Effect of enrofloxacin on the proteome of earthworms

Abstract The environmental and human health risks of veterinary drugs are becoming public health issues. Enrofloxacin (EF) is an extensively used animal-specific antibacterial agent that leaves drug residues in the environment. This study investigated the proteomic response of the earthworm Eisenia fetida to EF exposure. Earthworms were exposed to EF in soil at 1–500 mg·kg − 1 , and samples were collected at intervals during a 28 day period. The extracted proteins were separated by two dimensional electrophoresis to detect differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in EF-exposed earthworms. In total, 35 unique DEPs were found. These proteins were subjected to MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS analysis and identified through comparison of their mass spectra with those in protein databases. The DEPs were grouped on the basis of their function, into metabolism, stress-related, transport, transcription, and predicted/hypothetical protein categories. Knowledge of proteins that are induced or repressed by EF in earthworms could provide insight into mechanisms of sub-clinical physiological effects of xenobiotic residues in the environment, and may also help understand synergy between pollutants. As several DEPs in E. fetida showed similarity to human protein sequences, E. fetida has potential as an indicator species to assess the environmental and biological risks of drug residues.