Tire wear particles drive a systemic bioenergetic collapse in Eisenia fetida via coupled barrier erosion and metabolic-immune deadlock

ABSTRACT:

As global vehicular electrification accelerates, the exponential accumulation of tire wear particles (TWPs) poses a pervasive threat to edaphic ecosystems. To elucidate the systemic bioenergetic impact of TWP toxicity, we performed a non-targeted metabolomic profiling of the soil sentinel earthworm, Eisenia fetida. Earthworms were exposed to environmentally relevant ingestible sizes of TWPs at a high-concentration gradient (5% w/w) in a soil microcosm for 21 days. Post-exposure, gut tissues were aseptically dissected, and metabolites were extracted using a methanol:water (4:1 v/v) solvent system prior to analysis via UHPLC-Q Exactive HF-X MS/MS. The metabolomic landscape reveals a profound systemic metabolic reprogramming. Key findings include a severe carbohydrate assimilation blockade—evidenced by the abnormal intracellular accumulation of complex carbohydrates and energy intermediates—and a lipid-mediated inflammatory hyperactivation, specifically targeting arachidonic acid and sphingolipid pathways. This dataset provides the critical biochemical evidence for an unsustainable 'bioenergetic triage,' demonstrating how TWP exposure forces earthworms into a fatal metabolic-immune deadlock.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - positive - normal-phase, Liquid Chromatography MS - negative - normal-phase

PROVIDER: MTBLS14967 | MetaboLights | 2026-07-07

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights