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Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Compost Microcosms as Microbially Diverse, Natural-like Environments for Microbiome Research in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: September 13, 2022
Earthworm intestine orchestrates dual host-microbiome detoxification of 6PPD-quinone
Ruiying Shi1, Weitao Liu1, Xinwei Shi1
1MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Abstract:
The highly toxic tire-derived compound N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone (6PPD-Q) poses emerging environmental risks, yet its fate within soil invertebrates remains unclear. Here, we investigate the tissue distribution, elimination kinetics, biotransformation, and detoxification of 6PPD-Q in earthworms. 6PPD-Q showed tissue-specific accumulation, with the highest levels in the lipid-rich intestine (48.30 ± 4.06 ng/g; bioaccumulation factor (BAF) = 0.489 ± 0.156). We identified 17 metabolites generated through classical phase I and II detoxification pathways, mainly mediated by cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes. 6PPD-Q exposure enriched detoxifying microbes (e.g., Paenibacillus and Pseudarthrobacter) and shifted microbial dynamics from deterministic to stochastic processes. Network analysis revealed enhanced microbial connectivity and functional resilience, which correlated strongly with degradation efficiency (p < 0.001). In vitro assays further confirmed microbial transformations yielding unique hydroxylated, acetylated, and methylated products. These findings highlight the intestine as both a reservoir and a bioreactor, emphasizing host-microbiota synergy in 6PPD-Q detoxification and offering new insights into contaminant bioremediation in soil invertebrates.
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