Changes in Lipid Peroxidation in the Gill and Muscle of the Marine Bivalve (Perna Viridis) During Exposure to Cadmium and Copper

The marine bivalve, Perna viridis was exposed to sublethal concentration (one third of 24 h LC₅₀) of either cadmium or copper for 1, 3 and 7 days and alterations in lipid peroxidation in the gill and muscle were investigated. Significant increase of the level of malondialdehyde, which is indicative of the peroxidative process, and a decrease of activity levels of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase were observed in both the tissues of copper exposed mussels. the exposure of mussels to cadmium did not elicit any of the above changes.     

Mytilus galloprovincialis as bioindicator in embryotoxicity testing to evaluate sediment quality in the lagoon of Venice (Italy)

The possibility of using Mytilus galloprovincialis from natural populations of the lagoon of Venice in toxicity bioassays based on embryo development, according to international standard methods, was investigated. In order to valuate this method for the lagoon, iterative steps including evaluation of reproducibility, sensitivity and discriminatory capacity towards some pure substances and environmental samples were performed. Evaluation of sensitivity towards a reference toxicant (copper) evidenced good replicability and repeatability. Results showed that natural population is better than hatchery population for performing bioassays. Evaluation of applicability to elutriates revealed that the method is able to discriminate among sediments of the lagoon of Venice at different typologies and levels of contamination, showing an important effect for almost all study sites.     

Oil pollution monitoring in the Lagoon of Venice using the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Gas chromatographic analyses of mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, from different areas of the Lagoon of Venice show that these organisms contain a very complex mixture of hydrocarbons attributable to fuel oil contamination. The measured amounts normally range from 0.8 to 8.7 mg/100 g wet weight, but values as high as 22.0 mg/100 g have been recorded. This high value indicates a saturation limit for these organisms which is considerably higher than those values normally found in mussels from the lagoon. The aliphatic hydrocarbon levels in mussels are related to distance from pollution sources and to the degree of exchange between the sea and the area sampled. On the basis of this relationship between overall hydrocarbon pollution load and level of contamination of M. galloprovincialis, it appears that this bivalve might be effectively utilized as a self-integrating monitoring index of oil pollution in the wasters of the lagoon.     

The Freshwater Mussel Parreysia Favidens (Benson) As A Biological Indicator of Polonium - 210 in A Riverine System

The concentration of ²¹⁰Po, an alpha emitter from the natural uranium series was measured in the soft tissues (total), shell, and different organs - digestive glands, gills, mantle and foot - of the freshwater mussel, Parreysia favidens (Benson), collected from the river Kaveri, at Tiruchirapalli in South India. the analyses were made in three size groups based on shell length (Group 1: 2-4 cm; Group 2: 4-5 cm; Group 3: 5-6 cm). the soft tissues of the mussel accumulated higher concentrations of ²¹⁰Po (74.0-125.5 Bq kg^-1 fresh) than the shell (2.9-3.9 Bq kg^-1 fresh). Further, younger mussels (1 group) showed higher concentrations (125.5+2.0 Bq kg^-1 fresh) in total soft tissues than older ones (III Group) (74.0+1.6 Bq kg^-1 fresh); concentration factors were 1.59x 10⁵ in I group and 9.37 × 10⁴ in III group. the ²¹⁰Po was observed to be non-uniformly distributed among the internal organs, which maintained the following descending order with reference to ²¹⁰Po accumulation: digestive glands, ranging from 286.2+3.5 Bq kg^-1 fresh to 43+1.3 Bq kg^-1 fresh. the concentration of ²¹⁰Po in the mussels was distinctly higher than that in the grass, Echinochloa colonum (J. Koenig), and carp, Cirrhinus cirrhosa (Bloch), from the same river. These data indicate that younger mussels could be used as an excellent biological indicator of ²¹⁰Po and among soft tissues, digestive glands are preferable to other tissues to monitor the distribution of ²¹⁰Po in the riverine system.     

六溴环十二烷暴露对红鳍笛鲷脑乙酰胆碱酯酶和组织氧化应激的影响及评价

六溴环十二烷(C_(12)H_(18)Br_6,简称HBCD)是近年来在环境中广受关注的优先污染物和高产量化学品。实验室条件下以红鳍笛鲷为研究对象,选取其脑组织非特异性生物标志物超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase,SOD)、谷胱甘肽巯基转移酶(glutathione S-transferases,GST)和丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA)及特异性生物标志物乙酰胆碱酯酶(acetylcholinesterase,ACh E)为指标研究了不同浓度HBCD溶液(8.6μg·L~(-1)、43.0μg·L~(-1)和215μg·L~(-1))暴露96 h对红鳍笛鲷脑组织的氧化损伤和神经毒性效应,同时结合综合生物标志物响应指数(integrated biomarker responses index,IBR),对HBCD造成的胁迫水平和毒性效应进行评价。结果表明:HBCD对红鳍笛鲷脑组织中SOD活性和GST活性表现出不同程度的诱导效应,其中暴露初期SOD活性与HBCD浓度呈正相关,但随暴露时间延长与HBCD浓度呈负相关;HBCD对MDA含量和ACh E活性表现出诱导或抑制且存在剂量依赖性,低浓度组MDA含量表现为先抑制后诱导的过程,ACh E活性表现为先诱导后抑制;中浓度组MDA含量和ACh E均表现为抑制效应;高浓度组MDA含量表现为先诱导后抑制的过程,ACh E活性表现为先抑制后诱导。IBR分析结果表明4种生物标志物对HBCD胁迫的敏感性分别为SODGSTACh EMDA,且中、高浓度组的胁迫效应最明显。     

Heavy metals in Hediste diversicolor (polychaeta: nereididae) and salt marsh sediments from the lagoon of Venice (Italy)

The nereid polychaete Hediste diversicolor was frequently used as biomonitor of heavy metals contamination in estuaries. In the present work, the bioaccumulation of five heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb) in tissues of H. diversicolor collected from six salt marshes in the lagoon of Venice is studied by analysing the relationships between concentrations of the operationally-defined reactive fraction of trace metals in sediments and total concentrations in tissues. The characterisation of sediment samples shows a clear distinction between sites near and far from the Industrial Zone; no analogous pattern is observed for tissue concentrations suggesting that metal bioaccumulation is controlled by complex interactions between metal bioavailability and physiological factors. Considering relationships between metals, strong inverse correlations are observed in polychaetes and sediments for Cu and Cr concentrations suggesting a possible interaction between these two metals. The role played by organic matter (OM) in the availability of metal is highlighted considering inverse relationships found between bioaccumulation factors for Cu, Cr, Cd and OM.     

Effects to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) on the mollusk Unio ravoisieri under laboratory exposure

To understand acute toxicity and oxidative stress of perfluorinated compounds in the freshwater ecosystems, we exposed freshwater mussels (Unio ravoisieri) to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), over a range of concentrations from 10 to 100?mg/L, in a laboratory experiment. Lethal concentration (LC50) was of about 65.9?mg/L after 96?h of exposure. The oxidative stress was assessed in gill and digestive gland of the freshwater mussels after 7 days of exposure to different nominal PFOS concentrations (C1=?2?mg/L, C2?=?6?mg/L and C3=?10?mg/L). C1 and C2 increased significantly (p?<?.05) the superoxide dismutase activity in both tissues compared, while the highest C3 decreased the enzyme activity. This implements an unfavourable response that highlights the excess of reactive oxygen species produced after contamination. The Catalase activity was also increased by about 40.05% and 66.63%, respectively, in gill and digestive gland after exposure to C3. The Malondialdehyde (MDA) level was increased in both gill and digestive gland in a concentration-dependent pattern. In contrast, the contamination of U. ravoisieri by PFOS did not affect the acetylcholinesterase activity in both organs (p?>?.005). These results provided information on potential biomarkers that could be effectively applied for the monitoring of freshwater ecosystem using indicator species such as U. ravoisieri.     

Use of biomarkers in zooplankton for assessment of the 'health status' of marine and brackish environments: a short overview

The biomarker approach has been used for 25 years to study the environmental quality of marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems. Biomarkers may indicate health status and can be applied to organisms of all zoological phyla by destructive or non destructive methods. For 5 years we have been using this approach in zooplankton to detect ecotoxicological alterations at low levels of the food chain due to contaminants. Here we review our approach to validate and apply biomarker techniques in zooplankton. We discuss advantages, limitations, some results and future research. We indicate that biomarkers in zooplankton can be used as new indices of trophic status and ecological integrity of Italian marine coastal and lagoon environments, to be included among the tools specified by Italian law D.Lgs. 152/2006.     

Physiological testing of Mytilus galloprovincialis for the environmental assessing of coastal marine areas: a case study in Boka Kotorska Bay (the Adriatic Sea)

The aim of this work was to validate in the field certain measurement of the heart rate alterations of the bioindicator organism Mytilus galloprovicialis as a tool for ecotoxicological biomonitoring and assessment applications related to coastal and marine environment. The latter was determined by testing the mussels according to the method of functional loading (1-hour lowered salinity stress-exposure). The time of heart rate (HR) recovery (T_rec) and the coefficient of HR variation (CV_HR) in a group of tested animals were used as biomarkers for the assessment of their physiological state. It was found that the values of the biomarkers in mussels from our reference location were 1.3-1.5 times lower than in mussels from differently polluted coastal areas of the Bay. The study also included an investigation of the relationship between the mussel’s cardiac rhythm characteristics and the bioaccumulation of trace elements in their soft tissues, caused by chronic pollution. The conclusion was drawn that this approach to the physiological testing of mussels could be useful in developing a rapid and low-cost method for the assessment of the health of coastal ecosystems.     

Neurotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by permethrin in gills of the freshwater mussel Unio ravoisieri

Pyrethroids are contaminants found in the aquatic environment, and their toxicological effects on aquatic organisms have received extensive attention. However, the impact on freshwater bivalve of exposure to these chemicals is still largely unknown. Freshwater mussels Unio ravoisieri were exposed to two nominal permethrin (PM) concentrations C1?=?50?µg/L and C2?=?100?µg/L during 7 days. The measured concentrations of PM using gas chromatography (GC/ECD) in the treated aquariums were, respectively, 28.7–62.3?µg/L. Catalase (CAT), Glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, Glutatione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined in gills of U. ravoisieri. Significant increase in CAT activity by the lowest concentration and decrease by highest concentration were observed. Additionally, GST activity was increased in a concentration-dependent manner. However, statistically significant decrease in GSH levels (about 39%) was observed only at high concentration of this compound (100?µg/L). PM generated an increase in MDA levels reaching the highest value at the high concentration. AChE activity of mussel ranging from 51% inhibition at lowest concentration 50?µg/L to 89% inhibition at highest concentration 100?µg/L. The results indicated that oxidative stress and cell damage might be one of the main mechanisms of PM toxicity to freshwater mussels.