Effects of Dibutyl Phthalate Exposure on Fatty Acid Metabolism in Water Fleas Daphnia magna
WANG Chenchen1, SHEN Chenchen1,2, GUO Tingting1, GENG Shirong1, YANG Miao3, WANG Yuan1, WEI Jie1
1. Key Laboratory of Hydrobiology in Liaoning Province, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; 2. School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; 3. Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology in Liaoning Province, School of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116081, China
Abstract：Fatty acids are sensitive to environmental changes and serve as important indicators for organisms to adapt to variable environments. To investigate the effects of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on the lipid metabolism in aquatic organisms, water fleas Daphnia magna was exposed to DBP at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 mg/L (including a blank control) for 5 days. Subsequently, the composition and content of fatty acids in the organisms were analyzed. The results showed that D. magna contained 9 polyunsaturated fatty acids (46% of total, mainly α-Linolenic acid), 4 monounsaturated fatty acids (28%, mainly oleic acid), and 3 saturated fatty acids (26%, mainly palmitic acid). DBP significantly altered the fatty acid composition ratios (P<0.05),significantly higher proportion of saturated fatty acids (P<0.05), increased proportions of palmitic and stearic acids (P<0.05), and significantly reduced polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g., α-Linolenic acid) in 0.8 mg/L DBP group (P<0.05). Analysis of fatty acid content demonstrated that total fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids contents in the 0.2—1.0 mg/L DBP groups all showed an initial increase followed by a decrease with the increasing DBP concentration; the 0.6 mg/L DBP group exhibited the highest monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids contents, with significant increases in oleic acid, palmitoleic acid, α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid (P<0.05); water fleas in 0.8 mg/L DBP group showed the highest saturated fatty acids content, with palmitic acid and stearic acid being significantly elevated (P<0.05). In present study, 0.8 mg/L DBP represented the critical threshold for fatty acid metabolism disruption in D. magna. DBP induces toxic effects by interfering with fatty acid metabolism, suggesting that polyunsaturated fatty acid (particularly α-linolenic acid) may serve as potential biomarkers for DBP stress. The findings will help to better understand the toxic effects and toxic mechanisms of phthalate esters, and provide scientific basis for water pollution control and environmental monitoring.
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