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Basar IA, Liu H, Eskicioglu C. Effects of municipal sludge composition on hydrothermal liquefaction products: Aqueous phase characterization and biodegradability assessment. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 400:130671. [PMID: 38583678 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) aqueous phases derived from mixed sludge and digested sludge of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were characterized considering variations in primary-secondary sludge ratios, an aspect previously overlooked in the literature. Mixed sludge was obtained by mixing primary and secondary sludge to simulate high primary sludge, average, and high secondary sludge cases. Aerobic and mesophilic/thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability tests were conducted. Higher chemical oxygen demand, total ammonium-N, orthophosphate-P, fatty acids, and N-heterocycles in HTL aqueous samples were detected as the secondary sludge ratio increased in mixed sludge. A similar trend was observed in the biodegradability tests. Characteristics of HTL aqueous derived from mixed sludge of WWTP 1 showed much higher variation, whereas WWTP 2 mixed sludge was not affected significantly by primary-secondary sludge ratios. Finally, the biodegradability levels of HTL aqueous samples were determined to be 69-78 % under aerobic, 58-70 % under mesophilic anaerobic, and 42-56 % under thermophilic anaerobic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Alper Basar
- UBC Bioreactor Technology Group, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, Canada
| | - Huan Liu
- UBC Bioreactor Technology Group, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, Canada
| | - Cigdem Eskicioglu
- UBC Bioreactor Technology Group, School of Engineering, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, Canada.
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Wang H, Guo S, He F, Li X, Wang Y, Wang T, Tian G, Liu R. The combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics with nickel on oxidative stress and related toxic effects to earthworms from individual and cellular perspectives. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168819. [PMID: 38043826 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Nanoplastics may adsorb other pollutants in the environment due to their high specific surface area and small size. We used earthworms as experimental organisms to evaluate the ecotoxicity of NPs and Ni combined pollution at the individual and cellular levels. The results showed that when only 20 mg/L Ni2+ was added to the combined pollution system, the antioxidant system of earthworm coelomocytes was destroyed to a certain extent, the ROS level increased, the cell viability decreased significantly, and the redox balance was destroyed. With the introduction of PS-NPs and the increase of concentration, the oxidative damage in the coelomocytes of earthworms gradually increased, and finally tended to be stable when the maximum concentration of 50 mg/L PS-NPs and Ni were exposed together. At the animal level, the activities of CAT and SOD decreased within 28 days of exposure, and the combined pollution showed a synergistic effect. At the same time, it promoted the synthesis of GST in earthworms, improved their detoxification ability and reduced oxidative damage. The changes of T-AOC and MDA showed that the combined pollution caused the accumulation of ROS and caused more serious toxicological effects. With the increase of exposure time, the antioxidant system of earthworms was continuously destroyed, and the oxidative damage was serious, which induced more serious lipid peroxidation and caused the damage of earthworm body wall structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Shuqi Guo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Falin He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Xiangxiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Yaoyue Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Tingting Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Guang Tian
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Rutao Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China - America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China.
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Li D, Zhang J, Liu X, Wang X, Li B, Du Z, Juhasz A, Wang J, Wang J, Zhu L. Are PFBS, PFHxS, and 6:2FTSA more friendly to the soil environment compared to PFOS? A new insight based on ecotoxicity study in soil invertebrates (Eisenia fetida). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 904:166689. [PMID: 37652386 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
As alternatives to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) with shorter carbon chains or lower proportion of fluorine atoms, perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2FTSA) have been detected in various environmental media. However, it is unclear whether the toxicity of these alternatives is lower than that of PFOS. Therefore, this study investigated the toxicity and differences in PFBS, PFHxS, 6:2FTSA, and PFOS (0.2 mg/kg) after 56 d of exposure using the common invertebrate Eisenia fetida in soil as the test organism. The results showed that although PFOS, PFBS, PFHxS, and 6:2FTSA induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in earthworms and led to developmental and reproductive toxicity in terms of comprehensive toxicity, PFHxS > PFOS > PFBS >6:2FTSA. To reveal the mechanisms underlying the differences in toxicity between the alternatives and PFOS, we conducted molecular docking and transcriptomic analyses. The results indicated that, unlike PFOS, PFBS, and PFHxS, 6:2FTSA did not cause significant changes in antioxidant enzyme activity at the molecular level. Furthermore, PFOS exposure caused disorder in the nervous and metabolic systems of earthworms, and PFHxS disrupted energy balance and triggered inflammatory responses, which may be important reasons for the higher toxicity of these compounds. In contrast, exposure to 6:2FTSA did not result in adverse transcriptomic effects, suggesting that 6:2FTSA exerted the least molecular-scale toxicity in earthworms. The results of this study provide new insights into the environmental safety of using PFBS, PFHxS, and 6:2FTSA as alternatives to PFOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengtan Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Jingwen Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Xiaowen Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Xiaole Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Bing Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Zhongkun Du
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Albert Juhasz
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia.
| | - Jinhua Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Jun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
| | - Lusheng Zhu
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, 61 Daizong Road, Taian 271018, China.
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Hu S, Xu M, Cui Z, Xiao Y, Liu C, Liu R, Zhang G. Probing the molecular mechanism of interaction between polystyrene nanoplastics and catalase by multispectroscopic techniques. Chem Biol Interact 2023; 382:110648. [PMID: 37495201 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Nanoplastics are emerging pollutants that pose a potential threat to the environment and organisms and are widely distributed in environmental samples and food chains. The accumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in an organism can cause oxidative stress. Currently, toxicity studies of PS-NPs mainly focus on the individual and cellular levels, whereas few studies have been conducted on the molecular mechanisms of the interaction between PS-NPs and catalase (CAT). Based on this, CAT was chosen as the target receptor for molecular toxicity research to reveal the interaction mechanism at the molecular level between PS-NPs and CAT by using various spectroscopic means and enzyme activity detection methods. The results indicated that PS-NPs destroyed the secondary structure of CAT, causing its protein skeleton to loosen and unfold, increasing the content of α-helices, decreasing the content of β-sheets, and exposing the position of the heme group. After exposure to PS-NPs, the internal fluorophore of CAT underwent fluorescence sensitization, resulting in a micelle-like structure, which enhanced the hydrophobicity of aromatic amino acids but did not change their polarity. In addition, the aggregation state of CAT was altered upon binding to PS-NPs, and the volume was further increased. Finally, these structural changes led to a gradual decrease in CAT activity. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the toxicity of PS-NPs at the molecular level, which can provide more experimental support for the study of the biotoxicological efficacy of PS-NPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuncheng Hu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, PR China
| | - Mengchen Xu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, PR China.
| | - Zhaohao Cui
- Qingdao Ecological Environment Monitoring Center, Qingdao, 266003, PR China
| | - Yihua Xiao
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, PR China
| | - Changqing Liu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, PR China
| | - Rutao Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong Province, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong, 266237, PR China
| | - Guomin Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, PR China
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Li X, He F, Hu S, Sun N, Huo C, Liu R. The culprits of superoxide dismutase inactivation under size-dependent stress of ultrafine carbon black: Superoxide anion, genotoxicity and protein corona. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 862:160770. [PMID: 36502967 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As a critical component of atmospheric ultrafine particulates, ultrafine carbon black (UFCB) brings great exposure risk to organisms. At present, the action pathway and activity regulation mechanism of UFCB on functional proteins in vivo are not clear, and the size-dependent effects of UFCB during this process need to be elucidated. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the most applied biomarkers to assess the environmental impact of pollutants, plays crucial roles in resistance to oxidative stress. Here, based on the inactivation of SOD (84.79 %, 86.81 % and 91.70 %) in primary mouse hepatocytes exposed to UFCB (13 nm, 50 nm and 95 nm), oxidative stress, genotoxicity and protein molecular studies were employed to elucidate the inactivation mechanisms. Results showed that inhibition of UFCB-mediated superoxide anion (O2-) contributed to a decrease in SOD activity. Furthermore, the significant increase in 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine content and the comet tail formation indicated the occurrence of DNA damage, supporting that concomitant aberrant transcriptional and protein translational under gene regulation should be responsible for SOD inactivation. At the molecular level, the constricted backbone, reduced content of α-helix and fluorescence sensitization all demonstrated that the attachment-type binding of SOD on UFCB to form the 'protein corona' disrupted protein structure. Enzyme activity assays indicated that SOD backbone tightening and helix decay resulted in decreased activity, which should be another reason for intracellular SOD inactivation. More importantly, the particle sizes of UFCB exert powerful influences on SOD inactivation mechanisms. Smaller UFCB (13 nm) induced more severe O2- inhibition and DNA damage, while UFCB50nm with the best dispersity bound more SOD and induced stronger molecular toxicity, which are their different strengths in stressing SOD inactivation in hepatocytes. Our findings provide novel insights for exploring functional proteins activity and underscore a potentially size-dependent risk of nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangxiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Falin He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Shaoyang Hu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Ning Sun
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Chenqian Huo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China
| | - Rutao Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, China-America CRC for Environment & Health, Shandong University, 72# Jimo Binhai Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, PR China.
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Jiang N, Wang J, Wang Q, Baihetiyaer B, Li X, Yang Z, Li M, Sun H, Yin X. Evaluation of the biological response of propofol in zebrafish (Danio rerio): Focusing on biochemical, transcriptional, and molecular level. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 317:120764. [PMID: 36455772 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Propofol, one of the most widely used intravenous anesthetic in clinical practice, has been reported to impair cognitive and memory function. However, the toxicological effects of propofol on aquatic organisms are still poorly understood. This study explored the toxic effects of chronic propofol exposure (0.008, 0.04, and 0.2 mg L-1) on adult zebrafish from biochemical, transcriptional, and molecular level after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of exposure. Results indicated that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were significantly upregulated during the 28 days exposure period, and excessive ROS caused lipid peroxidation, resulting in increased malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the zebrafish brain. In order to relieve the oxidative damage induced by the excessive ROS, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT)) were significantly activated, and detoxification enzyme (glutathione S-transferase, GST) activities showed an "activation-inhibition" trend. However, the antioxidant enzymes and detoxification enzyme system could not eliminate the excessive ROS in time and thus caused DNA damage in zebrafish brain. The olive tail moment (OTM) values displayed a "dose-response" relationship with propofol concentrations. Meanwhile, the transcription of related genes of Nrf2-Keap1 pathway was activated. Further molecular simulation experiments suggested that propofol could directly combine with SOD/CAT to change the activity of its biological enzyme. These findings indicated that zebrafish could regulate antioxidant capacity to combat oxidative stress at the early exposure stage, but the activity of antioxidant enzymes were significantly inhibited with the increase of propofol exposure time. Our results are of great importance for understanding toxicological effects of propofol on aquatic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Jiang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, PR China; College of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China
| | - Jun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China
| | - Qian Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China
| | - Baikerouzi Baihetiyaer
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, PR China
| | - Xianxu Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China
| | - Zhongkang Yang
- College of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China
| | - Mingsheng Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an, 271000, PR China
| | - Huimin Sun
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, PR China
| | - Xianqiang Yin
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, PR China.
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