DNA microarray was used to analyze hepatic
transcriptional profile of male mice (
Mus musculus
) after
the mice were fed with Yangtze River (China) source water
(NJS) and tap water (NJT) for 90 days. Chemical analysis
demonstrated that NJS and NJT contained various trace-level
pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
phthalate ethers and inorganic contaminants. DNA
microarray revealed occurrence of 5,042 differentially
expressed genes (DEGs) in the mice fed with NJS and 828
DEGs in the mice fed with NJT, indicating that NJS posed
greater influence on liver transcriptome. Annotation against
Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway
database showed that the DEGs in NJS group were mostly
involved in lipid metabolism (51 DEGs), followed by
neurodegenerative diseases (47 DEGs), energy metabolism
(41 DEGs) and endocrine system (38 DEGs). NJT exposure
was found to affect lipid metabolism (14 DEGs), xenobiotics
biodegradation and metabolism (6 DEGs), and
cofactors and vitamins metabolism (5 DEGs). Annotation
against Gene Ontology database confirmed that lipid
metabolism among the altered pathways was most
susceptible to both NJS and NJT exposure. The DEGs were
involved in 6 lipid metabolic pathways including fatty acid
metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, unsaturated
fatty acid biosynthesis, steroid biosynthesis, primary bile
acid biosynthesis and steroid hormone biosynthesis.
Although both NJS and NJT might cause no obvious liver
tissue damages, the lipid metabolic disturbance induced by
trace-level pollutants still deserves public health concern.
