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Toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic processes of cadmium and arsenic in Enchytraeus crypticus
Received:February 26, 2020  
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KeyWord:cadmium;arsenic;toxicodynamic;toxicokinetic;dose-response relationship
Author NameAffiliationE-mail
LI Min School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China  
GONG Bing School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China  
HUANG Xue-ying School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China  
XIAO Xue School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China  
HE Er-kai School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China heerk@mail.sysu.edu.cn 
QIU Rong-liang Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China 
 
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Abstract:
      The dynamic accumulation and toxicity processes of a heavy metal(Cd)and metalloid(As)in terrestrial organisms were explored. In this study, laboratory experiments and a modeling approach were both applied to quantitatively describe the toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic processes of Cd and As in the soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus. The results showed that the accumulation of Cd and As in E. crypticus increased with increasing exposure concentration and time, and equilibrium was reached after a certain exposure period. The maximum body concentrations of Cd and As during the exposure period were 459.60 mg·kg-1 and 32.91 mg·kg-1, respectively. The estimated overall uptake rate constant(Ku)of Cd(1.761 mg·kg-1·d-1)was greater than that of As(0.102 mg·kg-1·d-1), while the elimination rate constant(Ke)of Cd(0.015 d-1)was smaller than that of As(0.287 d-1). Based on the external exposure concentrations, the median lethal concentration(LC50)for Cd and As decreased over time and reached equilibrium after 7 d of exposure, and the ultimate LC50(LC50∞)of Cd (0.314 mmol·L-1)was smaller than that of As(1.253 mmol·L-1). When based on the body concentrations, the LC50inter was calculated, with an almost constant LC50inter of As, while the LC50inter of Cd increased over time. The overall LC50interCd(468.80 mg·kg-1·d-1)was significantly higher than LC50interAs(26.65 mg·kg-1·d-1). Overall, the accumulation and toxicity of Cd and As were both time-dependent. The accumulation capacity of Cd in E. crypticus was greater than that of As. The toxicity of Cd was higher than that of As when based on the external concentration, while the accumulated As in the organism showed a stronger toxic effect. There was a good correlation between the dynamic toxicity and the body concentration of As(R2=0.75), but not for Cd(R2=0.57), thereby suggesting that the accumulated Cd inside the organism cannot well represent the bioavailable fraction that causes toxicity. This study emphasizes the importance of considering the exposure time and bioavailability of metals for risk assessments in the future.