PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF THE BROWN MUSSEL Perna perna (MOLLUSCA, BIVALVIA) EXPOSED TO THE ANIONIC SURFACTANT LINEAR ALKYLBENZENE SULPHONATE (LAS)

Abstract

The effects of the Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate (LAS) were evaluated on the mussel Perna perna, using physiological and genotoxic biomarkers. The Micronuclei (MN) assay was used to estimate effects at nuclear level, whereas the physiological effects were evaluated by measuring the oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion rates. Significant effects were observed for the MN assay and the ammonia excretion rate, even in low concentrations. The oxygen consumption was not affected in the tested concentrations. For MN and ammonia excretion, the animals exposed to intermediate concentrations were not affected, but responded to the higher concentrations, indicating the existence of compensatory mechanisms at physiological level. However, parallel to this study other authors indicate the presence of progressive effects at the cellular level, suggesting that the organisms are not capable to recover of such increasing effects. Additionally, the results show that the levels of LAS observed for Brazilian coastal waters may chronically affect the biota. Keywords: Ecotoxicology. Biomarkers. Detergent. Effect. Marine pollution. Mussel. RESUMOOs efeitos do Alquilbenzeno Sulfonato de Sódio Linear sobre o mexilhão Perna perna foram avaliados por meio do uso de biomarcadores genotóxicos e fisiológicos. O ensaio da taxa de micronúcleos (MN) foi conduzido para estimar o efeito ao nível nuclear, enquanto os efeitos fisiológicos foram avaliados através da medição da taxa de consumo de oxigênio e de excreção de amônia. Efeitos significativos foram observados para o ensaio do MN e para a taxa de excreção de amônia, mesmo em baixas concentrações. O consumo do oxigênio não foi afetado pelas HOLOS Environment, v.11 n.1, 2011 -P. 45 ISSN:1519 concentrações dos ensaios. Para MN e excreção de amônia, os animais expostos às concentrações intermediárias não foram afetados, mas responderam às maiores concentrações, sugerindo a existência de mecanismos compensatórios em nível fisiológico. Contudo, paralelamente ao presente estudo, outros autores demonstraram haver efeitos progressivos em nível celular, sugerindo que os organismos não conseguem se recuperar dos efeitos crescentes da exposição. Os resultados ainda mostram que níveis de LAS presentes na costa brasileira podem afetar cronicamente a biota. Palavras-chave: Ecotoxicologia. Biomarcadores. Detergente. Efeito. Poluição marinha. Mexilhão.

Washing soda induced alteration of the differential cell count, nonself surface adhesion efficacy and nuclear morphology of the polyphenotypic cells of a freshwater sponge of India

“…The authors proposed the nuclear anomalies of molluscan hemocytes as an effective biomarker of environmental genotoxicity and an “early warning tool” to assess the health status of freshwater ecosystem. Stefanoni and Abessa (2011) reported genotoxicity of anionic surfactant, linear alkylbenzene sulphonate in brown mussel Perna perna by determining the degree of micronucleation. In the present study, treatment of washing soda resulted in an overall increase in the frequency of binucleation in E. carteri cells (Figure 6A).…”

Acute toxicity and risk assessment of three commercial detergents using the polychaete Capitella sp. C from Chetumal Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico

“…Surfactants are used as cleaning agents while sodium silicates act as water softeners (Table 1). Specifically, the toxic effects of the anionic surfactant LAS have been examined in several experiments with different groups of aquatic organisms providing evidence of its toxicity (Marín et al 1991;Bao-Quey and Dar-Yi 1994;Jorgensen and Christoffersen 2000;Rosety et al 2001;Hampel et al 2001;Christoffersen et al 2003;Stefanoni and Abessa 2008;Coelho and Rocha 2010). However, it has been determined that the ecological risk of LAS to aquatic organisms is low (Fendinger et al 1994;Van de Plassche et al 1999;Versteeg et al 1999;Temara et al 2002).…”

Toxic Effects of Copper, Cadmium, and Methoxychlor Shown by Neutral Red Retention Assay in Two Species of Freshwater Molluscs

“…Since lysosomes accumulate a diverse range of toxic chemicals that can eventually lead to cell injury through lysosomal damage [34,35], destabilization of lysosomal membranes indicated by leakage of neutral red into the cytoplasm is a good indicator of stress. Lysosomal destabilization has been shown in oysters exposed to toxic algae [36] and to Fullerene C60 nanoparticles [24], in earthworms exposed to organophosphate pesticides [37], in clams carrying trematode parasites [38], in mussels exposed to alkylbenzene sulphonate [39], and to human pharmaceuticals [29,30,32,33]. The vast majority of these and other studies have utilized marine invertebrates even though freshwater molluscs are excellent sentinel organisms under constant pollution pressure.…”