Route-dependent toxicodynamics of 6PPD-quinone in mussels: Mechanical resilience trades off with subcellular injury and metabolic disruption

  • Environ Pollut. 2025 Nov 15:385:127152. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127152.
Yiming Gao  1 ,  Menghong Hu  2 ,  Peng Xu  1 ,  Jae-Seong Lee  3 ,  Khor Waiho  4 ,  James Kar-Hei Fang  5 ,  Youji Wang  6
Affiliations
  • 1. International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
  • 2. International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; Marine Biomedical Science and Technology Innovation Platform of Lin-gang Special Area, Shanghai, 201306, China.
  • 3. Department of Biological Science, College of Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, South Korea.
  • 4. Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, 21030, Malaysia.
  • 5. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
  • 6. International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 40998148 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127152
Abstract

The byssal thread, a mussel-secreted proteinaceous anchor critical for underwater adhesion, represents a vital adaptation for survival in dynamic marine environments but faces vulnerability to pollutants. This study examines how the tire-derived contaminant 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q) impacts the byssal defense system of Mytilus coruscus via waterborne and dietary exposure. Experiments evaluated byssal production, mechanical traits, foot histology, and transcriptomic profiles. Waterborne 6PPD-Q induced a paradoxical enhancement: increased thread count/diameter and adhesion strength coexisted with progressive foot tissue damage, evidenced by histopathology and dysregulated ribosomal/DNA repair pathways. Dietary exposure, conversely, disrupted nutrient metabolism and immune responses, with transcriptomes diverging sharply from waterborne cases. KEGG analysis revealed route-specific toxicity: waterborne exposure activated nuclear DNA damage pathways, while dietary exposure triggered lysosomal/antigen-processing mechanisms. Solvent controls confirmed 6PPD-Q specificity. These findings unveil a dual paradox where 6PPD-Q simultaneously enhances mechanical resilience and inflicts subcellular harm, with toxicodynamics governed by exposure route. The trade-off between structural fortification and physiological impairment highlights complex pollutant interactions in mussels, emphasizing the need for exposure pathway-specific assessments in managing aquaculture sustainability amid coastal contamination. This work advances understanding of anthropogenic pollutant impacts on marine bivalve adaptive strategies and ecosystem health.

Keywords
6-PPD quinone; Byssus; Dietary exposure; Mytilus coruscus; Trophic ecotoxicology.
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