Biomarker responses and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mytilus trossulus and Gammarus oceanicus during exposure to crude oil

Abstract

In the brackish water Baltic Sea, oil pollution is an ever-present and significant environmental threat mainly due to the continuously increasing volume of oil transport in the area. In this study, effects of exposure to crude oil on two common Baltic Sea species, the mussel Mytilus trossulus and the amphipod Gammarus oceanicus, were investigated. The species were exposed for various time periods (M. trossulus 4, 7, and 14 days, G. oceanicus 4 and 11 days) to three oil concentrations (0.003, 0.04, and 0.30 mg L −1 based on water measurements, nominally aimed at 0.015, 0.120, and 0.750 mg L −1 ) obtained by mechanical dispersion (oil droplets). Biological effects of oil exposure were examined using a battery of biomarkers consisting of enzymes of the antioxidant defense system (ADS), lipid peroxidation, phase II detoxification (glutathione S-transferase), neurotoxicity (acetylcholinesterase inhibition), and geno-and cytotoxicity (micronuclei and other nuclear deformities). In mussels, the results on biomarker responses were examined in connection with data on the tissue accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In M. trossulus, during the first 4 days of exposure the accumulation of all PAHs in the two highest exposure concentrations was high and was thereafter reduced significantly. Significant increase in ADS responses was observed in M. trossulus at 4 and 7 days of exposure. At day 14, significantly elevated levels of geno-and cytotoxicity were detected in mussels. In G. oceanicus, the ADS responses followed a similar pattern to those recorded in M. trossulus at day 4; however, in G. oceanicus, the elevated ADS response was still maintained at day 11. Conclusively, the results obtained show marked biomarker responses in both study species under conceivable, environmentally realistic oil-in-seawater concentrations during an oil spill, and in mussels, they are related to the observed tissue accumulation of oil-derived compounds.

Enzymatic response of Macrobrachium jelskii (Miers, 1877) exposed to water from urban and rural rivers in Bahia, Brazil

“…Similarly, the GST enzyme is also important in the defense against oxidative stress, since it protects proteins, lipids and DNA from oxidation (Benavides et al, 2016). According to Zanette et al (2011) and Turja et al (2020), GST is a phase-II enzyme that conjugates electrophilic compounds with reduced glutathione (GSH), acting in the detoxification of organic contaminants (e.g., PAHs).…”

“…Crude oil and its by-products, which could be the main source of contamination at PG1, may affect aquatic organisms in many ways and oxidative stress is one of the key elements of their toxicity (Lushchak, 2011). The main pollutants from petrochemical activities include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylphenols, diesel fuel, and hydrocarbons (Martínez-Gómez et al, 2006;Nudi et al, 2010;Lushchak, 2011;Zanette et al, 2011;Turja et al, 2020). For instance, PAHs are a group of organic pollutants of great impact to environment and human health (Celino et al, 2010;Sedeño-Díaz & López-López, 2013;Turja et al, 2020).…”

“…The main pollutants from petrochemical activities include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylphenols, diesel fuel, and hydrocarbons (Martínez-Gómez et al, 2006;Nudi et al, 2010;Lushchak, 2011;Zanette et al, 2011;Turja et al, 2020). For instance, PAHs are a group of organic pollutants of great impact to environment and human health (Celino et al, 2010;Sedeño-Díaz & López-López, 2013;Turja et al, 2020). In freshwater environment, contamination by PAHs is particularly serious because the solubility of these chemicals increases in low salinities (Ramachandran et al, 2006).…”

“…Exposure of animals to xenobiotics can lead to the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which in turn can induce changes in biochemical and cellular activities in animals, leading to the production or inhibition of substances that can be used as biomarkers (Van der Oost et al, 2003). Oxidative stress and production of ROS have, for example, been positively correlated with accumulation of heavy metals in aquatic organisms (Orebiyi et al, 2010;Tumminello & Fuller-Espie, 2013;Dedeke et al, 2016), exposed to hydrocarbons (Tim-Tim et al, 2009;Lushchak, 2011;Al-Fanharawi et al, 2018;Turja et al, 2020), pesticides (Lavarías et al, 2013;Lavarías & Garcia, 2015;Gaume et al 2015;Lafontaine et al, 2017;Vieira et al, 2014), pharmaceutical products and surfactants (Canesi et al, 2010;Bolong et al, 2009;Saénz et al, 2010).…”

The EU Horizon 2020 project GRACE: integrated oil spill response actions and environmental effects

“…Counihan [55] Hansen et al [56] Knag and Taugbøl [57] Van der Ost et al [58] Turja et al [59] Zebrafish embryo and larvae toxicity test at different salinities and with WAFs prepared at different temperatures Adapt the assay to Baltic Sea conditions, also as a pre-requisite for the biosensing in WP1…”