Benzo[a]pyrene （B[a]P） is an increasingly present marine environmental pollutant, yet our understanding of the long-term consequences of reproductive toxicity in marine benthic polychaetes remains limited. To test t...Benzo[a]pyrene （B[a]P） is an increasingly present marine environmental pollutant, yet our understanding of the long-term consequences of reproductive toxicity in marine benthic polychaetes remains limited. To test the reproductive toxicity of B[a]P on polychaetes, Perinereis nuntia was exposed to B[a]P-contaminated artificial seawater and sexual maturation, the sex ratio, number of eggs spawned, fertilization and hatching rated, as well as vitellogenin （VTG） mRNA expression levels were analyzed. A low concentration of B[a]P （2.5 gg/L） had no effects on the rate of sexual maturation, spawning, or fertilization but significantly increased the sex ratio （female： male） from 1.6±0.15：1 to 2.3±0.18：1, inhibited hatching rate by 27%, and significantly increased VTG mRNA expression level by 3.7-fold following a 60-day exposure, compared with those in the solvent controls. A higher concentration of B[a]P （25 μg/L） caused more serious effects; sexual maturation, fertilization success, and hatching decreased by 31%, 17% and 46%, respectively, and the sex ratio （female： male） and VTG mRNA gene expression level increased by 54% and 7.1-fold, respectively. These results demonstrate that sublethal concentrations of B[a]P negatively affect reproductive performance of the sandworm P. nuntia.展开更多
基金Supported by the Guangdong High-Level University Project"Green Technologies for Marine Industries"(No.130-33106703)Guangdong Natural Science Foundation(2016A030313065)the Outstanding Young Teachers of Guangdong Colleges and Universities(No.YQ2015074)
文摘Benzo[a]pyrene （B[a]P） is an increasingly present marine environmental pollutant, yet our understanding of the long-term consequences of reproductive toxicity in marine benthic polychaetes remains limited. To test the reproductive toxicity of B[a]P on polychaetes, Perinereis nuntia was exposed to B[a]P-contaminated artificial seawater and sexual maturation, the sex ratio, number of eggs spawned, fertilization and hatching rated, as well as vitellogenin （VTG） mRNA expression levels were analyzed. A low concentration of B[a]P （2.5 gg/L） had no effects on the rate of sexual maturation, spawning, or fertilization but significantly increased the sex ratio （female： male） from 1.6±0.15：1 to 2.3±0.18：1, inhibited hatching rate by 27%, and significantly increased VTG mRNA expression level by 3.7-fold following a 60-day exposure, compared with those in the solvent controls. A higher concentration of B[a]P （25 μg/L） caused more serious effects; sexual maturation, fertilization success, and hatching decreased by 31%, 17% and 46%, respectively, and the sex ratio （female： male） and VTG mRNA gene expression level increased by 54% and 7.1-fold, respectively. These results demonstrate that sublethal concentrations of B[a]P negatively affect reproductive performance of the sandworm P. nuntia.
