Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2026.01.009
Jiachen Liu , Qingjian Meng , Huina Gao , Xuefang Liang , Zelin Li , Christopher J. Martyniuk
As a widely used synthetic phenolic antioxidant (SPA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) has been frequently detected in aquatic ecosystem. In organisms, BHT undergoes species-dependent biotransformation which can influence its toxicity. Despite data on its metabolism in mammals, tissue-specific distribution and bioaccumulation of BHT and its metabolites in fish remain unclear. In this study, adult zebrafish were exposed to 0.1 and 1 μM BHT for 21 days, followed by a 7-day depuration. BHT was rapidly degraded more than 50% within one day in the exposure solution, and BHT-OH was identified as the most abundant metabolite excreted from zebrafish. The highest concentration of BHT were observed in the liver and ovary with kinetic bioconcentration factors (BCFk) over 2000 L/kg. However, the depuration half-life of BHT in different tissues was relatively short, ranging from 0.89 to 3.15 days. In contrast to the bioconcentration pattern of BHT, its metabolites were preferentially distributed in plasma due to their higher affinity to apolipoprotein A-I. BHT-CHO and BHT-Q were the dominant metabolites that readily accumulated in liver and brain, while BHT-COOH tended to deposit in the brain and ovary at high dose (1 μM) group. Compared with BHT, these toxic metabolites have a higher persistent potential in biological tissues. Our findings underscore the significance of considering the biotransformation in the toxic assessment of BHT congeners.
{"title":"Tissue distribution, accumulation, and biotransformation of butylated hydroxytoluene in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)","authors":"Jiachen Liu , Qingjian Meng , Huina Gao , Xuefang Liang , Zelin Li , Christopher J. Martyniuk","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2026.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2026.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a widely used synthetic phenolic antioxidant (SPA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) has been frequently detected in aquatic ecosystem. In organisms, BHT undergoes species-dependent biotransformation which can influence its toxicity. Despite data on its metabolism in mammals, tissue-specific distribution and bioaccumulation of BHT and its metabolites in fish remain unclear. In this study, adult zebrafish were exposed to 0.1 and 1 μM BHT for 21 days, followed by a 7-day depuration. BHT was rapidly degraded more than 50% within one day in the exposure solution, and BHT-OH was identified as the most abundant metabolite excreted from zebrafish. The highest concentration of BHT were observed in the liver and ovary with kinetic bioconcentration factors (BCF<sub>k</sub>) over 2000 L/kg. However, the depuration half-life of BHT in different tissues was relatively short, ranging from 0.89 to 3.15 days. In contrast to the bioconcentration pattern of BHT, its metabolites were preferentially distributed in plasma due to their higher affinity to apolipoprotein A-I. BHT-CHO and BHT-Q were the dominant metabolites that readily accumulated in liver and brain, while BHT-COOH tended to deposit in the brain and ovary at high dose (1 μM) group. Compared with BHT, these toxic metabolites have a higher persistent potential in biological tissues. Our findings underscore the significance of considering the biotransformation in the toxic assessment of BHT congeners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 1148-1156"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-26DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.037
Jinzhi Ren , Ying Peng , Chenyang Sun , Yining Zhang , Jianjun Li , Simin Xia , Caixia Gao , Yimeng Wang , Xiangping Nie
There is an urgent need for a more efficient and ethical approach to chemical toxicity assessment. The emergence of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) based on fish embryos transcriptomics provides a promising alternative. Triphenyl phosphate (TPP) — a pervasive contaminant in estuaries — disrupts lipid homeostasis in mammals via PPARγ activation, yet its ecotoxicological impacts on estuarine fish remain unknown. Leveraging NAMs, this study integrates concentration-dependent transcriptomics (CDT), molecular docking, and phenotypic toxicity assays to unravel effects of TPP on embryonic development and lipid metabolism in the benthic fish Mugilogobius chulae. We found that TPP induced significant lethality (LC₅₀ = 1.86 × 106 ng/L) and teratogenicity (EC₅₀ = 5.27 × 105 ng/L), suppressing spontaneous movement, heart rate, and hatching. At concentrations of 5270 ng/L and 52,700 ng/L, TPP elevated triglycerides, total cholesterol, and hepatotoxicity markers (alanine aminotransferase / aspartate aminotransferase). CDT analysis identified fatty acid metabolism pathways as the most sensitive targets, with TPP upregulating PPARγ while downregulating CD36 and ACSL5 — indicating blocked fatty acid oxidation and explaining lipid accumulation. Crucially, co-exposure with PPARγ antagonist GW9662 reversed metabolic disorders, validating the mechanistic role of PPARγ. Furthermore, molecular docking confirmed that TPP binds PPARγ with agonist-like affinity. This work establishes a NAM-based framework for deciphering the toxicity of contaminants of emerging concern in estuarine ecosystems, offering novel tools for ecological risk assessment.
{"title":"New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) reveal triphenyl phosphate (TPP) disrupts lipid metabolism in estuarine fish via PPARγ activation: A concentration-dependent transcriptomic and molecular docking study","authors":"Jinzhi Ren , Ying Peng , Chenyang Sun , Yining Zhang , Jianjun Li , Simin Xia , Caixia Gao , Yimeng Wang , Xiangping Nie","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is an urgent need for a more efficient and ethical approach to chemical toxicity assessment. The emergence of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) based on fish embryos transcriptomics provides a promising alternative. Triphenyl phosphate (TPP) — a pervasive contaminant in estuaries — disrupts lipid homeostasis in mammals <em>via</em> PPARγ activation, yet its ecotoxicological impacts on estuarine fish remain unknown. Leveraging NAMs, this study integrates concentration-dependent transcriptomics (CDT), molecular docking, and phenotypic toxicity assays to unravel effects of TPP on embryonic development and lipid metabolism in the benthic fish <em>Mugilogobius chulae</em>. We found that TPP induced significant lethality (LC₅₀ = 1.86 × 10<sup>6</sup> ng/L) and teratogenicity (EC₅₀ = 5.27 × 10<sup>5</sup> ng/L), suppressing spontaneous movement, heart rate, and hatching. At concentrations of 5270 ng/L and 52,700 ng/L, TPP elevated triglycerides, total cholesterol, and hepatotoxicity markers (alanine aminotransferase / aspartate aminotransferase). CDT analysis identified fatty acid metabolism pathways as the most sensitive targets, with TPP upregulating PPARγ while downregulating CD36 and ACSL5 — indicating blocked fatty acid oxidation and explaining lipid accumulation. Crucially, co-exposure with PPARγ antagonist GW9662 reversed metabolic disorders, validating the mechanistic role of PPARγ. Furthermore, molecular docking confirmed that TPP binds PPARγ with agonist-like affinity. This work establishes a NAM-based framework for deciphering the toxicity of contaminants of emerging concern in estuarine ecosystems, offering novel tools for ecological risk assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 368-378"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.027
Xinglin Gao , Ying He , Juan Lan , Yumeng Li , Xudong Han , Yueyang Li , Yanli You , Haiyan Liu , Gan Rao , Zhaoxin Tang , Zhiwen Wu , Lianmei Hu
Arsenic is one of the important pollutants in the environment. As the main target organ of arsenic exposure, the liver contains a large number of lysosomes, which play an important role in liver injury induced by arsenic. The involvement of lysosomes in arsenic-induced hepatic damage among avian species, specifically chickens, has yet to be documented. Therefore, in this study, we established animal models of chickens and primary chicken hepatocyte models with different concentrations of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and further explored the hepatotoxic mechanism of arsenic from the perspective of lysosome damage. Our study confirmed that ATO affected the growth and development of chickens; caused substantial liver damage with decreased antioxidant capacity. Our study also found that exposure to ATO leads to lysosomal damage. This leads to the leakage of tissue protease B (CTSB) within lysosomes and triggers the Gal-3-dependent lysosomal phagocytosis mechanism to eliminate the damaged lysosomes.Moreover, we also found that lysosome damage and lysophagy induced by ATO were associated with intracellular Ca2+ disturbance. Taken together, the results show that ATO can induce lysosome damage and activate Gal-3 mediated lysophagy.
{"title":"Role of Gal-3 mediated lysophagy in arsenic-induced chicken hepatocyte injury","authors":"Xinglin Gao , Ying He , Juan Lan , Yumeng Li , Xudong Han , Yueyang Li , Yanli You , Haiyan Liu , Gan Rao , Zhaoxin Tang , Zhiwen Wu , Lianmei Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arsenic is one of the important pollutants in the environment. As the main target organ of arsenic exposure, the liver contains a large number of lysosomes, which play an important role in liver injury induced by arsenic. The involvement of lysosomes in arsenic-induced hepatic damage among avian species, specifically chickens, has yet to be documented. Therefore, in this study, we established animal models of chickens and primary chicken hepatocyte models with different concentrations of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and further explored the hepatotoxic mechanism of arsenic from the perspective of lysosome damage. Our study confirmed that ATO affected the growth and development of chickens; caused substantial liver damage with decreased antioxidant capacity. Our study also found that exposure to ATO leads to lysosomal damage. This leads to the leakage of tissue protease B (CTSB) within lysosomes and triggers the Gal-3-dependent lysosomal phagocytosis mechanism to eliminate the damaged lysosomes.Moreover, we also found that lysosome damage and lysophagy induced by ATO were associated with intracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> disturbance. Taken together, the results show that ATO can induce lysosome damage and activate Gal-3 mediated lysophagy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 267-280"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.10.033
Jiahao Song , Shuhui Wan , Wendi Shi , Sinan Wu , Le Hong , Zhiying Huo , Yueru Yang , Da Shi , Qing Liu , Yongfang Zhang , Xuefeng Lai , Wei Liu , Hao Wang , Weihong Chen , Bin Wang
Background
Air pollution exposure has been identified as a pathogenic factor of lung cancer, whereas the metabolic profile disturbance involved and its underlying role remain unclear while attract much attention.
Methods
Metabolomic profiling in plasma was conducted among 205,974 participants in the UK Biobank. Particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10), PM2.5, PM2.5–10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were assessed by land-use regression models. Mediation roles of metabolic features involved in air pollution and incident lung cancer, and performance of the lung cancer prediction model incorporating crucial metabolite features identified by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression, were evaluated.
Results
During a median follow-up period of 13.1 years, 1,536 incident lung cancer cases were recorded. Among the 143 metabolite features, 66 overlapped in PM2.5, NO2, or NOx exposure-associated incident lung cancer after multivariate adjustment (false discovery rate P < 0.05). The highest mediation proportions were observed for Albumin (percentage mediated: 4.02 %), Phospholipids in Medium Very-Low-Density Lipoproteins (M-VLDL) (6.38 %), and M-VLDL (6.42 %) in incident lung cancer from PM2.5, NO2, and NOx exposure, respectively. LASSO and multivariate Cox regression identified 15 metabolite features associated with lung cancer, and inclusion of these metabolite features significantly improved the prediction of lung cancer (C statistic: 0.851; Net reclassification improvement index: 0.144; Integrated discrimination improvement index: 0.005).
Discussion
Disturbance and mediation role of circulating metabolic features in air pollution exposure and incident lung cancer were identified, and metabolite profiling may well improve early prediction of lung cancer.
{"title":"Metabolomic signature and prediction of incident lung cancer from air pollution exposure in a national cohort: Unraveling the link and underlying role","authors":"Jiahao Song , Shuhui Wan , Wendi Shi , Sinan Wu , Le Hong , Zhiying Huo , Yueru Yang , Da Shi , Qing Liu , Yongfang Zhang , Xuefeng Lai , Wei Liu , Hao Wang , Weihong Chen , Bin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.10.033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.10.033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Air pollution exposure has been identified as a pathogenic factor of lung cancer, whereas the metabolic profile disturbance involved and its underlying role remain unclear while attract much attention.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Metabolomic profiling in plasma was conducted among 205,974 participants in the UK Biobank. Particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM<sub>10</sub>), PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>2.5–10</sub>, nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>), and nitrogen oxides (NO<sub>x</sub>) were assessed by land-use regression models. Mediation roles of metabolic features involved in air pollution and incident lung cancer, and performance of the lung cancer prediction model incorporating crucial metabolite features identified by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression, were evaluated.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>During a median follow-up period of 13.1 years, 1,536 incident lung cancer cases were recorded. Among the 143 metabolite features, 66 overlapped in PM<sub>2.5</sub>, NO<sub>2</sub>, or NO<sub>x</sub> exposure-associated incident lung cancer after multivariate adjustment (false discovery rate <em>P</em> < 0.05). The highest mediation proportions were observed for Albumin (percentage mediated: 4.02 %), Phospholipids in Medium Very-Low-Density Lipoproteins (M-VLDL) (6.38 %), and M-VLDL (6.42 %) in incident lung cancer from PM<sub>2.5</sub>, NO<sub>2</sub>, and NO<sub>x</sub> exposure, respectively. LASSO and multivariate Cox regression identified 15 metabolite features associated with lung cancer, and inclusion of these metabolite features significantly improved the prediction of lung cancer (C statistic: 0.851; Net reclassification improvement index: 0.144; Integrated discrimination improvement index: 0.005).</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Disturbance and mediation role of circulating metabolic features in air pollution exposure and incident lung cancer were identified, and metabolite profiling may well improve early prediction of lung cancer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 238-247"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-12DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.016
Guanghao Chen , Lin Zhou , Tingting Cai , Jiale Song , Jintong Liu , Hong Yang
Pyridaphenthion, as a broad-spectrum insecticide, warrants attention regarding its residue in crops and toxicity. Herein, a mixed-valence cerium-based metal-organic framework (CeMOF) nanozyme was synthesized via in-situ partial oxidation. The reversible Ce(IV)/Ce(III) nodes in CeMOF employed as the tunable catalytic switch. The nodes endowed the nanozyme with peroxidase-like activity for oxidizing colorimetric substrate with blue signals. The acid phosphatase (ACP) reduced the Ce(IV)/Ce(III) ratio and suppressed the peroxidase-like activity. Combined with the inhibiting activity of pyridaphenthion against ACP, the catalytic activity of CeMOF could be aroused by pyridaphenthion target. This mechanism facilitated the highly sensitive detection of pyridaphenthion through natural and artificial cascade catalysis. By convenient colorimetric analysis and visual instrument-free-based on-site approach compatible with smartphone, the array achieved the pyridaphenthion bioaccumulation determination with a detection limit of 0.099 ng mL−1. This presented cascade catalysis sensing array not only lighted up the way for dedicated design of nanozyme with target-triggered switch, but also provided an intelligent and efficient solution for on-site pesticide residue monitoring.
嘧虫磷作为一种广谱杀虫剂，其在作物中的残留和毒性值得关注。本文采用原位部分氧化法合成了一种混合价铈基金属有机骨架纳米酶。在CeMOF中采用可逆的Ce(IV)/Ce（III）节点作为可调的催化开关。这些节点赋予纳米酶类似过氧化物酶的活性，以氧化具有蓝色信号的比色底物。酸性磷酸酶（ACP）降低了Ce(IV)/Ce（III）比值，抑制了过氧化物酶样活性。结合吡啶除虫对ACP的抑制活性，可以发现吡啶除虫能激发CeMOF的催化活性。该机制可通过自然和人工级联催化对嘧虫磷进行高灵敏度检测。通过方便的比色分析和兼容智能手机的无视觉仪器现场方法，该阵列实现了嘧霉磷生物积累量的测定，检出限为0.099 ng mL−1。该串级催化传感阵列不仅为靶向触发开关纳米酶的专用设计开辟了道路，而且为现场农药残留监测提供了一种智能、高效的解决方案。
{"title":"Target-tunable colorimetric sensor array based with mixed-valence cerium-centered metal-organic framework nanozyme for on-site sensitive detection of pyridaphenthion bioaccumulation in crops","authors":"Guanghao Chen , Lin Zhou , Tingting Cai , Jiale Song , Jintong Liu , Hong Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pyridaphenthion, as a broad-spectrum insecticide, warrants attention regarding its residue in crops and toxicity. Herein, a mixed-valence cerium-based metal-organic framework (CeMOF) nanozyme was synthesized via in-situ partial oxidation. The reversible Ce(IV)/Ce(III) nodes in CeMOF employed as the tunable catalytic switch. The nodes endowed the nanozyme with peroxidase-like activity for oxidizing colorimetric substrate with blue signals. The acid phosphatase (ACP) reduced the Ce(IV)/Ce(III) ratio and suppressed the peroxidase-like activity. Combined with the inhibiting activity of pyridaphenthion against ACP, the catalytic activity of CeMOF could be aroused by pyridaphenthion target. This mechanism facilitated the highly sensitive detection of pyridaphenthion through natural and artificial cascade catalysis. By convenient colorimetric analysis and visual instrument-free-based on-site approach compatible with smartphone, the array achieved the pyridaphenthion bioaccumulation determination with a detection limit of 0.099 ng mL<sup>−1</sup>. This presented cascade catalysis sensing array not only lighted up the way for dedicated design of nanozyme with target-triggered switch, but also provided an intelligent and efficient solution for on-site pesticide residue monitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 185-194"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.023
Hongwei Bai , Qiao Liu , Xuhui Shen , Wenbing Tan , Ying Yuan , Dongyang Li , Yike Kang , Dongyu Cui
Dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) have high potential bioavailability, making them key factors in the water eutrophication process. For wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), one of the challenges in alleviating eutrophication in receiving waters is reducing levels of DOP and DON, which are harder to remove than inorganic phosphate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen. In this study, for the first time we simultaneously investigated the bioavailability and transformation of DOP and DON in a WWTP at the molecular level, via Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and paired mass distance (PMD)-based network analysis. Results showed that the removal of DOP and DON in the biological treatment contributed 83.3 % and 100.3 %, respectively, to the total removal in the WWTP. Meanwhile, the double bond equivalence values of DOP and DON markedly increased from 8.93 to 13.36 and from 7.57 to 11.72 during biological treatment, respectively, whereas slight changes were observed during advanced treatment, indicating that the biological treatment played a dominant role in reducing the concentration and bioavailability of DOP and DON. PMD-based network analysis indicated that the variation in the bioavailability of DOP and DON in the biological treatment was primarily associated with the transformation from low unsaturation lipid- and protein-like species to highly unsaturated lignin-like species. Our findings enhance the understanding of the bioavailability and transformation of DOP and DON in WWTPs, thereby offering guidance for optimizing biological nutrient removal and designing targeted advanced treatment strategies during WWTP upgrading.
{"title":"Molecular insights into the bioavailability and transformation of dissolved organic phosphorus and nitrogen in a wastewater treatment plant","authors":"Hongwei Bai , Qiao Liu , Xuhui Shen , Wenbing Tan , Ying Yuan , Dongyang Li , Yike Kang , Dongyu Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) have high potential bioavailability, making them key factors in the water eutrophication process. For wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), one of the challenges in alleviating eutrophication in receiving waters is reducing levels of DOP and DON, which are harder to remove than inorganic phosphate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen. In this study, for the first time we simultaneously investigated the bioavailability and transformation of DOP and DON in a WWTP at the molecular level, via Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and paired mass distance (PMD)-based network analysis. Results showed that the removal of DOP and DON in the biological treatment contributed 83.3 % and 100.3 %, respectively, to the total removal in the WWTP. Meanwhile, the double bond equivalence values of DOP and DON markedly increased from 8.93 to 13.36 and from 7.57 to 11.72 during biological treatment, respectively, whereas slight changes were observed during advanced treatment, indicating that the biological treatment played a dominant role in reducing the concentration and bioavailability of DOP and DON. PMD-based network analysis indicated that the variation in the bioavailability of DOP and DON in the biological treatment was primarily associated with the transformation from low unsaturation lipid- and protein-like species to highly unsaturated lignin-like species. Our findings enhance the understanding of the bioavailability and transformation of DOP and DON in WWTPs, thereby offering guidance for optimizing biological nutrient removal and designing targeted advanced treatment strategies during WWTP upgrading.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 281-289"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.011
Giovanna Mazzi , Matteo Feltracco , Elena Barbaro , Elisa Scalabrin , Eleonora Favaro , Cristina Colombi , Guorui Liu , Yujue Yang , Andrea Gambaro
The aviation sector is crucial to support worldwide connections, and it is esteemed to grow in the following years. Monitoring of aviation pollution has gained importance, but poor attention is brought to the chemical composition of non-exhaust emissions such as Tire Wear Particles (TWPs), produced after the abrasion of tires with the road pavement. TWPs can end up in water, soil, and air, resulting in a great source of microplastics. Not only, TWPs can transport and release rubber additives like Benzothiazoles (BTHs), a wide family of organic molecules used in rubber production. BTHs have been exploited as chemical markers to trace non-exhaust road traffic emissions, however, to the best of our knowledge no studies researched BTHs in airborne aircraft TWPs. This is a great gap in literature considering the great estimated amount of TWPs produced by aircrafts. BTHs were investigated for the first time in the outdoor PM10 of Milano Linate airport together with other chemical markers (major ions, carboxylic acids). The airport appears to be an important source of BTHs, especially BTH, BTH-NH2, BTH-MeS, and BTH-SO3H, and the aerosol composition appears like those of highly trafficked cities. A weekly trend was observed, and a strong link between BTH-NH2 and BTH-SO3H was noticed, suggesting a connection with the airport activities. A chemometric approach was also applied, and three major clusters were identified: one was attributed to the airplanes/airport vehicles' activity; one was linked to the airport de/anti-icing procedures; the last was related to a median-range transport and secondary atmospheric reactions.
{"title":"Tracking the source: First evidence of Benzothiazoles in outdoor airport aerosol","authors":"Giovanna Mazzi , Matteo Feltracco , Elena Barbaro , Elisa Scalabrin , Eleonora Favaro , Cristina Colombi , Guorui Liu , Yujue Yang , Andrea Gambaro","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aviation sector is crucial to support worldwide connections, and it is esteemed to grow in the following years. Monitoring of aviation pollution has gained importance, but poor attention is brought to the chemical composition of non-exhaust emissions such as Tire Wear Particles (TWPs), produced after the abrasion of tires with the road pavement. TWPs can end up in water, soil, and air, resulting in a great source of microplastics. Not only, TWPs can transport and release rubber additives like Benzothiazoles (BTHs), a wide family of organic molecules used in rubber production. BTHs have been exploited as chemical markers to trace non-exhaust road traffic emissions, however, to the best of our knowledge no studies researched BTHs in airborne aircraft TWPs. This is a great gap in literature considering the great estimated amount of TWPs produced by aircrafts. BTHs were investigated for the first time in the outdoor PM<sub>10</sub> of Milano Linate airport together with other chemical markers (major ions, carboxylic acids). The airport appears to be an important source of BTHs, especially BTH, BTH-NH<sub>2</sub>, BTH-MeS, and BTH-SO<sub>3</sub>H, and the aerosol composition appears like those of highly trafficked cities. A weekly trend was observed, and a strong link between BTH-NH<sub>2</sub> and BTH-SO<sub>3</sub>H was noticed, suggesting a connection with the airport activities. A chemometric approach was also applied, and three major clusters were identified: one was attributed to the airplanes/airport vehicles' activity; one was linked to the airport de/anti-icing procedures; the last was related to a median-range transport and secondary atmospheric reactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 66-75"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-08DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.010
Syeda Maksuda Yeasmin , Chuanxiu Luo , Md Habibur Rahman , Syed Tanvir Woalid , Md. Hasan , Md. Anisur Rahman , M Aminur Rahman , Md. Hafijur Rahaman Khan , Md. Abu Kawsar
The coastal islands of the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta are ecologically vital but increasingly threatened by rising heavy metal contamination from natural and anthropogenic sources. This study assessed ten metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, and Zn) in surface sediments collected from thirteen southern coastal islands using ICP–MS. Results revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with major contamination hotspots at Salimpur, Urir Char, and Kutubdia. Cadmium and arsenic exhibited the highest enrichment, exceeding upper continental crust values by 18.4 and 2.3 times, respectively. Pollution load index (PLI) values greater than one indicated a substantial decline in sediment quality. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) revealed moderate to very high ecological risk dominated by Cd, while the toxic risk index (TRI) suggested low to moderate toxic risk. Although non-carcinogenic risks were negligible, cumulative carcinogenic risks from Cr, Ni, Cd, and As exceeded the USEPA safety threshold. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and Principal Component Analysis–Multiple Linear Regression (PCA–MLR) indicated that metals originated from geogenic and anthropogenic sources, mainly associated with shipbreaking, agriculture, and groundwater extraction. These findings provide essential baseline data to inform targeted mitigation and regulatory measures for the sustainable management of the GBM delta.
{"title":"Heavy metal sources and associated ecological and human health risks in coastal islands of the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta, Bangladesh","authors":"Syeda Maksuda Yeasmin , Chuanxiu Luo , Md Habibur Rahman , Syed Tanvir Woalid , Md. Hasan , Md. Anisur Rahman , M Aminur Rahman , Md. Hafijur Rahaman Khan , Md. Abu Kawsar","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.11.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The coastal islands of the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta are ecologically vital but increasingly threatened by rising heavy metal contamination from natural and anthropogenic sources. This study assessed ten metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, and Zn) in surface sediments collected from thirteen southern coastal islands using ICP–MS. Results revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with major contamination hotspots at Salimpur, Urir Char, and Kutubdia. Cadmium and arsenic exhibited the highest enrichment, exceeding upper continental crust values by 18.4 and 2.3 times, respectively. Pollution load index (PLI) values greater than one indicated a substantial decline in sediment quality. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) revealed moderate to very high ecological risk dominated by Cd, while the toxic risk index (TRI) suggested low to moderate toxic risk. Although non-carcinogenic risks were negligible, cumulative carcinogenic risks from Cr, Ni, Cd, and As exceeded the USEPA safety threshold. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and Principal Component Analysis–Multiple Linear Regression (PCA–MLR) indicated that metals originated from geogenic and anthropogenic sources, mainly associated with shipbreaking, agriculture, and groundwater extraction. These findings provide essential baseline data to inform targeted mitigation and regulatory measures for the sustainable management of the GBM delta.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 112-126"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.12.010
Haosong Qu , Zhiming He , Minjie Pei , Zhanqi Song , Kai Zhang , Yali Li
Chlorinated organic hazardous wastes (COWs) are highly toxic, chemically stable, and resistant to natural degradation, their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation pose serious threats to human health and ecosystems. Dechlorination is a key approach to reducing toxicity, lowering environmental pollution risks, and enabling subsequent treatment and resource recovery. In this study, an alkaline alcoholysis system based on sodium hydroxide and anhydrous ethanol was developed to treat chlorinated pesticide waste liquid (CPWL) under ambient conditions. Multiple analytical techniques, including gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were used to examine changes in chemical composition, molecular structure, and functional groups in CPWL. Mechanistic analysis indicates that nucleophilic substitution is the dominant reaction pathway. Before treatment, the major pollutants2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine and 1,3,7-trichloronaphthalene accounted for 36.63 % and 38.80 % of the mixture, respectively; after treatment, their contents decreased to 0.12 % and non-detectable levels. The released chlorine was effectively converted into sodium chloride, achieving efficient chlorine immobilization. DFT calculations reveal the initial attack site as -CCl3, with a total enthalpy change ΔH = −24.7 kcal·mol−1 and an energy barrier of 14.5–38.6 kcal·mol−1. ECOSAR assessment indicates reduced toxicity of CPWL products following reaction. This alkaline alcoholysis system demonstrates significant effectiveness in detoxifying chlorinated organic wastes and provides a feasible route for resource recovery.
{"title":"Chlorine migration and transformation mechanism in organochlorine hazardous waste treated with alkaline alcohol system","authors":"Haosong Qu , Zhiming He , Minjie Pei , Zhanqi Song , Kai Zhang , Yali Li","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.12.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.12.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chlorinated organic hazardous wastes (COWs) are highly toxic, chemically stable, and resistant to natural degradation, their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation pose serious threats to human health and ecosystems. Dechlorination is a key approach to reducing toxicity, lowering environmental pollution risks, and enabling subsequent treatment and resource recovery. In this study, an alkaline alcoholysis system based on sodium hydroxide and anhydrous ethanol was developed to treat chlorinated pesticide waste liquid (CPWL) under ambient conditions. Multiple analytical techniques, including gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were used to examine changes in chemical composition, molecular structure, and functional groups in CPWL. Mechanistic analysis indicates that nucleophilic substitution is the dominant reaction pathway. Before treatment, the major pollutants2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine and 1,3,7-trichloronaphthalene accounted for 36.63 % and 38.80 % of the mixture, respectively; after treatment, their contents decreased to 0.12 % and non-detectable levels. The released chlorine was effectively converted into sodium chloride, achieving efficient chlorine immobilization. DFT calculations reveal the initial attack site as -CCl<sub>3</sub>, with a total enthalpy change ΔH = −24.7 kcal·mol<sup>−1</sup> and an energy barrier of 14.5–38.6 kcal·mol<sup>−1</sup>. ECOSAR assessment indicates reduced toxicity of CPWL products following reaction. This alkaline alcoholysis system demonstrates significant effectiveness in detoxifying chlorinated organic wastes and provides a feasible route for resource recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 590-605"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145789686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-03DOI: 10.1016/j.enceco.2025.10.027
Yanan Qu , Yizhuo Wang , Siying Li , Xuzhen Shi , Gan Ai , Xiaoliang Liu , Zongzhe He , Liqing Zeng , Xuesheng Li , Zhaojie Chen
Protoporphyrinogen oxidase herbicides, such as oxadiazon (ODZ) and oxyfluorfen (OFF), were widely used to control field weeds for crop production. However, their excessive use can lead to its accumulation in soils and crops, affecting crop yields and human health. Therefore, developing a method to degrade ODZ and OFF in rice is crucial for ensuring food safety and agricultural productivity. A phase I reaction enzyme, haloacid dehalogenase-2 (HAD-2), has not been identified facilitates this breakdown. To assess the detoxifying and metabolic functions of HAD-2 on ODZ and OFF, we generated CRISPR-Cas9-based knockout mutant lines and genetically edited rice cultivars that overexpress OsHAD-2 (OE). The metabolites and conjugates of these compounds were identified via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a linear ion trap (LTQ) tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-LTQ-MS/MS). Our results indicated that the OsHAD-2 was localized on the plasma membrane and significantly induced under ODZ/OFF stress. The overexpression of OsHAD-2 conferred resistance to ODZ and OFF toxicity in rice compared with the wild-type (WT), as demonstrated by increased biomass and elongation of rice plants, reduced cellular damage, higher chlorophyll accumulation, and enhanced antioxidant and detoxification enzyme activities. The OE-16 rice seedlings removed 14 % and 32 % more ODZ/OFF from their growth medium, respectively, than the WT and accumulated considerably lower quantity of parent compounds. They also exhibited a greater abundance of degradative metabolites through dehalogenation and hydrolysis. The concentration of dechlorination-hydrolysis-oxadiazon (m/z 327) and hydrolysis-nitroreduction-oxyfluorfen (m/z 314) in the OE-16 rice grains were 2.13- and 2.70-fold higher than those in WT. In contrast, OsHAD-2 knockout lines exhibited increased accumulation of toxic ODZ and OFF in rice, increased toxic symptoms under ODZ/OFF stress, and reduced growth performance. These rice seedlings also showed reduced levels of ODZ and OFF hydrolysis and dehalogenation metabolites, indicating a functional loss of OsHAD-2. These findings highlight the role of OsHAD-2 expression in detoxifying protoporphyrinogen oxidase herbicides in rice, primarily through dehalogenation and hydrolysis mechanisms.
{"title":"Haloacid dehalogenase–mediated dehalogenation and hydrolysis of oxadiazon and oxyfluorfen mitigate environmental risks in rice production","authors":"Yanan Qu , Yizhuo Wang , Siying Li , Xuzhen Shi , Gan Ai , Xiaoliang Liu , Zongzhe He , Liqing Zeng , Xuesheng Li , Zhaojie Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.10.027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enceco.2025.10.027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protoporphyrinogen oxidase herbicides, such as oxadiazon (ODZ) and oxyfluorfen (OFF), were widely used to control field weeds for crop production. However, their excessive use can lead to its accumulation in soils and crops, affecting crop yields and human health. Therefore, developing a method to degrade ODZ and OFF in rice is crucial for ensuring food safety and agricultural productivity. A phase I reaction enzyme, haloacid dehalogenase-2 (HAD-2), has not been identified facilitates this breakdown. To assess the detoxifying and metabolic functions of HAD-2 on ODZ and OFF, we generated CRISPR-Cas9-based knockout mutant lines and genetically edited rice cultivars that overexpress <em>OsHAD-2</em> (OE). The metabolites and conjugates of these compounds were identified via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a linear ion trap (LTQ) tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-LTQ-MS/MS). Our results indicated that the <em>OsHAD-2</em> was localized on the plasma membrane and significantly induced under ODZ/OFF stress. The overexpression of <em>OsHAD-2</em> conferred resistance to ODZ and OFF toxicity in rice compared with the wild-type (WT), as demonstrated by increased biomass and elongation of rice plants, reduced cellular damage, higher chlorophyll accumulation, and enhanced antioxidant and detoxification enzyme activities. The OE-16 rice seedlings removed 14 % and 32 % more ODZ/OFF from their growth medium, respectively, than the WT and accumulated considerably lower quantity of parent compounds. They also exhibited a greater abundance of degradative metabolites through dehalogenation and hydrolysis. The concentration of dechlorination-hydrolysis-oxadiazon (<em>m</em>/<em>z</em> 327) and hydrolysis-nitroreduction-oxyfluorfen (m/z 314) in the OE-16 rice grains were 2.13- and 2.70-fold higher than those in WT. In contrast, <em>OsHAD-2</em> knockout lines exhibited increased accumulation of toxic ODZ and OFF in rice, increased toxic symptoms under ODZ/OFF stress, and reduced growth performance. These rice seedlings also showed reduced levels of ODZ and OFF hydrolysis and dehalogenation metabolites, indicating a functional loss of <em>OsHAD-2</em>. These findings highlight the role of <em>OsHAD-2</em> expression in detoxifying protoporphyrinogen oxidase herbicides in rice, primarily through dehalogenation and hydrolysis mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100480,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Pages 1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":8.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145521022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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