C60 exposure induced tissue damage and gene expression alterations in the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus

Effects of C₆₀ exposure (0, 15 or 154 mg/kg soil) on the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus were assessed at the tissue and molecular level, in two experiments. In the first experiment, earthworms were exposed for four weeks, and in the second lifelong. In both experiments, gene expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) decreased. For catalase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), no significant trends in gene expression or enzyme activity were observed. Gene expression of coelomic cytolytic factor-1 (CCF-1) did not alter in earthworms exposed for four weeks, but was significantly down-regulated in the lifelong exposure. Histology of earthworms exposed to C₆₀ in both experiments showed a damaged cuticle, with underlying pathologies of epidermis and muscles, as well as effects on the gut barrier. However, tissue repair was also observed in these earthworms. Overall, these data show that sub-lethal C₆₀ exposure to earthworms via the soil affects gene expression and causes tissue pathologies.