Skip to Content
MilliporeSigma
  • Effects of benzo[a]pyrene on growth, the antioxidant system, and DNA damage in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in 2 different soil types under laboratory conditions.

Effects of benzo[a]pyrene on growth, the antioxidant system, and DNA damage in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in 2 different soil types under laboratory conditions.

Environmental toxicology and chemistry (2014-10-22)
Xiaochen Duan, Li Xu, Jing Song, Jiaguo Jiao, Manqiang Liu, Feng Hu, Huixin Li
ABSTRACT

The aims of the present study were to compare the toxic effects of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and to screen for rapid and sensitive biomarkers that can be used to assess the environmental risks of BaP in earthworms in different natural soil types. The authors exposed Eisenia fetida to 2 types of soil (red soil and fluvo-aquic soil) spiked with different concentrations (0 mg kg(-1), 1 mg kg(-1), 10 mg kg(-1), 100 mg kg(-1), and 500 mg kg(-1)) of BaP for 7 d or 14 d. Benzo[a]pyrene-induced weight variation altered the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD]; catalase [CAT]; and guaiacol peroxidase [POD]) and changed the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, using the comet assay, the authors determined the DNA damage in earthworms. The results revealed that the comet assay was suitable for evaluating the genotoxicity of BaP in the soil, even at the lowest examined concentration. The MDA content was the least sensitive indicator of BaP toxicity. A 3-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether the soil type, exposure concentration, and duration affected the BaP toxicity. The antioxidant enzyme activities and the MDA content were shown to be significantly correlated with the exposure concentration. The percentage of weight variation (p < 0.001), CAT activity (p < 0.05), and SOD activity (p < 0.01) were significantly affected by the soil type, and the POD activity (p < 0.01), CAT activity (p < 0.001), and SOD activity (p < 0.001) were significantly affected by the exposure duration. Therefore, measuring DNA damage in earthworms is a simple and efficient means of assessing BaP genotoxicity in a terrestrial environment, and the effects of the soil type and exposure time on the other parameters that were investigated in E. fetida, which were used as responsive biomarkers, should be considered.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, suitable for HPLC
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, suitable for HPLC, ≥99.9%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, for residue analysis, JIS 5000
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, Laboratory Reagent, ≥99.5%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, histological grade, ≥99.5%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, puriss. p.a., ACS reagent, reag. ISO, reag. Ph. Eur., ≥99.5% (GC)
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, suitable for HPLC, ≥99.8%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, suitable for HPLC, ≥99.9%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, ACS reagent, ≥99.5%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, ≥99.5%, for residue analysis
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, for residue analysis, ≥99.5%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, SAJ first grade, ≥99.0%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, for chromatography, ≥99.8%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, JIS special grade, ≥99.5%
Supelco
Benzo[a]pyrene solution, 100 μg/mL in cyclohexane, analytical standard
Supelco
Benzo[a]pyrene solution, certified reference material, TraceCERT®, 1000 μg/mL in acetone
Supelco
Benzo[a]pyrene solution, certified reference material, TraceCERT®, 200 μg/mL in methylene chloride
Supelco
Acetone, analytical standard
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, ACS reagent, ≥99.5%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, HPLC Plus, for HPLC, GC, and residue analysis, ≥99.9%
Supelco
Acetone, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
USP
Acetone, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, ≥99%, meets FCC analytical specifications
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, natural, ≥97%
Sigma-Aldrich
Acetone, puriss., meets analytical specification of Ph. Eur., BP, NF, ≥99% (GC)
Sigma-Aldrich
Benzo[a]pyrene, ≥96% (HPLC)
Supelco
Benzo[a]pyrene, analytical standard, for environmental analysis
Supelco
Benzo[a]pyrene, certified reference material, TraceCERT®, Manufactured by: Sigma-Aldrich Production GmbH, Switzerland