Abstract
Dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) is one of the emerging nitrogenous disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water. However, its potential toxicological effects remain poorly understood, especially at a low concentration found in the environment. In the present study, we investigated whether the consumption of low-concentration DCAN through drinking water would produce significant effects in male SD rats, with particular focus on their physiological traits and changes in their gut microbiome and metabolite profiles. After a 4-weeks DCAN intervention, significant changes were observed in the body weight, blood indices, and histology in DCAN-treated (100 μg/L) group. Proteobacteria was relatively less abundant in 20 and 100 μg/L DCAN-treated groups compared with that in the control group at phylum level. At genus level, Parasutterella and Anaerotruncus were significantly less abundant in both 20 and 100 μg/L DCAN-treated groups than that in the control group. Furthermore, the gut microbiota-related metabolites were dramatically perturbed after DCAN consumption. In the 20 and 100 μg/L DCAN-treated groups, there were 48 and 95 altered metabolites, respectively, and were found to be involved in sphingolipid signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, and cGMP−PKG signaling pathway. In summary, we demonstrated that consumption of low-concentration DCAN through drinking water could impair host health and induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and gut microflora-related metabolic disorders in male SD rats. Our findings highlight the potential toxicity of low-concentration DBPs and provide new insight into potential causal relationship between low concentration DBPs found in the drinking water and the host health.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.