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de Sabóia-Morais SMT, de Lima Faria JM, da Silva Rabelo JC, Hanusch AL, Mesquita LA, de Andrade Silva R, de Oliveira JM, de Jesus LWO. Cylindrospermopsin exposure promotes redox unbalance and tissue damage in the liver of Poecilia reticulata, a neotropical fish species. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2024; 87:120-132. [PMID: 37969104 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2023.2282530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing concern regarding the adverse risks exposure to cylindrospermopsin (CYN) might exert on animals and humans. However, data regarding the toxicity of this cyanotoxin to neotropical fish species are scarce. Using the fish species Poecilia reticulata, the influence of CYN concentrations equal to and above the tolerable for drinking water may produce on liver was determined by assessing biomarkers of antioxidant defense mechanisms and correlated to qualitative and semiquantitative histopathological observations. Adult females were exposed to 0.0 (Control); 0.5, 1 and 1.5 μg/L pure CYN for 24 or 96 hr, in triplicate. Subsequently the livers were extracted for biochemical assays and histopathological evaluation. Catalase (CAT) activity was significantly increased only by 1.5 μg/L CYN-treatment, at both exposure times. Glutathione -S-transferase (GST) activity presented a biphasic response for both exposure times. It was markedly decreased after exposure by 0.5 μg/L CYN treatment but significantly elevated by 1.5 μg/L CYN treatment. All CYN treatments produced histopathological alterations, as evidenced by hepatocyte cords degeneration, steatosis, inflammatory infiltration, melanomacrophage centers, vessel congestion, and areas with necrosis. Further, an IORG >35 was achieved for all treatments, indicative of the presence of severe histological alterations in P. reticulata hepatic parenchyma and stroma. Taken together, data demonstrated evidence that CYN-induced hepatotoxicity in P. reticulata appears to be associated with an imbalance of antioxidant defense mechanisms accompanied by histopathological liver alterations. It is worthy to note that exposure to low environmentally-relevant CYN concentrations might constitute a significant risk to health of aquatic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - João Marcos de Lima Faria
- Laboratory of Cellular Behavior, Department of Morphology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Custódio da Silva Rabelo
- Laboratory of Cellular Behavior, Department of Morphology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | | | - Lorena Alves Mesquita
- Laboratory of Cellular Behavior, Department of Morphology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Raquel de Andrade Silva
- Laboratory of Cellular Behavior, Department of Morphology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Jerusa Maria de Oliveira
- Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO), Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
- Laboratory of Applied Animal Morphophysiology, Histology and Embryology Section, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, AL, Brazil
| | - Lázaro Wender Oliveira de Jesus
- Laboratory of Applied Animal Morphophysiology, Histology and Embryology Section, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, AL, Brazil
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Davidović P, Blagojević D, Meriluoto J, Simeunović J, Svirčev Z. Biotests in Cyanobacterial Toxicity Assessment-Efficient Enough or Not? BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050711. [PMID: 37237524 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are a diverse group of organisms known for producing highly potent cyanotoxins that pose a threat to human, animal, and environmental health. These toxins have varying chemical structures and toxicity mechanisms and several toxin classes can be present simultaneously, making it difficult to assess their toxic effects using physico-chemical methods, even when the producing organism and its abundance are identified. To address these challenges, alternative organisms among aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates are being explored as more assays evolve and diverge from the initially established and routinely used mouse bioassay. However, detecting cyanotoxins in complex environmental samples and characterizing their toxic modes of action remain major challenges. This review provides a systematic overview of the use of some of these alternative models and their responses to harmful cyanobacterial metabolites. It also assesses the general usefulness, sensitivity, and efficiency of these models in investigating the mechanisms of cyanotoxicity expressed at different levels of biological organization. From the reported findings, it is clear that cyanotoxin testing requires a multi-level approach. While studying changes at the whole-organism level is essential, as the complexities of whole organisms are still beyond the reach of in vitro methodologies, understanding cyanotoxicity at the molecular and biochemical levels is necessary for meaningful toxicity evaluations. Further research is needed to refine and optimize bioassays for cyanotoxicity testing, which includes developing standardized protocols and identifying novel model organisms for improved understanding of the mechanisms with fewer ethical concerns. In vitro models and computational modeling can complement vertebrate bioassays and reduce animal use, leading to better risk assessment and characterization of cyanotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petar Davidović
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dajana Blagojević
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Jussi Meriluoto
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Biochemistry, Åbo Akademi, Tykistökatu 6 A, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Jelica Simeunović
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Zorica Svirčev
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Biochemistry, Åbo Akademi, Tykistökatu 6 A, 20520 Turku, Finland
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Caruso G, Scalisi EM, Pecoraro R, Cardaci V, Privitera A, Truglio E, Capparucci F, Jarosova R, Salvaggio A, Caraci F, Brundo MV. Effects of carnosine on the embryonic development and TiO 2 nanoparticles-induced oxidative stress on Zebrafish. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1148766. [PMID: 37035814 PMCID: PMC10078361 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1148766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress is due to an unbalance between pro-oxidants, such as reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species, and antioxidants/antioxidant system. Under physiological conditions these species are involved in different cellular processes such as cellular homeostasis and immune response, while an excessive production of ROS/RNS has been linked to the development of various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. In this context, the naturally occurring dipeptide carnosine has shown the ability to scavenge ROS, counteract lipid peroxidation, and inhibit proteins oxidation. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) have been widely used to produce cosmetics, in wastewater treatment, in food industry, and in healthcare product. As consequence, these NPs are often released into aquatic environments. The Danio rerio (commonly called zebrafish) embryos exposure to TiO2-NPs did not affect the hatching rate, but induced oxidative stress. According to this scenario, in the present study, we first investigated the effects of carnosine exposure and of a sub-toxic administration of TiO2-NPs on the development and survival of zebrafish embryos/larvae measured through the acute embryo toxicity test (FET-Test). Zebrafish larvae represent a useful model to study oxidative stress-linked disorders and to test antioxidant molecules, while carnosine was selected based on its well-known multimodal mechanism of action that includes a strong antioxidant activity. Once the basal effects of carnosine were assessed, we then evaluated its effects on TiO2-NPs-induced oxidative stress in zebrafish larvae, measured in terms of total ROS production (measured with 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate probe) and protein expression by immunohistochemistry of two cellular stress markers, 70 kDa-heat shock protein (Hsp70) and metallothioneins (MTs). We demonstrated that carnosine did not alter the phenotypes of both embryos and larvae of zebrafish at different hours post fertilization. Carnosine was instead able to significantly decrease the enhancement of ROS levels in zebrafish larvae exposed to TiO2-NPs and its antioxidant effect was paralleled by the rescue of the protein expression levels of Hsp70 and MTs. Our results suggest a therapeutic potential of carnosine as a new pharmacological tool in the context of pathologies characterized by oxidative stress such as neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Caruso
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Unit of Neuropharmacology and Translational Neurosciences, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
- *Correspondence: Giuseppe Caruso
| | - Elena Maria Scalisi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Roberta Pecoraro
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Cardaci
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Scuola Superiore di Catania, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Anna Privitera
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Emanuela Truglio
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Fabiano Capparucci
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Romana Jarosova
- Department of Chemistry and R.N. Adams Institute for Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | | | - Filippo Caraci
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Unit of Neuropharmacology and Translational Neurosciences, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
| | - Maria Violetta Brundo
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Casas-Rodriguez A, Cameán AM, Jos A. Potential Endocrine Disruption of Cyanobacterial Toxins, Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin: A Review. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14120882. [PMID: 36548779 PMCID: PMC9785827 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14120882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcystins (MCs) and cylindrospermopsin (CYN), although classified as hepatotoxins and cytotoxins, respectively, have been shown to also induce toxic effects in many other systems and organs. Among them, their potential endocrine disruption (ED) activity has been scarcely investigated. Considering the increasing relevance of ED on humans, mammals, and aquatic organisms, this work aimed to review the state-of-the-art regarding the toxic effects of MCs and CYN at this level. It has been evidenced that MCs have been more extensively investigated than CYN. Reported results are contradictory, with the presence or absence of effects, but experimental conditions also vary to a great extent. In general, both toxins have shown ED activity mediated by very different mechanisms, such as estrogenic responses via a binding estrogen receptor (ER), pathological changes in several organs and cells (testis, ovarian cells), and a decreased gonad-somatic index. Moreover, toxic effects mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), changes in transcriptional responses on several endocrine axes and steroidogenesis-related genes, and changes in hormone levels have also been reported. Further research is required in a risk assessment frame because official protocols for assessment of endocrine disrupters have not been used. Moreover, the use of advanced techniques would aid in deciphering cyanotoxins dose-response relationships in relation to their ED potential.
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