Application of a battery of biomarkers in mussel digestive gland to assess long-term effects of the Prestige oil spill in Galicia and the Bay of Biscay: Lysosomal responses

Abstract

In order to assess the long-term lysosomal responses to the Prestige oil spill (POS), mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, were collected in 22 localities from Galicia and the Bay of Biscay (North Iberian peninsula) in July, and September 2003, April, July, and October 2004-2005 and April 2006. Lysosomal membrane stability (labilisation period, LP) and lysosomal structural changes (lysosomal volume density, Vv(L) and lysosomal surface-to-volume ratio, S/V(L)) were measured as general stress biomarkers. The most remarkable long-term effects after the POS were drastic changes in lysosomal size (lysosomal enlargement) and membrane stability (extremely low LP values) up to April-04. Later on, a recovery trend was envisaged all along the studied area after July-04, albeit membrane stability continued to be below 20 min throughout the studied period up to April-06, which indicates a "distress-to-moderate-stress" condition. Lysosomal Response Index (LRI) revealed that environmental stress was more marked in Galicia than in the Bay of Biscay, mainly in the first sampling year, although a "moderate-to-high-stress" condition persisted until July-05. Overall, although lysosomal size returned to reference values, membrane stability was not fully recovered indicating a stress situation throughout the studied period.

The Distribution of the MusselMytilusSpecies Along the Norwegian Coast

“…Diverse sources of environmental stress (chemical pollution, salinity changes, elevated temperature, malnutrition, reproductive stress) are known to provoke an increase in the size of digestive cell lysosomes in mussels, often accompanied by increased enzyme activity and lysosome numbers, which may compromise intracellular digestion and detoxification capacity (Moore, 1985;1988;Lowe, 1988;Cajaraville et al, 1989;Marigómez et al, 1995;Domoutsidou and Dimitriadis, 2001;Garmendia et al, 2011a). These lysosomal structural changes (LSC) have been commonly determined by image analysis of digestive gland cryotome sections where β-glucuronidase is employed as lysosomal marker enzyme.…”

Applications of biological tools or biomarkers in aquatic biota: A case study of the Tamar estuary, South West England

“…Numerous authors have recommended a multiple biomarker approach, encompassing different levels of biological organisation -ideally molecular, cellular, tissue and physiological levels, each influencing the structure and functions of subsequent levels (Allen and Moore, 2004;Beliaeff and Burgeot, 2002;Canty et al, 2009;Galloway et al, 2007Galloway et al, , 2002Garmendia et al, 2011;Hagger et al, 2009;Lam and Gray, 2003;Monserrat et al, 2007;Moore et al, 2004). Careful selection of such a suite of biological tools (which encompass these levels and types) can enable researchers to identify potential detrimental effects more precisely without losing any valuable or important information for hazard and risk evaluation.…”

Lysosomal responses to heat-shock of seasonal temperature extremes in Cd-exposed mussels

“…The lysosomal biomarkers recorded in source mussels were within the range of background values for the Bay of Biscay Izagirre et al, 2008;Garmendia et al, 2010Garmendia et al, , 2011ICES, 2012). Digestive cell lysosomes possess a characteristic seasonal variation pattern in the study area, with the occurrence of abundant tiny lysosomes in winter digestive cells (Garmendia et Fig.…”