress and energy metabolism. Overall, the research revealed that combined exposure of MPs and ACT exacerbated the negative effects on earthworms significantly, and contributed valuable insights to environmental risk assessment of the combined toxicity of microplastics and pesticides.
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Combined effects of mulch film-derived microplastics and atrazine on oxidative stress and gene expression in earthworm (Eisenia fetida)
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Researchers examined the combined effects of mulch film-derived microplastics and the pesticide atrazine on earthworms over 28 days. They found that co-exposure caused greater oxidative stress than either pollutant alone, with aged microplastics from farmland residues producing more severe effects than unused film-derived particles. The study suggests that agricultural soils contaminated with both degraded mulch film microplastics and pesticides may pose compounding toxic risks to soil organisms.
The combined effects of azoxystrobin and different aged polyethylene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): A systematic evaluation based on oxidative damage and intestinal function
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Scientists studied how the pesticide azoxystrobin and aged polyethylene microplastics together affect earthworms, and found the combination was significantly more toxic than either pollutant alone. The aged microplastics helped the earthworms absorb more pesticide, leading to greater weight loss, more oxidative damage, and worse intestinal damage. This is important for human health because it shows that microplastics in agricultural soil can increase the bioavailability and toxicity of pesticides that may end up in our food.
Ecotoxicological risk of co-exposure to fosthiazate and microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): Integrating biochemical and transcriptomic analyses
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Researchers investigated the combined toxic effects of the insecticide fosthiazate and microplastics on earthworms using both biochemical and genetic analyses. They found that co-exposure increased oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disrupted metabolic pathways more severely than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics may amplify pesticide toxicity in soil organisms, raising concerns about their combined impact on soil ecosystem health.
Joint effects of microplastic and dufulin on bioaccumulation, oxidative stress and metabolic profile of the earthworm (Eisenia fetida)
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This study investigated the combined effects of microplastics and the antiviral pesticide dufulin on earthworms (Eisenia fetida), finding that co-exposure amplified bioaccumulation, increased oxidative stress, and disrupted metabolic profiles compared to either pollutant alone.
Combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and carbendazim on Eisenia fetida: A comprehensive ecotoxicological study
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Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pesticide carbendazim on earthworms and found that the two pollutants together caused worse damage than either alone. The combined exposure led to growth problems, oxidative stress, and organ damage even at lower concentrations. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and microplastics and pesticides commonly co-exist in farmland, these findings suggest that agricultural soil contamination could have cascading effects on the food system.
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