Exposure to High Concentrations of Tetrabromobisphenol A Slows the Process of Tissue Regeneration and Induces an Imbalance of Metabolic Homeostasis in the Regenerated Intestines of Apostichopus japonicus.

Background: Tissue regenerative capacity following evisceration, potentially influenced by environmental contaminants and intestinal microflora, is essential for the financial success of Apostichopus japonicus farming. However, the morphological structure, gut microbiome composition, and genes expression pattern of the regenerated gut after exposure to high levels of TBBPA remain poorly unclear.

Methods: In this research, the effect of TBBPA exposure on tissue regeneration in A. japonicus was investigated through a comprehensive multi-omics approach.

Results: Our results showed that the integrity, the intestinal wall thickness, and the villi length of the regenerated intestines in A. japonicus decreased after treatment with high levels of TBBPA. The findings from PCoA and NMDS analyses revealed that the microbial community composition was significantly altered following exposure to high concentrations of TBBPA in the regenerated intestines of A. japonicus. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs (differentially expressed genes) were predominantly enriched on metabolism and immunity-related signaling pathways after exposure to high levels of TBBPA. These included pathways involved in the PPAR signaling pathway, ECM receptor interaction, glycerolipid metabolism, and fatty acid degradation. Interestingly, the results have demonstrated that there are 77 transcript factors that were significantly different after exposure to TBBPA.

Conclusions: These results suggested that high levels of exposure to TBBPA induces an imbalance of the metabolic homeostasis by regulating the expression levels of transcription factors in the regenerated intestines of A. japonicus.