Waterborne sub-lethal exposure to perfluorobutanesulfonate causes intestinal dysbiosis in tadpoles of Lithobates catesbeianus

Yilin Shu; Luting Wei; Huiling Jiang; Wenchao Wang; Huijuan Zhang; Lizhu Tang; Jun He; Kanghua Jiang; Hailong Wu; Lianguo Chen

Water Biology and Security (Nov 2022)

Waterborne sub-lethal exposure to perfluorobutanesulfonate causes intestinal dysbiosis in tadpoles of Lithobates catesbeianus

Yilin Shu,
Luting Wei,
Huiling Jiang,
Wenchao Wang,
Huijuan Zhang,
Lizhu Tang,
Jun He,
Kanghua Jiang,
Hailong Wu,
Lianguo Chen

Affiliations

Yilin Shu: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Luting Wei: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Huiling Jiang: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Wenchao Wang: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Huijuan Zhang: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Lizhu Tang: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
Jun He: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Kanghua Jiang: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China
Hailong Wu: Collaborative Innovation Center of Recovery and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Wanjiang Basin Co-founded by Anhui Province and Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China; Corresponding author.
Lianguo Chen: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 1, no. 4
p. 100075

Abstract

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Perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) is a ubiquitous pollutant in the aquatic environment, but its toxic effects and mechanisms on amphibian species remain largely unknown. In the present study, tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus) were exposed to various concentrations of PFBS (0, 1, 3, 10, and 30 μg/L) for 14 days, with the goal of unveiling the impairment of intestinal health. Histopathological examination showed that sub-lethal exposure of tadpoles to PFBS at concentrations as low as 3 μg/L could result in the injury of intestinal structures. In a clear concentration-dependent manner, the expressions of epithelial barrier components (i.e., Claudin 1 gene and tight junction protein 2) were significantly decreased in PFBS-exposed intestines, while the intestinal content of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and transcriptions of downstream responsive genes (e.g., TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB) were concurrently significantly increased by exposure to 3, 10, and 30 μg/L of PFBS. As a consequence, the number of eosinophils and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1β and TNF-α) were increased therein. Furthermore, PFBS exposure induced oxidative stress in intestinal tissues by increasing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and suppressing antioxidant capacity. The transcriptional levels of CytoC and Bax genes as well as activities of caspase 9 and caspase 3 enzymes were remarkably increased, while the transcript abundance of Bcl-2 was down-regulated significantly after PFBS exposure, thereby favoring apoptosis in tadpole intestines. PFBS sub-lethal exposure also drove the composition of intestinal microbiota to a dysbiosis status. Correlation analysis further revealed that the relative abundance of members of the genus Bosea was positively related with the contents of LPS and IL-1β. Overall, the present study provides the first evidence for pronounced impacts of PFBS on amphibian intestinal ecology, highlighting the susceptibility of tadpoles to the environmental risks of PFBS.

Published in Water Biology and Security

ISSN: 2772-7351 (Online)
Publisher: KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences; Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/water-biology-and-security/

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