Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience
Despite widespread industrial use, the environmental safety of hydroquinone (HQ), a benzene compound from plants used in processes like cosmetics, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the ecotoxicological impact of HQ on soil and river environments, utilizing non-target indicator organisms from d...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Toxics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/2/115 |
| _version_ | 1827342682834337792 |
|---|---|
| author | Antonio Valenzuela Diego Ballestero Cristina Gan Guillermo Lorca Elisa Langa María Rosa Pino-Otín |
| author_facet | Antonio Valenzuela Diego Ballestero Cristina Gan Guillermo Lorca Elisa Langa María Rosa Pino-Otín |
| author_sort | Antonio Valenzuela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite widespread industrial use, the environmental safety of hydroquinone (HQ), a benzene compound from plants used in processes like cosmetics, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the ecotoxicological impact of HQ on soil and river environments, utilizing non-target indicator organisms from diverse trophic levels: <i>Daphnia magna</i>, <i>Aliivibrio fischeri</i>, <i>Allium cepa</i>, and <i>Eisenia fetida</i>. For a more environmentally realistic assessment, microbial communities from a river and untreated soil underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with growth and changes in community-level physiological profiling assessed using Biolog EcoPlate™ assays. The water indicator <i>D. magna</i> exhibited the highest sensitivity to HQ (EC<sub>50</sub> = 0.142 µg/mL), followed by <i>A. fischeri</i> (EC<sub>50</sub> = 1.446 µg/mL), and <i>A. cepa</i> (LC<sub>50</sub> = 7.631 µg/mL), while <i>E. fetida</i> showed the highest resistance (EC<sub>50</sub> = 234 mg/Kg). Remarkably, microbial communities mitigated HQ impact in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. River microorganisms displayed minimal inhibition, except for a significant reduction in polymer metabolism at the highest concentration (100 µg/mL). Soil communities demonstrated resilience up to 100 µg/mL, beyond which there was a significant decrease in population growth and the capacity to metabolize carbohydrates and polymers. Despite microbial mitigation, HQ remains highly toxic to various trophic levels, emphasizing the necessity for environmental regulations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:12:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6fbea55ebe094b2e864331d02295f982 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:12:04Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-6fbea55ebe094b2e864331d02295f9822024-02-23T15:36:21ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042024-01-0112211510.3390/toxics12020115Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial ResilienceAntonio Valenzuela0Diego Ballestero1Cristina Gan2Guillermo Lorca3Elisa Langa4María Rosa Pino-Otín5Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, 50830 Zaragoza, SpainDespite widespread industrial use, the environmental safety of hydroquinone (HQ), a benzene compound from plants used in processes like cosmetics, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the ecotoxicological impact of HQ on soil and river environments, utilizing non-target indicator organisms from diverse trophic levels: <i>Daphnia magna</i>, <i>Aliivibrio fischeri</i>, <i>Allium cepa</i>, and <i>Eisenia fetida</i>. For a more environmentally realistic assessment, microbial communities from a river and untreated soil underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with growth and changes in community-level physiological profiling assessed using Biolog EcoPlate™ assays. The water indicator <i>D. magna</i> exhibited the highest sensitivity to HQ (EC<sub>50</sub> = 0.142 µg/mL), followed by <i>A. fischeri</i> (EC<sub>50</sub> = 1.446 µg/mL), and <i>A. cepa</i> (LC<sub>50</sub> = 7.631 µg/mL), while <i>E. fetida</i> showed the highest resistance (EC<sub>50</sub> = 234 mg/Kg). Remarkably, microbial communities mitigated HQ impact in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. River microorganisms displayed minimal inhibition, except for a significant reduction in polymer metabolism at the highest concentration (100 µg/mL). Soil communities demonstrated resilience up to 100 µg/mL, beyond which there was a significant decrease in population growth and the capacity to metabolize carbohydrates and polymers. Despite microbial mitigation, HQ remains highly toxic to various trophic levels, emphasizing the necessity for environmental regulations.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/2/115hydroquinoneacute toxicity<i>Daphnia magna</i><i>Aliivibrio fischeri</i><i>Allium cepa</i><i>Eisenia fetida</i> |
| spellingShingle | Antonio Valenzuela Diego Ballestero Cristina Gan Guillermo Lorca Elisa Langa María Rosa Pino-Otín Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience Toxics hydroquinone acute toxicity <i>Daphnia magna</i> <i>Aliivibrio fischeri</i> <i>Allium cepa</i> <i>Eisenia fetida</i> |
| title | Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience |
| title_full | Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience |
| title_fullStr | Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience |
| title_short | Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience |
| title_sort | hydroquinone ecotoxicity unveiling risks in soil and river ecosystems with insights into microbial resilience |
| topic | hydroquinone acute toxicity <i>Daphnia magna</i> <i>Aliivibrio fischeri</i> <i>Allium cepa</i> <i>Eisenia fetida</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/2/115 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT antoniovalenzuela hydroquinoneecotoxicityunveilingrisksinsoilandriverecosystemswithinsightsintomicrobialresilience AT diegoballestero hydroquinoneecotoxicityunveilingrisksinsoilandriverecosystemswithinsightsintomicrobialresilience AT cristinagan hydroquinoneecotoxicityunveilingrisksinsoilandriverecosystemswithinsightsintomicrobialresilience AT guillermolorca hydroquinoneecotoxicityunveilingrisksinsoilandriverecosystemswithinsightsintomicrobialresilience AT elisalanga hydroquinoneecotoxicityunveilingrisksinsoilandriverecosystemswithinsightsintomicrobialresilience AT mariarosapinootin hydroquinoneecotoxicityunveilingrisksinsoilandriverecosystemswithinsightsintomicrobialresilience |