Cefotaxime Exposure-Caused Oxidative Stress, Intestinal Damage and Gut Microbial Disruption in Artemia sinica

Abstract

Cefotaxime (CTX) is an easily detectable antibiotic pollutant in the water environment, but little is known about its toxic effects on aquatic invertebrates, especially on the intestine. Here, we determined the oxidative stress conditions of A. sinica under CTX exposure with five concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg/L) for 14 days. After that, we focused on changes in intestinal tissue morphology and gut microbiota in A. sinica caused by CTX exposure at 0.01 mg/L. We found malondialdehyde (MDA) was elevated in CTX treatment groups, suggesting the obvious antibiotic-induced oxidative stress. We also found CTX exposure at 0.01 mg/L decreased the villus height and muscularis thickness in gut tissue. The 16S rRNA gene analysis indicated that CTX exposure reshaped the gut microbiota diversity and community composition. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota and Bacteroidota were the most widely represented phyla in A. sinica gut. The exposure to CTX led to the absence of Verrucomicrobia in dominant phyla and an increase in Bacteroidota abundance. At the genus level, eleven genera with an abundance greater than 0.1% exhibited statistically significant differences among groups. Furthermore, changes in gut microbiota composition were accompanied by modifications in gut microbiota functions, with an up-regulation in amino acid and drug metabolism functions and a down-regulation in xenobiotic biodegradation and lipid metabolism-related functions under CTX exposure. Overall, our study enhances our understanding of the intestinal damage and microbiota disorder caused by the cefotaxime pollutant in aquatic invertebrates, which would provide guidance for healthy aquaculture.

Pharmacokinetics and Withdrawal Times of Cefotaxime in White Leg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) after Oral Administration

“…Although antibiotics are very effective in fighting against bacterial infectious diseases, they result in negative effects on the internal organs of terrestrial animals [32,33] as well as aquatic animals [17,[34][35][36][37][38][39]. Exposure to CFT in Artemia sinica, an aquatic invertebrate, showed oxidation stress and changes in intestinal cell morphology and gut microbiota [40]. Therefore, using CFT in disease management may result in a negative effect on cultured shrimp, especially in the hepatopancreas, which is responsible for chemical metabolism and the normal growth and development of shrimps and other crustaceans.…”