Our previous investigation and several others' findings have demonstrated that dispersed oil inhibits reproduction, in a more potent manner than oil- and dispersant-alone exposures. One promising mechanism is that dispersed oil induced Caenorhabditis elegans(C. elegans)germ cell apoptosis, which followed a CEP-1/p53 dependent pathway. In this study we detected the chemical components of the BP crude oil using GC-MS, with a focus on the poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) compounds. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were identified in crude oil, which triggers research interests to study the role of BaP in C. elegans germ cell apoptosis. C. elegans  at larval stage 4 (L4) were exposed to different concentrations  of BaP corresponding to reported BaP concentrations in crude oil. Preliminary results show that BaP is lethal to worms at low ppm level for an exposure period of 24hr. Apoptosis is observed in BaP treated C. elegans gonad however no significant differences compared to control. The microRNAs expression profile were also analyzed to identify the miRNA-mediated genetic pathway that are involved in response to crude oil exposure; Various reproduction related pathways were found to be regulated by oil-dispersant induced miRNAs, including MAPK signaling pathway, Hedgehog signaling pathway, fatty acid metabolism, and oocyte maturation, etc. This study provides useful mechanism understandings of crude oil related reproductive toxicity.

Characterization of chemical components in BP crude oil, the role of Benzo[a]pyrene in dispersed oil induced Caenorhabditis elegans germ cell apoptosis

248th National Meeting (2014)

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