Validation and Evaluation of Selected Organic Pollutants in Shrimp and Seawater Samples from the NW Portuguese Coast

Assessment of cancer and dietary risks in commercially valuable marine organisms in coast of a region of future exploration (Equatorial South Atlantic)

The Equatorial South Atlantic region, spanning over 1700 km, is currently undergoing extensive exploitation through various activities such as oil extraction, desalination plants, marine mineral explorations, and wind power for green hydrogen production. This undoubtedly also contributes to the exacerbation of pre-existing chronic environmental impacts. This study aims to investigate the concentrations of 60 substances, categorized as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) from various classes including: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), as well as Pyrethroids (PPs), Triazines (TPs) and Organophosphates (OPPs) pesticides in consumable fish, shellfish, and crabs. The bivalve (Mytella charruana), crab (Ucides cordatus), and catfish (Sciades herzbergii) samples were collected in areas of ecological, environmental and economic importance. This data was used to estimate concentrations in the organisms, and to calculate cancer and human health risk. The most prevalent pollutant classes in the organisms were OCPs, followed by TPs and PPs. Shellfish and fish samples had more compounds indicating health risks, when compared to crabs. The substances causing cancer risks varied across organisms and study areas. The heightened cancer risks linked to specific compounds in various species highlight the urgent need to address persistent pollutants to prevent long-term health impacts on both humans and wildlife. Compounds such as PPs, TPs, and OPPs pose significant risks of neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption. This study underscores the interconnectedness of environmental and human health in coastal ecosystems, calling for continuous monitoring and adaptive management strategies to protect these fragile environments and the communities that rely on them.

Accumulation and growth toxicity mechanisms of fluxapyroxad revealed by physiological, hepatopancreas transcriptome, and gut microbiome analysis in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Fluxapyroxad (FX), a typical succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicide, is causing increased global concerns due to its fungicide effects. However, the accumulation and grow toxicity of FX to Litopenaeus vannamei (L. vannamei) is poorly understand. Therefore, the accumulation pattern of FX in L. vannamei was investigated for the first time in environmental concentrations. FX accumulated rapidly in shrimp muscle. Meanwhile, growth inhibition was observed and the mechanism derived by primarily accelerated glycolipid metabolism and reduced glycolipid content. Moreover, exposure to environmental concentrations of FX induced significant growth inhibition and oxidative stress and inhibited oxidative phosphorylation and TCA cycle in L. vannamei. The endocytosis signaling pathway genes were activated, thereby driving growth toxicity. Oxidative phosphorylation and cytosolic gene expression were further rescued in elimination experiments, demonstrating the mechanism of growth toxicity by FX exposure. The results revealed that FX persistently altered the gut microbiome of L. vannamei using gut microbiome sequencing, particularly with increased Garcinia Purple Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea for organic pollutant degradation. This study provided new insights into the potential toxicity of FX to marine organisms, emphasizing the need for further investigation and potential regulatory considerations.

Accumulation of organophosphorus pollutants in adipose tissue of obese women - metabolic alterations

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) are organophosphorus compounds created as substitutes for persistent environmental pollutants, namely organochlorines pesticides and brominated flame retardants, respectively. However, there is evidence that organophosphorus compounds are also widespread across the environment and have adverse effects on biota. In humans, OPPs and OPEs were reported to be carcinogenic, neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, amongst others. As lipophilic compounds, these accumulate in fat tissues as adipose tissue. Yet biomonitoring studies and analytical methodologies to assess these compounds in the human body are scarce, particularly in adipose tissue. In this study, the presence of six OPPs and seven OPEs was determined in samples of subcutaneous adipose tissue (scAT) and visceral adipose tissue (vAT) from 188 adult obese women. OPPs and OPEs were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) flame photometric detection and confirmed in GC tandem mass spectrometry. The detection frequencies ranged between 0.5-1.6% and 48-53%, respectively for OPPs and OPEs. Organophosphorus pollutants were present in both adipose tissues and median concentrations were 0.008 ± 0.020 μg/g scAT and 0.009 ± 0.020 μg/g vAT. A total of 32 Spearman's correlations were found between organophosphorus pollutants concentrations in adipose tissue and several biochemical parameters (18 positive and 14 negative). Our results show that anthropometric and hormonal parameters, cholesterol, glycaemia, macrominerals, urea and sedimentation velocity might be influenced by the presence of these compounds. The presence of organophosphorus pollutants in the environmental and their possible effect on female metabolic processes is concerning. Particularly because presently OPEs usage is not controlled or limited by any regulation. More studies are needed to fully understand these pollutants behaviour and hazard effects on human health, biota, and the environment so control regulations can be drawn to prevent and lessen their effects.

Review of scientific literature on available methods of assessing organochlorine pesticides in the environment

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) widely used in agriculture and industry, causing serious health and ecological consequences upon exposure. This review offers a thorough overview of OCPs analysis emphasizing the necessity of ongoing work to enhance the identification and monitoring of these POPs in environmental and human samples. The benefits and drawbacks of the various OCPs analysis techniques including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) are discussed. Challenges associated with validation and optimization criteria, including accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ), must be met for a method to be regarded as accurate and reliable. Suitable quality control measures, such as method blanks and procedural blanks, are emphasized. The LOD and LOQ are critical quality control measure for efficient quantification of these compounds, and researchers have explored various techniques for their calculation. Matrix interference, solubility, volatility, and partition coefficient influence OCPs occurrences and are discussed in this review. Validation experiments, as stated by European Commission in document SANTE/11813/2017, showed that the acceptance criteria for method validation of OCP analytes include ≤20 % for high precision, and 70-120 % for recovery. This may ultimately be vital for determining the human health risk effects of exposure to OCP and for formulating sensible environmental and public health regulations.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine crustaceans: Bioaccumulation, physiological and cellular responses

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are ubiquitous in marine ecosystems. These compounds can be accumulated in water, sediments and organisms, persist in time, and have toxic effects in human and wildlife. POPs can be uptaken and bioaccumulated by crustaceans, affecting different physiological processes, including energy metabolism, immunity, osmoregulation, excretion, growth, and reproduction. Nonetheless, animals have evolved sub-cellular mechanisms for detoxification and protection from chemical stress. POPs induce the activity of enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidant systems, that in vertebrates are importantly regulated at gene expression (transcriptional) level. However, the activation and control of these enzyme systems upon the exposure to POPs have been scarcely studied in invertebrate species, including crustaceans. Herein, we summarize various aspects of the bioaccumulation of POPs in marine crustaceans and their physiological effects. We specially focus on the regulation of xenobiotics metabolism and antioxidant enzymes as key sub-cellular mechanisms for detoxification and protection from chemical stress.