Abstract:Intertidal species are frequently exposed to environmental changes associated with multiple stressors, which they must either avoid or tolerate by developing physiological and biochemical strategies. Some of the natural environmental changes are related with the tidal cycle which forces organisms to tolerate the differences between an aquatic and an aerial environment. Furthermore, in these environments, organisms are also subjected to pollutants from anthropogenic sources. The present study evaluated the impa… Show more
Highlights Mytilus galloprovincialis bioaccumulated lanthanum Mussels exposed to Lanthanum decreased their metabolic capacity Contaminated mussels activated their antioxidant and biotransformation defences Contaminated mussels showed increased lipid peroxidation and lower GSH/GSSG ratio Neurotoxicity was induced in contaminated mussels Histopathological alterations were induced by lanthanum Summary Inappropriate processing and disposal of electronic waste contributes to the contamination of aquatic systems by various types of pollutants such as the rare-earth elements (REE) in which lanthanum (La) is included. Knowledge on the toxicity of these elements in marine organisms is still scarce when compared to other metals such as mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As).
Highlights Mytilus galloprovincialis bioaccumulated lanthanum Mussels exposed to Lanthanum decreased their metabolic capacity Contaminated mussels activated their antioxidant and biotransformation defences Contaminated mussels showed increased lipid peroxidation and lower GSH/GSSG ratio Neurotoxicity was induced in contaminated mussels Histopathological alterations were induced by lanthanum Summary Inappropriate processing and disposal of electronic waste contributes to the contamination of aquatic systems by various types of pollutants such as the rare-earth elements (REE) in which lanthanum (La) is included. Knowledge on the toxicity of these elements in marine organisms is still scarce when compared to other metals such as mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As).
“…after exposure of organisms to different concentrations of Gd. Due to their sedentary and filtration behavior, as well as their capacity to respond to environmental alterations, M. galloprovincialis mussels are widely used as bioindicators of a vast diversity of pollutants, including classical elements such as metals (among others, (Coppola et al, 2018;Maanan, 2007;Mejdoub et al, 2018;Regoli and Principato, 1995) and compounds considered of emerging concern including pharmaceuticals (Balbi et al, 2018;Maria et al, 2016), and nanoparticles (Andrade et al, 2018;Auguste et al, 2018;Taze et al, 2016).…”
Recently, anthropogenic enrichment of rare earth elements (REE) have been reported in natural environments, due to increasing use and discharges of hospital/industrial wastewaters. Gadolinium (Gd), which is mainly used as contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging in medical exams, may reach concentrations in water up to two orders of magnitude larger than baseline levels. Nevertheless, in marine systems scarce information is available concerning the toxicity of REE towards inhabiting organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the biochemical impact of anthropogenic Gd in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, which is a species of commercial interest and one of the most accepted pollution bioindicator. Organisms were exposed to different concentrations of Gd (0, 15, 30, 60, 120 µg/L) for 28 days. At the end of the experiments, biomarkers related to mussels' metabolic (electron transport system activity and energy reserves content), oxidative stress status (cellular damage and the activity of antioxidant and biotransformation enzymes) and neurotoxic effects (activity of the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase) were measured, as well as Gd bioconcentration in organisms. Results showed a high content of Gd (2.5±0.50 µg/g) in mussels exposed to the highest concentration, contrary to those at control condition and at 15 and 30 μg/L of Gd (levels below 0.38 µg/g). Although no mortality was observed during the experimental period, exposure to Gd strongly affected the biochemical performance of M. galloprovincialis, including the decrease on mussels' metabolism, induction of oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, particularly evidenced at intermediate concentrations. These results may indicate that up to certain stressful levels, although lowering their metabolism, organisms may be able to activate defense strategies to avoid cellular injuries which, on the other hand, may compromise mussels physiological performance such as growth and reproduction success. Nevertheless, our findings support that the widespread utilization of Gd may represent an environmental risk in the future.
“…For each biochemical determination, 0.5 g FW soft tissue per organism was used (three individuals per replicate, twelve per condition). Samples extraction was performed with specific buffers for each biomarker in the proportion 1:2 w/v (see for details: Almeida et al, 2014;Andrade et al, 2018;Freitas et al, 2019). Sonication was applied to each sample for 15 s at 4 °C, which was posteriorly centrifuged for 20 min at 10,000 g (or 3,000 g for electron transport system activity (ETS)) at 4 °C.…”
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