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Nanoplastics induce molecular toxicity in earthworm: Integrated multi-omics, morphological, and intestinal microorganism analyses
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Researchers used multi-omics analysis to study how even low concentrations of nanoplastics affect earthworms, important indicators of soil health. They found that nanoplastics accumulated in the earthworms' intestines, damaging their digestive and immune systems and disrupting gut microorganism communities. The study demonstrates that nanoplastics can cause molecular-level harm to soil organisms at concentrations that might be considered environmentally realistic.
The toxicity of nanoplastics (NPs) at relatively low concentrations to soil fauna at different organismal levels is poorly understood. We investigated the responses of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) to polystyrene NPs (90-110 nm) contaminated soil at a relatively low concentration (0.02 % w:w) based on multi-omics, morphological, and intestinal microorganism analyses. Results showed that NPs accumulated in earthworms' intestinal tissues. The NPs damaged earthworms' digestive and immune systems based on injuries of the intestinal epithelium and chloragogenous tissues (tissue level) and increased the number of changed genes in the digestive and immune systems (transcriptome level). The NPs reduced gut microorganisms' diversity (Shannon index) and species richness (Chao 1 index). Proteomic, transcriptome, and histopathological analyses showed that earthworms suffered from oxidative and inflammatory stresses. Moreover, NPs influenced the osmoregulatory metabolism of earthworms as NPs damaged intestinal epithelium (tissue level), increased aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption (transcriptome level), inositol phosphate metabolism (proteomic level) and 2-hexyl-5-ethyl-furan-3-sulfonic acid, and decreased betaine and myo-inositol concentrations (metabolic level). Transcriptional-metabolic and transcriptional-proteomic analyses revealed that NPs disrupted earthworm carbohydrate and arachidonic acid metabolisms. Our multi-level investigation indicates that NPs at a relatively low concentration induced toxicity to earthworms and suggests that NPs pollution has significant environmental toxicity risks for soil fauna.
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Researchers studied how environmentally realistic concentrations of polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics affect earthworms at the molecular level. They found that both plastic types triggered oxidative stress, damaged digestive and immune systems, disrupted lipid metabolism, and altered the earthworms' ability to regulate water balance. The study suggests that even at concentrations commonly found in the environment, microplastic-contaminated soil poses measurable health risks to earthworms.
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Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics and found significant disruptions in their metabolism and gut bacteria, even when no visible signs of stress were present. The microplastics affected energy and lipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory processes, cell signaling, and membrane integrity. The study suggests that microplastics can cause hidden biological harm to soil organisms well before any outward symptoms appear.
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