In Vivo Contaminant Monitoring and Metabolomic Profiling in Plants Exposed to Carbamates via a Novel Microextraction Fiber
Shuqin Liu, Yiquan Huang, Jian Liu, Chao Chen, Gangfeng Ouyang
Abstract
In this study, a biocompatible solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with high-coverage capture capacity based on a nitrogen-rich porous polyaminal was developed. The fiber was used to track the bioaccumulation and elimination of carbamates (isoprocarb, carbofuran, and carbaryl) and their metabolites (o-cumenol, carbofuran phenol, and 1-naphthalenol) in living Chinese cabbage plants (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis Makino (var. communis Tsen et Lee)). A case-and-control model was applied in the hydroponically cultured plants, with the exposed plant groups contaminated under three carbamates at 5 μg mL–1. Both bio-enrichment and elimination of carbamates and their metabolites in living plants appeared to be very fast with half-lives at ∼0.39–0.79 and ∼0.56–0.69 days, respectively. Statistical differences in the endogenous plant metabolome occurred on day 3 of carbamate exposure. In the exposed group, the plant metabolic alterations were not reversed after 5 days of contaminant-free growth, although most contaminates had been eliminated. Compared with prior nutriological and toxicological studies, >50 compounds were first identified as endogenous metabolites in cabbage plants. The contents of the glucosinolate-related metabolites demonstrated significant time-dependent dysregulations that the fold changes of these key metabolites decreased from 0.78–1.07 to 0.28–0.82 during carbamate exposure. To summarize, in vivo SPME provided new and important information regarding exogenous carbamate contamination and related metabolic dysregulation in plants.