Contaminant-related oxidative distress in common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) breeding at an e-waste site in South China

Toxic Effects and Mechanisms of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of flame retardants used in plastics, textiles, polyurethane foam, and other materials. They contain two halogenated aromatic rings bonded by an ester bond and are classified according to the number and position of bromine atoms. Due to their widespread use, PBDEs have been detected in soil, air, water, dust, and animal tissues. Besides, PBDEs have been found in various tissues, including liver, kidney, adipose, brain, breast milk and plasma. The continued accumulation of PBDEs has raised concerns about their potential toxicity, including hepatotoxicity, kidney toxicity, gut toxicity, thyroid toxicity, embryotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. Previous studies have suggested that there may be various mechanisms contributing to PBDEs toxicity. The present study aimed to outline PBDEs' toxic effects and mechanisms on different organ systems. Given PBDEs' bioaccumulation and adverse impacts on human health and other living organisms, we summarize PBDEs' effects and potential toxicity mechanisms and tend to broaden the horizons to facilitate the design of new prevention strategies for PBDEs-induced toxicity.

Biomagnification and elimination effects of persistent organic pollutants in a typical wetland food web from South China

This study investigated the quantitative sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), their biomagnification factors, and their effect on POP biomagnification in a typical waterbird (common kingfisher, Alcedo atthis) food web in South China. The median concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in kingfishers were 32,500 ng/g lw and 130 ng/g lw, respectively. The congener profiles of PBDEs and PCBs showed significant temporal changes because of the restriction time points and biomagnification potential of different contaminants. The concentrations of most bioaccumulative POPs, such as CBs 138 and 180 and BDEs 153 and 154, decreased at lower rates than those of other POPs. Pelagic fish (metzia lineata) and benthic fish (common carp) were the primary prey of kingfishers, as indicated by quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) results. Pelagic and benthic prey species were the primary sources of low and high hydrophobic contaminants for kingfishers, respectively. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) and trophic magnification factors (TMFs) had parabolic relationships with log K_OW, with peak values of approximately 7. Significant negative correlations were found between the whole-body elimination rates of POPs in waterbirds and the log-transformed TMFs and BMFs, indicating that the strong metabolism of waterbirds could potentially affect POP biomagnification.

Methanol promotes the biodegradation of 2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-heptachlorobiphenyl (PCB 180) by the microbial consortium QY2: Metabolic pathways, toxicity evaluation and community response

As one of the most frequently detected PCB congeners in human adipose tissue, 2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-heptachlorobiphenyl (PCB 180) has attracted much attention. However, PCB 180 is difficult to be directly utilized by microorganisms due to its hydrophobicity and obstinacy. Herein, methanol (5 mM) as a co-metabolic carbon source significantly stimulated the degradation performance of microbial consortium QY2 for PCB 180 (51.9% higher than that without methanol addition). Six metabolic products including low-chlorinated PCBs and chlorobenzoic acid were identified during co-metabolic degradation, denoting that PCB 180 was metabolized via dechlorination, hydroxylation and ring-opening pathways. The oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by PCB 180 were dose-dependent, but the addition of methanol effectively promoted the tolerance of consortium QY2 to resist unfavorable environmental stress. Additionally, the significant reduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhancement of cell viability during methanol co-metabolic degradation proved that the degradation was a detoxification process. The microbial community and network analyses suggested that the potential PCB 180 degrading bacteria in the community (e.g., Achromobacter, Cupriavidus, Methylobacterium and Sphingomonas) and functional abundance of metabolic pathways were selectively enriched by methanol, and the synergies among species whose richness increased after methanol addition might dominate the degradation process. These findings provide new insights into the biodegradation of PCB 180 by microbial consortium.

Bioamplification and Biomagnification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Halogenated Organic Pollutants in Moths from an Electronic Waste Recycling Site

Samples of Asota caricae (larvae, pupae, and adults) and its host plant leaf (Ficus hispida), larvae of Aloa lactinea, and mixed adult moths were collected from an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site in south China. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers were found to exhibit concentrations of 420-1300, 100-860, and 7.6-49 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The different chemical compositions among the samples of the three groups indicated that at least two exposure scenarios occurred among the moths in the study area. A complex relationship between bioamplification factors and the octanol-water partition coefficient (log K_OW ) was observed during metamorphosis, in which a positive relationship was evident for 5 < log K_OW  < 7, whereas an inverse relationship occurred for log K_OW values outside of this range. The biomagnification factors (BMFs) calculated from the larvae of Asota caricae to the host plant were negatively correlated with log K_OW for all chemicals, differing completely from those obtained in previous studies. However, after metamorphosis, the correlation between BMF and log K_OW was found to coincide with that in previous studies. These results indicate that the biotransformation of pollutants in organisms played a key role in determining whether or not biomagnification occurred in organisms and highlight the potential application of the metabolic rate of chemicals in screening-level risk assessments of new chemicals. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:2395-2403. © 2022 SETAC.

Halogenated flame retardants in wild, prey-sized mud carp from an e-waste recycling site in South China, 2006-2016: Residue dynamics and ecological risk assessment

The crude e-waste recycling has been regulated in China since the late 2000s; however, information on the recent levels and the ecological risks of e-waste derived contaminants such as halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) in the e-waste sites are limited. We therefore examined the concentrations of several HFRs in wild, prey-sized mud carps collected from a typical e-waste site in 2006, 2011 and 2016, to understand the exposure dynamics and ecological risk of these chemicals. Several ecological and biological parameters including δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, body size and lipid content of the fish were also examined, to ensure an overall uniformity of the sample set among the sampling years. Among the HFRs measured, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were detected at the highest concentrations (contributing >90% to ∑HFRs), followed by Dechlorane Plus (DPs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and alternative brominated flame retardants (ABFRs). The fish concentrations of ∑PBDEs, ∑PBBs and ∑DPs significantly dropped by 65%, 57% and 53% from 2006 to 2011, and 12%, 74% and 51% from 2011 to 2016, respectively; likely reflecting the positive impact of the environmental regulations on crude e-waste recycling. The ∑ABFRs concentrations were also decreased by 80% from 2006 to 2011, but increased by 127% from 2011 to 2016; suggesting possible fresh input of these novel HFRs in recent years. In addition to the changes in the HFR concentrations, contaminant profiles in the fish were also changed, possibly due to environmental degradation of the HFRs. Despite our conservative method of risk assessment, we found that PBDEs posed an important risk both for the mud carp and for piscivorous wildlife that inhabit the e-waste site.

N-acetylcysteine alleviates PCB52-induced hepatotoxicity by repressing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), particularly low chlorinated congeners in our environment, can induce human hepatotoxicity. However, the mechanisms by which PCBs cause hepatotoxicity remain elusive. Moreover, there are no effective treatments for this condition. In this study, 40 μM PCB52 was administered to rat (Brl-3A) and human hepatocytes (L-02) for 48 h following the N-acetylcysteine (NAC)/saline pretreatment. A significant decrease in cell viability was observed in PCB52-treated cells relative to the control. Besides, PCB52 significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, suggesting induction of oxidative stress. The expression of Traf6, MyD88, and Tnf in Brl-3A cells and that of MYD88, TNF, and IL1B in L-02 cells were significantly upregulated by PCB52. Consistently, overexpression of TLR4, MyD88, Traf6, and NF-κB p65 proteins was observed in PCB52-treated cells, indicating activation of inflammatory responses. Nevertheless, no changes in kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (keap1), nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor (nrf2), and heme oxygenase-1 proteins were observed in PCB52-treated cells, indicating non-activation of the keap1/nrf2 pathway. Pretreatment with NAC significantly ameliorated PCB52 effects on cell viability, ROS levels, MDA contents and expression of inflammatory elements at both RNA and protein levels. However, no changes in keap1, nrf2 and HO-1 protein levels were detected following NAC pretreatment. Taken together, with non-activated keap1/nrf2 pathway, PCB52-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses could be responsible for its hepatotoxicity. These effects were effectively attenuated by NAC pretreatment, which scavenges ROS and dampens inflammatory responses. This study might provide novel strategies for the treatment of the PCBs-associated hepatotoxic effects.