Neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity induced by metribuzin and tabuconazole exposure on earthworm (Eisenia foetida) disclosed with transcriptomic changes

Metribuzin as triazinone herbicide and tabuconazole as triazole fungicide are both widely and largely used for several decades in agriculture. Apart from endocrine disruption, it is little known about their toxic effects on organism without thyroid organ in transcription level. In order to explore the toxicity, the model earthworm species Eisenia foetida, hatched from the same cocoon and cultured under the identical environmental condition, were exposed to the two chemicals alone under non-lethal concentration in OECD artificial soil after exposure of 48 hours. RNA-Seq technology was used to analysis and compares the gene expression profile shared by metribuzin and tabuconazole exposure on the earthworm. According to the function of the different expression genes (DEG) and their common response pattern of up-regulated and down-regulated expression to the two pesticides, Findings are considered with respect to metribuzin and tebuconazole both with the potential toxicity to earthworm mainly involving in the nervous system, the immune system and tumor in transcription level, as well as induction of cytochrome P450 dependent detoxification, oxidative stress, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) gene as biomarker, and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway as a part of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) of metribuzin and tebuconazole and their structural analogues.