The lysosomal stability as a biomarker for the determination of pollution in aquatic environments

Abstract

This work studied the effects caused by five different formulae of gasoline on the stability of the lysosomes isolated from the liver of the tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus). The functional integrity of the lysosomal membranes was evaluated via the acid phosphatase activity.The results showed that there were significant changes in the stability of the lysosomes exposed to the presence of the hydrocarbons in the environment. Therefore, considering the method's simplicity, the sensitivity of the responses and its low cost the assessment of the lysosomal activity could be an important tool for the study of the effects of pollution in the aquatic environments.

Estimation of Biodiesel Cytotoxicity by Using Acid Phosphatase as a Biomarker of Lysosomal Integrity

“…Compared with the present results, the toxicity of the gasoline-WSF was higher than the biodiesel-WSF. This was resultant from the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons in the WSF of this fossil fuel (Nazar et al 2008).…”

“…After homogenization (1,500 rpm), the samples were diluted (1:9 v/v) in distilled water (Milli-Q apparatus from Millipore Ò ) and stirred at a constant speed (150 rpm) in closed Mariotti flasks for 20 h. After decantation, part of each WSF was collected and distributed in test containers by following the previously established standard operation procedures (SOPs) inserted in the QA/QC Laboratory Program (Nascimento et al 2002;Nazar et al 2008). These SOPs are based on the results of tests previously performed with different species.…”

“…The tests comprise of exposing such species to a serial dilution of the tested material (0 %, 4.6 %, 10.0 %, 22.0 %, 46.0 %, 100 %) aiming to determine their effective concentrations (Martins et al 2005;Paixão et al 2007;Nazar et al 2008;Nascimento et al 2009;Leite et al 2011;Pereira et al 2012). All these tests involve a positive (standard reference toxicant) and a negative (blank) control.…”

“…Lysosomes are multifunctional organelles rich in hydrolytic enzymes, responsible for breaking macromolecules that penetrate the cell via endocytosis. The lysosomal ability to sequester contaminants from sensitive intracellular sites is an essential protective mechanism, which makes the lysosomal membrane particularly susceptible to high concentrations of toxic compounds (Martins et al 2005;Nazar et al 2008). Under excess of exogenous substances, intralysosomal storage can increase the membrane permeability leading to the efflux of hydrolytic enzymes, and to the autolytic cell activity (Nicholson 2001).…”

“…Other techniques use the efflux of the acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) as an effective biomarker. The activity of the acid phosphatase on different organisms has been used to determine pollutant effects on algae (Jonsson and Aoyama 2010;Pereira et al 2012), Daphnia magna (Khangarot and Rathore 2003) and several species of fishes (Vijayavel and Balasubramanian 2007;Nazar et al 2008). The acid phosphatase activity has also been taken as parameter for the evaluation of toxic effects of other chemicals and priority pollutants.…”