Effects of tributyltin exposure in hermit crabs: Clibanarius vittatus as a model

Abstract

Tributyltin (TBT) contamination affects the reproductive system of many species of invertebrates worldwide. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of exposure to TBT pollution on the reproduction of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus. An orthogonal experiment was designed with two treatments: contamination (with or without TBT in the food) and crab sex (males and females). The animals were reared in the laboratory for nine months, and macroscopic and histological analyses of reproductive organs were carried out after the end of the experiment. Tributyltin was recorded in exposed crabs, but no morphological alterations were detected in the gonads of males, regardless of whether they were exposed to TBT. In contrast, females exposed to TBT displayed disorganization and atrophy of their ovaries, thus directly affecting reproduction in this hermit crab species. This effect observed in female hermit crabs may harm populations located in harbor regions, where TBT concentration is high, even after the worldwide TBT ban.

Transcriptomics and in vivo tests reveal novel mechanisms underlying endocrine disruption in an ecological sentinel, Nucella lapillus

“…; Antizar‐Ladislao ; Sant'Anna et al . ). Indeed, TBT was considered as one of the most toxic compounds deliberately released into marine environments by man (Goldberg ).…”

Evaluation of toxicological effects induced by tributyltin in clam Ruditapes decussatus using high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Study of metabolic responses in heart tissue and detection of a novel metabolite

“…Deleterious effects on these animals and the well-studied effects of TBT exposure were reproductive functions, endocrine and immune systems responses [5] , [6] . The toxic effect of TBT led to reduce animal growth rate [7] , decrease of fertility through ovarian disorganization or atrophy [42] , reproduction failure [8] and alteration of sexual differentiation [9] . The main effect of TBT recorded around the world is a condition referred to as imposex, an endocrine disruption in molluscs that leads to masculinization of females for over 150 gasteropod species [41] even at very low concentrations of TBT (<1 ng/L) [10] .…”

Evaluation of the use of Olivella minuta (Gastropoda, Olividae) and Hastula cinerea (Gastropoda, Terebridae) as TBT sentinels for sandy coastal habitats

“…Even after the implementation of national and international regulatory actions (banning its use as antifouling paint biocide) in the last decade, TBT and/or imposex levels have still been detected in several South American coastal areas Santos et al 2009;Toste et al 2011;Castro and Fillmann 2012). Sant'Anna et al (2014) reported high amounts of TBT in hermit crab tissues along the Brazilian coast, which is an evidence of recent contamination (Sant'Anna et al 2012). These results indicate that TBT pollution is an environmental problem still far from being solved, at least in developing Latin American countries (Castro et al 2012a).…”