Early Embryonic Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls Disrupts Heat-Shock Protein 70 Cognate Expression in Zebrafish

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental contaminants that have documented neurological effects in children exposed in utero. To better define neuronally linked molecular targets during early development, zebrafish embryos were exposed to Aroclor 1254, a mixture of PCB congeners that are common environmental contaminants. Microarray analysis of the zebrafish genome revealed consistent significant changes in 38 genes. Of these genes, 55% (21) are neuronally related. One gene that showed a consistent 50% reduction in expression in PCB-treated embryos was heat-shock protein 70 cognate (Hsc70). The reduction in Hsc70 expression was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), revealing a consistent 30% reduction in expression in PCB-treated embryos. Early embryonic exposure to PCBs also induced structural changes in the ventro-rostral cluster as detected by immunocytochemistry. In addition, there was a significant reduction in dorso-rostral neurite outgrowth emanating from the RoL1 cell cluster following PCB exposure. The serotonergic neurons in the developing diencephalon showed a 34% reduction in fluorescence when labeled with a serotonin antibody following PCB exposure, corresponding to a reduction in serotonin concentration in the neurons. The total size of the labeled neurons was not significantly different between treated and control embryos, indicating that the development of the neurons was not affected, only the production of serotonin within the neurons. The structural and biochemical changes in the developing central nervous system following early embryonic exposure to Aroclor 1254 may lead to alterations in the function of the affected regions.

天然溶解有机质和环境污染物的相互作用--以铜、汞离子和卡马西平为例

天然溶解有机质（natural dissolved organic matter，DOM）是由动植物残体经过复杂的物理、化学和生物过程形成的高分子有机混合物，它广泛分布于水体、土壤和沉积物中。DOM的结构十分复杂，分子量从几百到几十万不等，元素组成和化学结构随时空和来源不同而变化。腐殖物质是DOM的主要组成部分，以溶解有机碳计约占DOM总量的50%~80%。腐殖物质可以分为：富里酸（fulvic acid， FA任何pH值条件下都溶于水），腐殖酸（humic acid，HA在pH 1时不溶于水）和胡敏素（humin，任何pH条件下都不溶于水）。 DOM能影响许多生物地球化学过程。例如DOM是一个重要的碳汇，它能影响微生物的食物链和全球碳循环；DOM和营养元素含量、食物链结构等一起决定水生生态系统的属性和发展动态；它还能吸收自然光，从而影响紫外线在水中的穿透能力和浮游植物的光合作用；DOM含有多种弱酸和弱碱官能团，是天然水体pH的调节剂和控制因素；DOM和痕量金属离子或有机污染物发生作用，从而影响它们的形态、毒性、迁移转化和生物有效性；在饮用水消毒过程中，DOM能生成致癌物三卤甲烷和其它消毒副产物。 天然水体中的痕量金属离子（如Cu2+和Hg2+）主要以DOM络合态存在。在海水中DOM控制铜的主要存在形态；在淡水中 90%以上的铜离子与DOM发生配位。通过配位作用DOM能抑制浮游生物对Hg的吸收，增加鱼类对Hg的蓄积。目前，人们对金属离子在环境中的迁移转化机理的理解还不够深入，尤其是对有机质参与下的有毒重金属循环还缺乏必要地认识。条件稳定常数是描述重金属离子与DOM配位能力的基本参数。前人运用多种手段对DOM与金属离子的结合能力进行了研究，主要包括：离子选择性电极法、溶出伏安法、超滤及荧光淬灭滴定法等。紫外吸收滴定法可用于研究单一有机化合物和金属离子的相互作用，在这一领域的应用尚未报道。本文首次将紫外吸收滴定法应用于测定DOM与Cu2+和Hg2+的条件稳定常数。实验表明紫外吸收滴定法迅速、简便、可望成为研究DOM和痕量金属离子相互作用的有力工具。 药品和个人护理品（pharmaceuticals and personal care products，PPCPs）在环境中普遍存在。有证据表明，环境中的有些PPCPs能对生物体产生影响，如改变生物体的性别比例，影响植物生长，动物幼虫的孵化，甚至具有明显的致畸效应。卡马西平（Carbamazepine，CBZ）是一种常用的抗癫痫、止痛药物和抗抑郁药。毒理学实验表明，环境中的CBZ能严重影响鱼、蚌等水生生物的免疫和循环系统。CBZ使用量大，在环境中含量高，在地下水渗透过程和常规污水处理中保持稳定，因此CBZ成为衡量人类活动和污水处理工艺效率的标志物。但是目前人们对CBZ的环境地球化学循环知之甚少。DOM能与许多有机污染物发生相互作用，从而影响它们的生物环境地球化学行为，但DOM对CBZ的影响尚未见报道。本论文利用三维荧光光谱技术和同步荧光光谱技术，研究了DOM与CBZ的结合强度、结合类型、影响因素，并且初步总结了DOM对CBZ环境地球化学循环的影响。为理解其它PPCPs的生物地球化学循环，预测它们的迁移转化、归宿和环境毒性提供参考。 本文运用紫外吸收滴定法和荧光淬灭滴定法研究了不同来源的DOM和金属离子（Cu2+和Hg2+）的相互作用，运用三维荧光光谱法和同步扫描荧光光谱法研究了DOM和卡马西平的相互作用。主要成果简述如下： 1、本文首次将紫外吸收滴定法应用于测定金属离子和DOM的条件稳定常数，结果表明紫外吸收滴定法操作更简便、测定迅速、仪器普及率高，可在DOM含量很低（约10-5 ~ 10-7 mol/L）的情况下也可以直接进行测定，不必进行复杂的预富集。可望成为DOM和痕量有毒重金属离子相互作用的有力工具。 2、重金属离子（Hg2+和Cu2+）与DOM的羧基和酚羟基等基团配位。配位后电子的离域性增加，导致紫外吸收增加。与此同时配位后分子极性的改变和铜离子顺磁性作用，引起DOM荧光淬灭。在Cu2+和Hg2+的滴定过程中，紫外吸光度和荧光强度之间呈极显著线性负相关关系（R2=0.99，P<0.001）。这说明荧光和紫外从不同侧面揭示了DOM和金属离子的配位作用。 3、紫外吸收滴定法和荧光淬灭滴定法测定其条件稳定常数（log K）一致，介于3.5 ~ 5.5之间。强配位作用是DOM影响有毒重金属离子环境地球化学行为的根源。研究还表明配位作用的强弱受DOM来源和体系pH的影响。 4、 CBZ和DOM能发生强烈的相互作用，结合常数（log K）介于3.41 ~ 5.04之间。DOM能明显减少游离态CBZ的浓度，提高CBZ溶解度和迁移转化能力。这对认识CBZ和其它PPCPs的环境地球化学循环及其影响因素具有指导意义。 5、荧光光谱研究表明CBZ对DOM发射的荧光具有明显的猝灭作用，其猝灭机理为静态猝灭。疏水作用是CBZ和DOM之间的主要作用力。DOM-CBZ受pH值的影响不大， Cu2+对CBZ和DOM的结合有一定的影响。

ANTHROPOGENIC ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN WATER AND SURFACE SEDIMENTS OF LARGE SHALLOW EUTROPHIC CHAOHU LAKE, CHINA

To characterize the contamination of anthropogenic organic contaminants in the aquatic environment of Chaohu Lake, China, 7 samples for both water and surface sediment were collected in the lake. Organic contaminants were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) and Soxhlet extraction from the water and surface sediment samples, respectively, and then analyzed by GC-MS. One hundred and twenty kinds of organic chemicals were detected in these samples including phenol, benzene series, benzaldehydes, ethanol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), sulfur compounds, alcoholic halides, amines, ketones, esters, alkenes and alkanes. Among them, 13 kinds of chemicals were identified as priority pollutants listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), such as phthalate esters (PAEs) and PAHs. Besides, the concentrations of 19 of PAEs and PAHs including, priority pollutants identified were also determined. Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, the predominant component of the analyzed pollutants, was in the range from 72.34 ng g(-1) DW to 613.71 ng g(-1) DW, 14.80 ng L-1 to 47.05 ng L-1 in sediment and water, respectively. The results indicated that the northwest part of the lake was heavily polluted by domestic and industrial wastewater.

Environmental Mechanics Research in China

By recalling mankind's path during past 50 years in the present article, we mainly highlight the significance of environmental issues today. In particular, two major factors leading to environment deterioration in China such as water resources and coal burning are stressed on. Present-day environmental issues are obviously interdisciplinary, of multiple scales and multi-composition in nature. Therefore, a process-based approach for environment research is absolutely necessarily. A series of sub-processes, either physical, chemical or biological, are subsequently analyzed in order to established reasonable parameterization scheme and credible comprehensive model. And we are now in a position to answer questions still open to us, improve existing somewhat empirical engineering approaches and enhance quantitative accuracy in prediction. To illustrate this process-based research approach, three typical examples associated with the Yangtze River Estuary, Loess Plateau and Tenggeli Desert environments have been dealt with respectively. A theoretical model of vertical flow field accounting for runoff and tide interaction has been established to delineate salinity and sediment motion which are responsible for the formation of mouth bar at the outlet and the ecological evolution there. A kinematic wave theory combined with the revised Green-Ampt infiltration formula is applied to the prediction of runoff generation and erosion in three types of erosion region on the Loess Plateau. Three approaches describing water motion in SPAC system in arid areas at different levels have been improved by introducing vegetation sub-models. However, we have found that the formation of a dry sandy layer and biological crust skin are additional primary causes leading to deterioration of water supply and succession of ecological system.