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Ex Vivo Cultivation Of Primary Intestinal Cells From Eisenia Fetida As Basis For Ecotoxicological Studies
Summary
Researchers developed a method to grow intestinal cells from earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in laboratory culture for toxicity testing. Earthworms are important soil organisms affected by microplastic contamination in soil, and cell-based models could improve understanding of how microplastics damage gut tissue.
Abstract The earthworm Eisenia fetida is a commonly used model organism for unspecific soil feeders in ecotoxicological studies. Its intestinal cells are the first to encounter possible pollutants co-ingested by the earthworm, which makes them prime candidates for studies of toxic effects of environmental pollutants on the cellular as compared to the organismic level. Here, cells are isolated directly from the intestine, maintaining > 90% viability during subsequent short-time cultivations (up to 144 h). Exposure to established toxins comprising silver nanoparticles and metal ions (Cu2+, Cd2+) induced a significant decrease in the metabolic activity of the cells. In presence of microplastic particles (MP particles), namely 0.2, 0.5, 2.0, and 3.0 µm diameter polystyrene (PS) beads as well as 0.5 and 2.0 µm diameter polylactic acid (PLA) beads, no active uptake and no effect on the metabolic activity of the cells was observed. This suggests a tissue rather than cell related basis for the previously observed ecotoxicological effects of MP in case of Eisenia fetida.