title: Chromium exhibits adverse effects at environmental relevant concentrations in chronic toxicity assay system of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Here we investigated whether the assay system (10-d) in Caenorhabditis elegans can be used to evaluate chronic toxicity of chromium (Cr(VI)) at environmental relevant concentrations ranging from 5.2 μg L(-1) to 260 μg L(-1). The results indicated that lethality, locomotion behavior as revealed by head thrash, body bend, and forward turn, metabolism as revealed by pumping rate and mean defecation cycle length, intestinal autofluorescence, and ROS production were severely altered in Cr chronically exposed nematodes at environmental relevant concentrations. The most surprising observations were that head thrash, body bend, intestinal autofluorescence, and ROS production in 13 μg L(-1) Cr exposed nematodes were significantly influenced. The observed adverse effects of Cr on survival, locomotion behavior, and metabolism were largely due to forming severe intestinal autofluorescence and ROS production. Therefore, our findings demonstrate the usefulness of chronic toxicity assay system in C. elegans in evaluating the chronic toxicity of toxicants at environmental relevant concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering in Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Quili
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yangyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dayong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002857:Chromium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D018675:Toxicity Tests
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002857:Chromium