Exposure to multiple pollutants provokes synergistic effects in regeneration of Dugesia tigrina

In recent years, there has been a rise in pollution studies that aim to address the rise in aquatic pollution. Millions of tons of pollutants are becoming increasingly more prevalent. Overall, anthropogenic and zoogenic exposure to pollution has significantly increased as a result of aquatic pollution. As such, humans and marine life are greatly affected. However, no research has been conducted on the synergistic impacts of pollutants on in vivo models. To address this gap, we conducted exposure experiments, in which planarians (Dugesia tigrina), a model organism for toxicology studies, were exposed to PET-MPs, HB101 E. coli, and processed motor oil. We then examined the tissue composition and regeneration of the Planaria utilizing Fiji/ImageJ software and custom scripts, which included the change in length, head size, and pigmentation. Through an ANOVA statistical test, it was found that there is no statistically significant difference in planarian length and head size between all groups. However, there was a significant difference in pigmentation, highlighting the impact synergy places on tissue composition. These results provide further insight into the risks of pollution to life, laying the foundation of the synergistic harm pollutants cause to marine ecosystems and potential implications for human health. Overall, pollutants play a moderate synergistic effect on marine life, especially in terms of pigmentation. However, future research is necessary in understanding the synergistic effects of pollutants on the cellular level, which may be more significant.近年来，针对水生污染加剧问题的污染相关研究呈增长态势。累计数百万吨的污染物正愈发广泛地分布于环境中。总体而言，受水生污染影响，人为源与动物源性的污染暴露水平已显著提升，人类及海洋生物因此受到严重影响。然而，目前尚无针对污染物对活体模型的协同影响的相关研究。为填补这一研究空白，本研究开展了污染暴露实验：以毒理学研究的模式生物——涡虫（Dugesia tigrina）为实验对象，分别对其施加聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯微塑料（PET-MPs）、HB101大肠杆菌（HB101 E. coli）以及加工机油的暴露处理。随后，本研究借助Fiji/ImageJ软件及自定义脚本，对涡虫的组织构成与再生能力进行检测，检测指标包括体长、头部尺寸及色素沉着变化。通过单因素方差分析（ANOVA）统计检验，本研究发现各实验组间涡虫的体长与头部尺寸均无统计学意义上的显著差异。但各组间的色素沉着水平存在显著差异，这凸显了污染物协同作用对组织构成的影响。本研究结果进一步揭示了污染对生物的危害风险，为阐明污染物对海洋生态系统的协同损害机制及其对人类健康的潜在影响奠定了研究基础。总体而言，污染物对海洋生物具有中等程度的协同影响，尤其体现在色素沉着层面。不过，未来仍需开展针对污染物在细胞水平上的协同效应的研究，此类效应可能更为显著。