Effects of long-term roxithromycin exposure to corals: A laboratory based experimental study on molecular interactions for coastal management consideration
Yang, F.; Niu, Z. (2025). Effects of long-term roxithromycin exposure to corals: A laboratory based experimental study on molecular interactions for coastal management consideration. J. Coast. Conserv. 29(4): 1-13. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11852-025-01115-z
In: Journal of Coastal Conservation. Opulus/Springer: Uppsala. ISSN 1400-0350; e-ISSN 1874-7841, more
|  |
| Abstract |
Climate change, pollution, and disease pose serious challenges to coral reefs, which are essential for marine biodiversity and coastal protection. Among these, pharmaceutical contaminants like as antibiotics represent a much more danger. Concerns have been raised over the long-term effects of the commonly used macrolide antibiotic roxithromycin on coral health. This study examined how different roxithromycin doses affect treated cells' transcriptome factors, gene ontology (GO) concepts, genomic pathways, and gene expressions in corals. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed notable molecular differences across all experimental treatments, suggesting that differing roxithromycin doses elicited diverse gene expression patterns. Heatmap visualization showed that the low dose and the control (RoxL4W vs. CK4W) treatments had the greatest gene expression. At all concentrations, upregulated genes predominated over downregulated ones, with the greatest enrichment at the highest dose (268 ng/L). GO terms analysis identified certain molecular activities, cellular constituents, and biological processes that were triggered by different antibiotic dosages. Furthermore, depending on the roxithromycin concentration, KEGG pathway analysis showed substantial activation in pathways linked to cancer, viral response, protein synthesis, and metabolic diseases. Key regulatory factors were found by transcriptome factor analysis; at lower doses, Homeoboxg, zf-C2H2g, MYB, and ETSg were strongly expressed, but at higher concentrations, CSL, Homeoboxg, and THAPg predominated. Through the study, it is concluded that roxithromycin causes dose-dependent changes in cellular and molecular functions, with varying amounts evoking unique biological reactions. These findings might be crucial for comprehending the effects of antibiotics and the mechanisms behind resistance. |
|
