In order to assess the biological effects of the Prestige oil spill (POS), mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, were collected in 22 localities along the North coast of the Iberian Peninsula over 3 years (April 2003-April 2006). Different tissue-level biomarkers including cell type composition (volume density of basophilic cells, Vv(BAS)) in digestive gland epithelium, structural changes of digestive alveoli (mean luminal radius to mean epithelial thickness, MLR/MET) and histopathological alterations (prevalence and intensity) of the digestive gland were analysed. Severe alterations in the general condition of the digestive gland tissue were observed all over the study area up to 2004-2005. High Vv(BAS) values were recorded mainly in Galicia but also to a lesser extent in the Bay of Biscay in 2003-2004. Atrophy of the digestive alveoli, measured in terms of MLR/MET, was detected all along the studied area up to 2006. Inflammatory responses cannot be related to pollution due to the POS: (a) prevalence and intensity of focal hemocytic infiltration were higher in the Bay of Biscay than in Galicia but they did not show a clear temporal trend; (b) high intensities of brown cell aggregates were only sporadically recorded; and (c) granulocytomas were more frequently recorded in the Bay of Biscay than in Galicia and especially in localities (i.e. Arrigunaga) subjected to chronic pollution. Likewise, Marteilia, trematodes, intracellular ciliates, unidentified eosinophilic bodies, R/CLO and Mytilicola did not follow any recognisable pattern that could be associated to the POS. In contrast, high Nematopsis intensities recorded in several localities in 2003 might suggest some response of local interest after the POS (i.e., in combination with particular factors/conditions). More data at a regional scale are needed before histopathology may provide a reliable ecosystem health assessment but the present results suggest that the approach is worthwhile. Overall, although Vv(BAS) returned to reference values by 2004-2005, MLR/MET values indicated that the mussel health condition was affected during the whole study period up to April 2006.

No abstract

Due to the increasing commercialization of consumer and industrial products containing nanoparticles (NPs), an increase in the introduction of these materials into the environment is expected. NP toxicity to aquatic organisms depends on multiple biotic and abiotic factors, resulting in an unlimited number of combinations impossible to test in practice. The zebrafish embryo model offers a useful screening tool to test and rank the toxicity of nanomaterials according to those diverse factors. This work aims to study the acute and sublethal toxicity of a set of metal-bearing NPs displaying different properties, in comparison to that of the ionic and bulk forms of the metals, in order to establish a toxicity ranking. Soluble NPs (Ag, CdS and ZnO) showed the highest acute and sublethal toxicity, with LC50 values as low as 0.529 mg Ag l(-1) for Ag NPs of 20 nm, and a significant increase in the malformation prevalence in embryos exposed to 0.1 mg Cd l(-1) of CdS NPs of ∼4 nm. For insoluble NPs, like SiO2 NPs, acute effects were not observed during early embryo development due to the protective effect of the chorion. But effects on larvae could be expected, since deposition of fluorescent SiO2 NPs over the gill lamella and excretion through the intestine were observed after hatching. In other cases, such as for gold NPs, the toxicity could be attributed to the presence of additives (sodium citrate) in the NP suspension, as they displayed a similar toxicity when tested separately. Overall, the results indicated that toxicity to zebrafish embryos depends primarily on the chemical composition and, thus, the solubility of the NPs. Other characteristics, such as size, played a secondary role. This was supported by the observation that ionic forms of the metals were always more toxic than the nano forms, and bulk forms were the least toxic to the developing zebrafish embryos.

No abstract

Due to their antimicrobial, electrical and magnetic properties, copper nanoparticles (NPs) are suitable for a vast array of applications. Copper can be toxic to biota, making it necessary to assess the potential hazard of copper nanomaterials. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to 10 µg Cu/L of CuO NPs of ≈100 nm (CuO-poly) or ionic copper to compare the effects provoked after 3 and 21 days of exposure and at 6 months post-exposure (mpe). At 21 days, significant copper accumulation was only detected in fish exposed to ionic copper. Exposure to both copper forms caused histopathological alterations that could reduce gill functionality, more markedly in the case of ionic copper. Nevertheless, at 6 mpe higher prevalences of gill lesions were detected in fish previously exposed to CuO-poly NPs. No relevant histological alterations were detected in liver, but the lysosomal membrane stability test showed significantly impaired general health status after exposure to both metal forms that lasted up to 6 mpe. 69 transcripts appeared regulated after 3 days of exposure to CuO-poly NPs, suggesting that NPs could produce oxidative stress and reduce metabolism and transport processes. Thirty transcripts were regulated after 21 days of exposure to ionic copper, indicating possible DNA damage. Genes of the circadian clock were identified as the key genes involved in time-dependent differences between the two copper forms. In conclusion, each copper form showed a distinct pattern of liver transcriptome regulation, but both caused gill histopathological alterations and long lasting impaired health status in adult zebrafish.