The extensive application of plastic products in daily human life has led to the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in agricultural soil. However, little is known about the cross-generational toxicity of MPs on terrestrial invertebrates. In this study, two-generational Eisenia fetida was exposed to low-density polyethylene (LDPE, 0–5%, w/w) for 98 days to reveal the cross-generational toxicity and the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that LDPE-MPs not only perpetrated deleterious effects on the development, hatchability, and fecundity of the F0 generation but also stimulated the antioxidant defense activity, inhibited lipid peroxidation, and disordered neurotransmission in F1 generation individuals. The susceptibility of the epidermal–intestinal barrier to LDPE-MPs was dose-dependent. According to the transcriptomic analysis, the cross-generational earthworms confirmed significant perturbances in the cell cycle, neural activity-related pathways, and amino acid metabolism pathways (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, the metabolomic profile of F1 generation individuals exhibited significant hyperactive responses in glutathione metabolism and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism (p < 0.05). This study provides a comprehensive knowledge of LDPE-MPs toxicity on cross-generational earthworms and highlights the hyperactive responses in the antioxidant defense performance of the offsprings. Our findings also underscore the necessity for long-term investigations in assessing the adverse impacts of emerging pollutants.

中文翻译：

---

跨代接触低密度聚乙烯微塑料诱导了 Eisenia fetida 后代的过度活跃反应


塑料制品在人类日常生活中的广泛应用导致微塑料 （MP） 在农业土壤中积累。然而，人们对 MP 对陆生无脊椎动物的跨代毒性知之甚少。在这项研究中，两代 Eisenia fetida 暴露于低密度聚乙烯 （LDPE， 0-5%， w/w） 98 天，以揭示跨代毒性和潜在机制。结果表明，LDPE-MPs 不仅对 F0 代个体的发育、孵化率和繁殖力产生有害影响，而且还刺激了 F1 代个体的抗氧化防御活性，抑制了脂质过氧化和神经传递紊乱。表皮-肠道屏障对 LDPE-MPs 的敏感性是剂量依赖性的。根据转录组学分析，跨代蚯蚓证实了细胞周期、神经活动相关途径和氨基酸代谢途径的显著扰动 （p < 0.05）。然而，F1 代个体的代谢组学特征在谷胱甘肽代谢和丙氨酸、天冬氨酸和谷氨酸代谢中表现出显着的过度活跃反应 （p < 0.05）。本研究提供了 LDPE-MPs 对跨代蚯蚓毒性的全面知识，并强调了后代抗氧化防御性能中的过度活跃反应。我们的研究结果还强调了在评估新出现的污染物的不利影响时进行长期调查的必要性。