Level of oxidative stress for the land snail Cepaea nemoralis from aged and bioremediated soil contaminated with petroleum products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Here, we investigated whether the widely distributed snail Cepaea nemoralis could be used as a suitable sentinel animal for assessing the effects of...     

The effects of cadmium or zinc multigenerational exposure on metal tolerance of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The effects of ten generational zinc or cadmium pre-exposure on metal tolerance among beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua individuals were compared. These effects were assessed in animals from the 11th generation, reared on a diet either uncontaminated or contaminated with metal (cadmium or zinc). The survival rate of larvae and the degree of metal accumulation (in larvae, pupae and moths; among larval organs: gut and fat body) were analysed. Catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione transferase activity in larval organs of individuals subjected to different metal treatments were also measured. Animals transferred from control rearing to metals (cadmium or zinc) in the 11th generation, as well as those from multigenerational zinc treatment, but not from multigenerational cadmium treatment, had a significantly lower survival rate than control animals. Insects from the groups with the high metal treatment had high bioaccumulation factors (above 3.7 and 2.3 following cadmium and zinc, respectively). Cadmium (but not zinc) pre-exposure had a significant effect on metal accumulation in larvae. Multigenerational metal pre-exposure seemed to have mainly a negative effect on glutathione transferase activity in the gut of larvae from the 11th generation, in the case of the individuals exposed to metal other than that used in pre-exposure treatment or kept in control conditions. However, in the case of zinc pre-exposure, such effect was only apparent when zinc was replaced by cadmium. The long-term effect of cadmium on catalase activity in larvae was found.     

Accumulation of heavy metals and antioxidant responses in Vicia faba plants grown on monometallic contaminated soil

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of soil contamination by selected metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead or zinc) on the antioxidant response of Vicia faba plants. The levels of the antioxidants: glutathione, proline, non-protein thiols, as well as guaiacol peroxidase and catalase activities were measured in the upperparts of plants. Additionally, the potential bioavailability of metals in the soil and their concentrations in V. faba plants were compared. Treatment with metal caused the problem of an elevation in its bioavailability in soil and its concentration in leaves and stems. The most serious problems seemed to be metal elevations in soil, especially Zn and Ni as well as in the aerial parts of V. faba plants. The antioxidant responses appeared to be metal specific. The elevation of guaiacol peroxidase activity in leaves and stems as well as the proline in leaves was the only more general reaction to metal exposure. Upon analysis of the effects of soil metal contamination on V. faba plants, we recommend the use of some measurements such as guaiacol peroxidase activity and proline level as useful tools in biological monitoring.