Journal of environmental sciences (China)Sep 1, 2026

Common levels of DCOIT reduce lifespan and health in Caenorhabditis elegans

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Sep 2, 2026

Abstract

Environmentally relevant concentrations of DCOIT (37, 370, and 3700 ng/L) significantly impaired both lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans.

DCOIT exposure led to upregulation of comt-4, a gene involved in dopamine metabolism.
Increased comt-4 activity resulted in dopamine depletion and higher oxidative stress levels.
This oxidative stress is associated with accelerated aging phenotypes in the organism.
Genetic and pharmacological interventions that targeted comt-4 restored dopamine levels and reduced oxidative stress.
Restoring dopamine levels reversed the aging deficits caused by DCOIT exposure.

Simplified

DCOIT (4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one) is an antifouling biocide widely used as an alternative to organotin compounds. While previous studies had focused on its effects on energy production, endocrine disruption, and lipid metabolism, its impact on aging and underlying mechanisms remained unclear. Here, we demonstrated that environmentally relevant concentrations of DCOIT (37, 370 and 3700 ng/L) significantly impaired both lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans. RNA-seq and validation assays revealed that DCOIT upregulated comt-4, a key gene in dopamine metabolism, leading to dopamine depletion and subsequent induction of oxidative stress. This redox imbalance critically contributed to accelerated aging phenotypes. Importantly, both genetic (comt-4 RNAi) and pharmacological (opicapone) interventions restored dopamine levels, alleviated oxidative stress, and reversed DCOIT-induced aging deficits. Our study established the comt-4/dopamine/oxidative stress axis as a central mechanism in DCOIT toxicity, suggesting dopamine modulation as a potential countermeasure against environmental toxicant-induced aging.

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Common levels of DCOIT reduce lifespan and health in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

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