GC-MS based untargeted metabolomics reveals the metabolic response of earthworm (Eudrilus eugeniae) after chronic combinatorial exposure to three different pesticides

In this study GC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics was used to identify the metabolic response of earthworm; Eudrilus eugeniae exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos-CHL, cypermethrin-CYP, Glyphosate-GLY, and Combined-C (all three pesticides) at the concentrations of 3, 6, and 12 mg/kg. Principal component analysis of the obtained datasets revealed a clear distinction between the control and treatment groups. The mean weight of the worms in the treated groups decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Among the identified metabolites, oleic acid (similar to 93.47%), lysine (similar to 92.20%), glutamic acid (similar to 91.81%), leucine (similar to 90.20%), asparagine (similar to 94.20%), methionine (similar to 92.27%), malic acid (similar to 93.37%), turanose (similar to 95.04%), maltose (similar to 92.36%), cholesta-3,5-diene (similar to 86.11%), galactose (similar to 93.20%), cholesterol (similar to 91.56%), tocopherol (similar to 85.09%), decreased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas myoinositol (similar to 83%) and isoleucine (78.09%) increased significantly (p < 0.05) upon exposure to the CHL, CYP, GLY, and C. Overall, the findings suggest that earthworms might be a new entry point for the pesticides into the food chain. The present study highlights that metabolomics can be a reliable approach to understand the effect of different xenobiotics including pesticides on the metabolic response of earthworms.

Automated summary

GC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics was used to identify the metabolic response of earthworms exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, Glyphosate, and a combination of all three pesticides. The study found a clear distinction between the control and treatment groups through principal component analysis. The identified metabolites showed significant changes in response to pesticide exposure, suggesting earthworms as a potential entry point for pesticides into the food chain.