Imidacloprid induced alterations in oxidative stress,biochemical, genotoxic,and immunotoxic biomarkers in non-mammalian model organism Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Imidacloprid (IMI), a neonicotinoid insecticide, is widely used to control pests in agriculture. We investigated the changes in antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation levels, biochemical effects, genotoxic effect, and immunotoxic effect of sublethal doses (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00?µg) of IMI at different time periods (24, 48, 72, and 96?h) on a model organism, Galleria mellonella L. The results indicated that there were dose-dependent increases in both antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD and CAT) and MDA levels. Protein content was not affected by IMI at 24th and 48th, whereas it was decreased by the highest dose of IMI (1.00?µg) at 72nd and 96th h. Lipid and carbohydrate contents were reduced with increasing doses of IMI. Micronucleus frequency significantly increased in all IMI doses. All IMI doses caused a significant decrease in THC at 24th, 48th, and 72nd h. Our results can help to illustrate the effects of IMI in target organisms and indirectly may aid to discover potential risk of it on nontarget organisms. Future studies, at molecular levels, will be helpful in understanding the mechanism of action of IMI on these biomarkers.     

Comparative study of microbial community structure in di erent filter media of constructed wetland

Comparisons of microbial community structure, in eight filter media of zeolites, anthracite, shale, vermiculite, ceramic filter media, gravel, steel slag and bio-ceramic, were undertaken by analyzing the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition. A total of 20 fatty acids in the range of C11 to C20 were determined but only 13 PLFAs were detected in steel slag. They consist of saturated fatty acids, branched fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The variation of fatty acids was revealed in the relative proportions of these fatty acids in di erent media. The aerobic prokaryotes were the predominant group in all media. The PLFA composition showed significant di erences among the eight di erent media by Tukey’s honestly test. It was found that steel slag was significantly di erent in the microbial community as compared to other filter media, probably due to its alkaline e uent. Steel slag alone is probably not a good choice of substratum in constructed wetlands. The principle components analysis (PCA) showed that zeolites, bio-ceramic, shale and vermiculite had a similar microbial community structure while steel slag and ceramic filter media were distinct from other media.     

2种有机污染物对鲈鱼生化标志物系统的影响及作用评价

实验生态条件下筛选了鲈鱼的一组生化标志物组成生化标志物系统,研究其对不同有机污染胁迫的响应差异.将鲈鱼分别暴露于2种有机污染物:0.1 mg/L、1 mg/L的十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)和2μg/L、20μg/L的苯并[a]芘(B[a]P),研究长时间(18 d)、亚致死污染胁迫下鲈鱼生化标志物系统各组分:肝脏组织抗氧化酶中的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(Gpx)、谷胱甘肽(GSH)、谷胱甘肽硫转酶(GST)以及诱导型一氧化氮合酶(iNOS)和脑组织中乙酰胆碱脂酶(AChE)活性的变化,同期检测了热激蛋白70(Hsp70)表达的变化,并对所得到的结果进行了主成分分析(PCA).结果表明,①与未受胁迫的对照组相比,B[a]P胁迫能够显著诱导鲈鱼体内的SOD、GST、Gpx活性以及GSH含量的变化(p0.05),但对其它几种酶的活性影响并不明显;SDBS胁迫对CAT、Gpx、iNOS和AChE活性的诱导作用明显,但对SOD、GST和GSH的影响较小.Gpx是对2种污染物胁迫响应最灵敏的一种生化标志物.②同时测定了不同胁迫条件下鲈鱼血细胞Hsp70表达的影响,结果发现其在SDBS胁迫组中的表达始终高于对照组,而B[a]P在胁迫前期能诱导Hsp70表达升高,以后逐渐下降至对照水平.③鲈鱼的生化标志物系统的不同组分对不同种类的污染胁迫响应有明显差异,对结果进行主成分分析(PCA)后发现,基于PCA和生化标志物系统的研究方法能有效区分不同污染因子的作用,可能在海洋环境污染的早期、预警性评价中具有良好的应用前景.     

Assessing stress response of Stylophora pistillata towards oil and phosphate pollution in the Gulf of Aqaba,using molecular and biochemical markers

Crude oil (from oil terminal) and raw phosphate (from phosphate port) pollution are responsible for the lowered health conditions of coral reefs at their vicinity in the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Both in situ incubations and ex situ laboratory exposure experiments were used to study the effects of those pollutants on corals, by using molecular and biochemical biomarkers in the coral Stylophora pistillata. For ex situ part of the experiment, crude oil and raw phosphate were added to a final concentration of 500?ppm for both pollutants. The DNA damage was assessed by Comet assay, while biochemical stress markers were reassessed by lipid peroxidation (LPO) test. Although the corals looked healthy from outside, the use of stress biomarkers indicated that they are under high pressure at the cellular level. The corals incubated with oil and phosphate had more DNA damage and LPO in comparison with the control samples. The results obtained suggest that the use of stress biomarkers can be used as important prognostic tools for examining the sub-lethal stress on corals before their death.     

Duckweeds for water remediation and toxicity testing

The presence of toxic substances in wastewaters and outdoor bodies of water is an important ecotoxicological issue. The aim of this review is to illustrate how duckweeds, which are small, simply constructed, floating aquatic plants, are well suited to addressing this concern. The ability of duckweeds to grow rapidly on nutrient-rich water and to facilitate the removal of many substances from aqueous solution comprises the potential of these macrophytes for the remediation of wastewater and polluted aqueous reservoirs, while producing usable biomass containing the unwanted substances having been taken up. Their ease of cultivation under controlled and even sterile conditions makes duckweeds excellent test organisms for determining the toxicity of water contaminants, and duckweeds are important as model aquatic plants in the assessment of ecotoxicity. Duckweeds are also valuable for establishing biomarkers for the toxic effects of water contaminants on aquatic higher plants, but the current usefulness of duckweed biomarkers for identifying toxicants is limited. The recent sequencing of a duckweed genome holds the promise of combining the determination of water contaminant toxicity with toxicant diagnostics by means of gene expression profiling via DNA microarrays.     

Ploidy-, gender-, and dose-dependent alteration of selected biomarkers in Clarias gariepinus treated with benzo[a]pyrene

Naturally-occurring and artificially-induced polyploids have been documented in various fish species but to date no comparison has been reported of the impacts of ploidy on fish biomarker responses to organic pollutants. This study describes effects of ploidy, gender, and dose on biliary fluorescent aromatic compound (FAC) concentrations, hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities in one of the most commonly cultured warm-water species, the African catfish Clarias gariepinus. Recently matured male and female diploid and triploid fish were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with 0, 5 or 25 mg/kg benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and liver and gallbladder were sampled 48 hr later. No significant differences were found between ploidies in bile concentrations of 7,8 dihydrodiolbenzo[a]pyrene (7,8D BaP), 1-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (1-OH BaP) or 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OH BaP). However, concentrations of the biliary FACs did differ between males and females at different dose of injection with generally higher concentrations in females at the low dose of BaP and higher concentrations in males at the higher BaP concentration. Hepatic EROD activity did not exhibit gender-dependent difference, whereas it was significantly higher in triploids than diploids. GST activities were not significantly influenced by any of the tested factors. This work advanced our understanding of the role of ploidy, gender, and dose in biotransformation of pollutants in fish.     

Biochemical biomarkers and overall health status of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to nickel and chromium

This study examined the effects of nickel and chromium exposure on two biochemical biomarkers, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and acetylcholinesterase (ACHE), in parallel with an indicator of overall health, Scope for Growth (SFG), in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis to evaluate their ecological relevance and to assess their potential use as biomarkers of Ni and Cr pollution. SFG integrates major physiological responses into an index that represents the energy status of the animals and is considered an ecologically relevant biomarker. Following exposure to a range of Ni and Cr concentrations effects of Ni and Cr were evident on GPX and SFG but not on ACHE. Accumulation in the mussels’ tissues increased according to exposure concentrations. Adverse effects on the energy status and induction of GPX were found at the higher exposure concentrations while possible hormetic effects on the energy status and moderate GPX suppression were associated with lower exposure concentrations. Nevertheless GPX was negatively correlated with SFG suggesting that GPX responses reflect the overall health of the organisms and thus show potential as an early warning signal of population level effects of Ni and Cr. On the other hand, our results indicate that ACHE is not a suitable biomarker for Ni and Cr pollution.     

监测水体重金属污染的分子生物标志物研究进展

水体重金属污染具有持久性、高度危害性和难治理性,如何快速、准确监测并对其进行科学评价,成为当今环境科学关心的热点问题。大量研究表明,水生生物体内某些生理指标的变化可以反映水体重金属的污染程度。综述了乙酰胆碱酯酶、抗氧化防御系统、腺苷三磷酸、DNA损伤以及金属硫蛋白等几种分子水平上的生物标志物监测重金属污染的原理、国内外研究进展以及应用现状。认为分子生物标志物具有特异性、敏感性等优势,可以较快指示水体重金属污染对生物体的影响,在实际应用中需注意各种干扰因素。在进行野外研究时,要注重混合重金属与多途径暴露下,分子生物标志物的变化规律。生物体之间差异性会导致标志物在同样暴露条件下产生不同的变化规律,需要加强＂离体＂标志物和＂标准化＂标志物的研究,确保监测结果的可靠性和可重复性。生物标志物较为敏感,容易受到外界环境及体内生理因素影响,可考虑综合运用多种生物标志物指示重金属污染。目前,有关重金属对水生生物毒性效应的研究较多,但重金属对生物体的致毒机理方面研究并不深入,这将是今后研究的重点问题之一。     

Oxidative stress,hematological and biochemical alterations in farmers exposed to pesticides

In this study, a cohort of farmers from the Mateur region in the North of Tunisia, were interviewed and examined for the biochemical effects of pesticides. We studied their haematological profile, lipid parameters, serum markers of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. We also evaluated the activities of Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and thiolactonase-paroxonase (PON). Moreover, lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined. The duration of pesticide use and the farmers’ age were considered in the analysis. Our results revealed significant differences in some haematological parameters, in liver and kidney functions, in the lipidic status of the pesticide-exposed group. We also reported an increase in the index of incidence of cardiovascular risk in farmer populations. A significant decrease in AChE, BChE and PON levels was found among farmers. Lipid peroxidation, however, increased. The activities of SOD and CAT were remarkably elevated in farmer populations. There was a significant relation between changes in biological markers, the duration of pesticide use and the farmers’ age. This study indicates that a long-term exposure to pesticides may play an important role in the development of vascular diseases via metabolic disorders of lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress, inhibition of BChE and decrease in thiolactonase-PON levels.