Lindane, a lipophilic pollutant, may be toxic to organisms. To explore the toxic effects of lindane and the underlying mechanisms of this toxicity, the animal model Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans) was exposed to lindane for 3dat environmentally relevant concentrations (0.01-100ng/L) and the physiological, biochemical, and molecular indices were evaluated. Subacute exposure to 10-100ng/L of lindane caused adverse physiological effects on the development, reproduction, and locomotion behaviors in C.elegans. Exposure to 1-100ng/L of lindane increased the accumulation of Nile red and blue food dye, which suggested high permeability of the intestine in nematodes. Lindane exposure also significantly influenced the expression of genes related to intestinal development (e.g.,
mtm-6 and
opt-2). Moreover, reactive oxygen species production, lipofuscin accumulation, and expression of oxidation resistance genes (e.g.,
sod-5 and
isp-1) were significantly increased in C.elegans exposed to 10-100ng/L of lindane, which indicated that lindane exposure induced oxidative stress. According to Pearson correlation analyses, oxidative stress and intestinal damage were significantly correlated with the adverse physiological effects of lindane. Therefore, the adverse effects of lindane may have been induced by intestinal damage and oxidative stress, and
mtm-6,
opt-2,
sod-5,
isp-1, and
mev-1 might play important roles in the toxicity of lindane.