Phenanthrene Bioaccumulation in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The contribution of food to the bioaccumulation of xenobiotics and hence toxicity is still an ambiguous issue. It is becoming more and more evident that universal statements cannot be made, but that the relative contribution of food-associated xenobiotics in bioaccumulation depends on species, substance, and environmental conditions. Yet, small-sized benthic or soil animals such as nematodes have largely been disregarded so far. Bioaccumulation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon phenanthrene in the absence and presence of bacterial food was measured in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Elimination of phenanthrene in the nematodes was biphasic, suggesting that there was a slowly exchanging pool within the nematodes or that biotransformation of phenanthrene took place. Even with food present, dissolved phenanthrene was still the major contributor to bioaccumulated compound in nematode tissues, whereas the diet only contributed about 9%. Toxicokinetic parameters in the treatment without food were different from the ones of the treatment with bacteria, possibly because nematodes depleted their lipid reserves during starvation.

Published in

Environmental Science and Technology
2015, volume: 49, number: 3, pages: 1842-1850
Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

SLU Authors

• Goedkoop, Willem

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences
Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/es504553t

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/76143