Linking biochemical and individual-level effects of chlorpyrifos, triphenyl phosphate, and bisphenol A on sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) larvae

Abstract

The effects of three relevant organic pollutants: chlorpyrifos (CPF), a widely used insecticide, triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), employed as flame retardant and as plastic additive, and bisphenol A (BPA), used primarily as plastic additive, on sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) larvae, were investigated. Experiments consisted of exposing sea urchin fertilized eggs throughout their development to the 4-arm pluteus larval stage. The antioxidant enzymes glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT), the phase II detoxification enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), and the neurotransmitter catabolism enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were assessed in combination with responses at the individual level (larval growth). CPF was the most toxic compound with 10 and 50% effective concentrations (EC10 and EC50) values of 60 and 279 μg/l (0.17 and 0.80 μM), followed by TPHP with EC10 and EC50 values of 224 and 1213 μg/l (0.68 and 3.7 μM), and by BPA with EC10 and EC50 values of 885 and 1549 μg/l (3.9 and 6.8 μM). The toxicity of the three compounds was attributed to oxidative stress, to the modulation of the AChE response, and/or to the reduction of the detoxification efficacy. Increasing trends in CAT activity were observed for BPA and, to a lower extent, for CPF. GR activity showed a bell-shaped response in larvae exposed to CPF, whereas BPA caused an increasing trend in GR. GST also displayed a bell-shaped response to CPF exposure and a decreasing trend was observed for TPHP. An inhibition pattern in AChE activity was observed at increasing BPA concentrations. A potential role of the GST in the metabolism of CPF was proposed, but not for TPHP or BPA, and a significant increase of AChE activity associated with oxidative stress was observed in TPHP-exposed larvae. Among the biochemical responses, the GR activity was found to be a reliable biomarker of exposure for sea urchin early-life stages, providing a first sign of damage. These results show that the integration of responses at the biochemical level with fitness-related responses (e.g., growth) may help to improve knowledge about the impact of toxic substances on marine ecosystems.

Toxicity of Tire Particle Leachates on Early Life Stages of Keystone Sea Urchin Species

“…Thus, the observed trend could indicate that a detoxification response involving GST was induced by tire particle leachates, although the increase was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). Other studies report that the GST activity of P. lividus larvae can be induced, inhibited, or unaffected depending on the nature and the intensity of the chemical stress (Bellas et al, 2022;el Idrissi et al, 2022). Taking together our observations and reports in the literature, GST can serve as a sub-lethal endpoint in exposure studies with pollutants and may give insights into molecular processes.…”

Cellular adaptations of the scleractinian coral Madracis pharensis to chronic oil pollution in a Mediterranean shipwreck

“…glutathione peroxidases, glyoxalase) or directly involved in oxyradicals scavenging, and not promptly replenished (Karami et al, 2011;Regoli and Giuliani, 2014;Benedetti et al, 2015;Vasǩováet al, 2023). Nonetheless, the accumulation of other chemicals, not assessed in this study, might have contributed to the GST activity decrease, as previously described for graphene oxide, flame retardants, insecticides, and pesticides (Özaslan et al, 2018;Josende et al, 2020;Bellas et al, 2022).…”