Toxicological effects of the sunscreen UV filter, benzophenone-2, on planulae and in vitro cells of the coral, Stylophora pistillata

Abstract

Benzophenone-2 (BP-2) is an additive to personal-care products and commercial solutions that protects against the damaging effects of ultraviolet light. BP-2 is an "emerging contaminant of concern" that is often released as a pollutant through municipal and boat/ship wastewater discharges and landfill leachates, as well as through residential septic fields and unmanaged cesspits. Although BP-2 may be a contaminant on coral reefs, its environmental toxicity to reefs is unknown. This poses a potential management issue, since BP-2 is a known endocrine disruptor as well as a weak genotoxicant. We examined the effects of BP-2 on the larval form (planula) of the coral, Stylophora pistillata, as well as its toxicity to in vitro coral cells. BP-2 is a photo-toxicant; adverse effects are exacerbated in the light versus in darkness. Whether in darkness or light, BP-2 induced coral planulae to transform from a motile planktonic state to a deformed, sessile condition. Planulae exhibited an increasing rate of coral bleaching in response to increasing concentrations of BP-2. BP-2 is a genotoxicant to corals, exhibiting a strong positive relationship between DNA-AP lesions and increasing BP-2 concentrations. BP-2 exposure in the light induced extensive necrosis in both the epidermis and gastro dermis. In contrast, BP-2 exposure in darkness induced autophagy and autophagic cell death.The LC50 of BP-2 in the light for an 8 and 24 hour exposure was 120 parts per million (ppm) and 165 parts per billion (ppb), respectively. The LC50s for BP-2 in darkness for the same time points were 144 parts per million and 548 parts per billion [corrected].

Hepatic oxidative stress biomarker responses in freshwater fish Carassius auratus exposed to four benzophenone UV filters

“…These findings demonstrate the apparent likelihood that BPs contained in PCPs might be emitted into the aquatic environment and persistent with a great potential for bioaccumulation through food chains (Gago-Ferrero et al, 2013). Thus, the occurrence (Liao and Kannan, 2014;Tsui et al, 2014), the degradation (Beel et al, 2013;Duirk et al, 2013;Yang and Ying, 2013;Ji et al, 2013;Laurentiis et al, 2013;Xiao et al, 2013) and, particularly the potential toxicities to humans and the ecosytems of these BP UV-filters have attracted widespread attention (Hofkamp et al, 2008;Downs et al, 2014;Paredes et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2015).…”

Ecological Risk Assessment of Munitions Compounds on Coral and Coral Reef Health

“…Once tissue disaggregation occurred, the cell slurry was then subjected to two differential centrifugations using a swinging bucket rotor at 50 x g for 5 min. The cell slurry was then layered onto a Percoll ® step-gradient (as in Downs et al 2010;2013), and centrifuged at approximately 200 x g for 4 min (not shown). Different fractions of non-zooxanthella (term used for dinoflagellate symbiont, Symbiodinium sp.)…”

“…Calicoblasts were identified by having the highest intensity of red fluorescence; the largest number of mitochondria per cell (Davy et al 2012). Cells were cultured in a modified tissue culture media for 48 h (Downs et al 2010;2013). Coral cellculture media (pH 8.2) consisting of 1 mL RPMI-1640, 100x vitamin solution to 99 mL of SSS-ASW (36 ppt salinity), 50 mM Hepes/KOH (pH 8.2), 1 mM calcium chloride, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 0.075 g/L D-glucose, 0.3 g/L galactose, 0.25 g/L sodium DL-lactate, 0.25 mM ascorbate, 0.05 g/L α-lipoic acid, 0.5 mM proline, 0.5 mM cysteine, 0.5 mM methionine, 0.01 mM hydroxycobalamin, 0.001 mM sodium folate, 1 g/L bovine albumin (V), 0.05 g/L succinate, and 0.25 g/L L-glutamine.…”

Acute toxicity of benzophenone-type UV filters for Photobacterium phosphoreum and Daphnia magna: QSAR analysis, interspecies relationship and integrated assessment

“…In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1), 2,2 0 ,4,4 0 -tetrahydroxybenzophenone (BP-2), 2-hydroxyl-4-methoxyl benzophenone (BP-3) and 2-hydroxyl-4-methoxyl benzophenone-5-sulfonic acid (BP-4) exhibit estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities (Kunz et al, 2006). Thus, occurrence (Liao and Kannan, 2014;Tsui et al, 2014;Tsai et al, 2014), degradation (Beel et al, 2013;Duirk et al, 2013;Ji et al, 2013;Laurentiis et al, 2013;Xiao et al, 2013;Yang and Ying, 2013) and, particularly, the potential toxicities to humans and ecosystems of these compounds have attracted widespread attention (Hofkamp et al, 2008;Downs et al, 2014;Paredes et al, 2014). Recently, BP-3 was found in nearly all urine samples from the U.S. and China .…”