Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics

Antibiotics, like other pharmaceuticals, are continuously released into the environment as a result of human activities. Although designed to target harmful bacteria, they can also affect non-target organisms in aquatic ecosystems. Standard toxicological tests often fail to detect the subtle or long...

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Main Authors: Judit Kalman, Yolanda Valcárcel-Rivera, José Luis Martínez-Guitarte
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Current Research in Toxicology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X25000258
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author Judit Kalman
Yolanda Valcárcel-Rivera
José Luis Martínez-Guitarte
author_facet Judit Kalman
Yolanda Valcárcel-Rivera
José Luis Martínez-Guitarte
author_sort Judit Kalman
collection DOAJ
description Antibiotics, like other pharmaceuticals, are continuously released into the environment as a result of human activities. Although designed to target harmful bacteria, they can also affect non-target organisms in aquatic ecosystems. Standard toxicological tests often fail to detect the subtle or long term antibiotic-induced effects, but newer methods are providing valuable insights into the molecular pathways and physiological responses they affect. Chironomus riparius, a dipteran with aquatic larvae, is widely used in toxicological testing due to its sensitivity to various toxicants. However, little is known about the molecular effects of antibiotics on this species.This study investigated the gene expression profile of C. riparius in response to antibiotics from three classes − aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and penicillin. Fourth instar larvae were exposed to concentrations of 0.001, 0.1 and 10 mg/L for 24 and 72 h. The expression of genes involved in hormonal regulation, detoxification, stress response and DNA repair was analysed. The results showed that all antibiotics altered mRNA levels, with three of the four (amoxicillin, neomycin and levofloxacin) downregulating genes at 24 h and upregulating them at 72 h. Genes affected by gentamicin showed the opposite trend.These transcriptional changes in response to different antibiotics highlight the complexity of the regulatory mechanisms involved in development, detoxification, stress response and DNA repair in aquatic insects. Further research is needed to better understand the molecular effects of antibiotics on this species.
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spelling doaj-art-6310de52e4d4486481fb7f8d94ac62842025-08-20T02:03:14ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Toxicology2666-027X2025-01-01810023910.1016/j.crtox.2025.100239Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibioticsJudit Kalman0Yolanda Valcárcel-Rivera1José Luis Martínez-Guitarte2RiSAMA Group, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain; Corresponding authors.RiSAMA Group, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Mathematical Physics and Fluids, Faculty of Sciences, National Distance Education University (UNED), Madrid, Spain; Corresponding authors.Antibiotics, like other pharmaceuticals, are continuously released into the environment as a result of human activities. Although designed to target harmful bacteria, they can also affect non-target organisms in aquatic ecosystems. Standard toxicological tests often fail to detect the subtle or long term antibiotic-induced effects, but newer methods are providing valuable insights into the molecular pathways and physiological responses they affect. Chironomus riparius, a dipteran with aquatic larvae, is widely used in toxicological testing due to its sensitivity to various toxicants. However, little is known about the molecular effects of antibiotics on this species.This study investigated the gene expression profile of C. riparius in response to antibiotics from three classes − aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and penicillin. Fourth instar larvae were exposed to concentrations of 0.001, 0.1 and 10 mg/L for 24 and 72 h. The expression of genes involved in hormonal regulation, detoxification, stress response and DNA repair was analysed. The results showed that all antibiotics altered mRNA levels, with three of the four (amoxicillin, neomycin and levofloxacin) downregulating genes at 24 h and upregulating them at 72 h. Genes affected by gentamicin showed the opposite trend.These transcriptional changes in response to different antibiotics highlight the complexity of the regulatory mechanisms involved in development, detoxification, stress response and DNA repair in aquatic insects. Further research is needed to better understand the molecular effects of antibiotics on this species.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X25000258Aquatic insectsAminoglycosidesFluoroquinolonesPenicillinGene expressions
spellingShingle Judit Kalman
Yolanda Valcárcel-Rivera
José Luis Martínez-Guitarte
Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics
Current Research in Toxicology
Aquatic insects
Aminoglycosides
Fluoroquinolones
Penicillin
Gene expressions
title Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics
title_full Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics
title_fullStr Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics
title_full_unstemmed Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics
title_short Molecular response of Chironomus riparius to antibiotics
title_sort molecular response of chironomus riparius to antibiotics
topic Aquatic insects
Aminoglycosides
Fluoroquinolones
Penicillin
Gene expressions
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X25000258
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