Effects of ciprofloxacin exposure on the earthworm Eisenia fetida

Abstract The widespread use of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) poses a serious risk to soil organisms. Here, earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were used to explore the effect of CIP exposure on growth, reproduction, mortality, antioxidant enzyme activity, DNA damage, and mRNA levels. The results showed that mortality, weight, and reproduction did not change in response to CIP exposure. The antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione (GSH) were inhibited after 10 mg/kg CIP exposure on day 21, and catalase (CAT) activity increased significantly on day 14. High concentrations (1–2 g/kg) of CIP pollution caused DNA damage in E. fetida on days 7 and 14. At a dose of 10 mg/kg, CIP altered antioxidant enzymes and gene expression, but was not harmful to the growth and reproduction of E. fetida. Moreover, mRNA expression of annetocin, metallothionein, heat shock protein 70, and translationally controlled tumor protein were significantly upregulated on day 28. These findings indicate that antioxidant enzymes, DNA damage, and mRNA levels of biomarkers are more sensitive than mortality, growth, and reproduction for detecting CIP pollution in the soil environment.