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Ussery E, McMaster M, Palace V, Parrott J, Blandford NC, Frank R, Kidd K, Birceanu O, Wilson J, Alaee M, Cunningham J, Wynia A, Clark T, Campbell S, Timlick L, Michaleski S, Marshall S, Nielsen K. Effects of metformin on wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) using in-lake mesocosms in a boreal lake ecosystem. Sci Total Environ 2024; 929:172457. [PMID: 38649046 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Due to its widespread use for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes, metformin is routinely detected in surface waters globally. Laboratory studies have shown that environmentally relevant concentrations of metformin can adversely affect the health of adult fish, with effects observed more frequently in males. However, the potential risk to wild fish populations has yet to be fully elucidated and remains a topic of debate. To explore whether environmentally relevant metformin exposure poses a risk to wild fish populations, the present study exposed wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to 5 or 50 μg/L metformin via 2 m diameter in-lake mesocosms deployed in a natural boreal lake in Northern Ontario at the International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA). Environmental monitoring was performed at regular intervals for 8-weeks, with fish length, weight (body, liver and gonad), condition factor, gonadosomatic index, liver-somatic index, body composition (water and biomolecules) and hematocrit levels evaluated at test termination. Metabolic endpoints were also evaluated using liver, brain and muscle tissue, and gonads were evaluated histologically. Results indicate that current environmental exposure scenarios may be sufficient to adversely impact the health of wild fish populations. Adult male fish exposed to metformin had significantly reduced whole body weight and condition factor and several male fish from the high-dose metformin had oocytes in their testes. Metformin-exposed fish had altered moisture and lipid (decrease) content in their tissues. Further, brain (increase) and liver (decrease) glycogen were altered in fish exposed to high-dose metformin. To our knowledge, this study constitutes the first effort to understand metformin's effects on a wild small-bodied fish population under environmentally relevant field exposure conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Ussery
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark McMaster
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vince Palace
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Joanne Parrott
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicholas C Blandford
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Richard Frank
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen Kidd
- McMaster University, Department of Biology, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Oana Birceanu
- Western University, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joanna Wilson
- McMaster University, Department of Biology, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mehran Alaee
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jessie Cunningham
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Abby Wynia
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas Clark
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sheena Campbell
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lauren Timlick
- International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Sonya Michaleski
- International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephanie Marshall
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kristin Nielsen
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Marine Science, Port Aransas, TX, USA
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Blandford NC, Peters L, Timlick L, Rodríguez-Gil JL, Palace V. Combustion of crude oil during in-situ burning can introduce polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) into small-scale freshwater systems. J Environ Manage 2022; 322:116078. [PMID: 36063694 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In-situ burning (ISB) is the controlled combustion of an oil slick to remove large quantities of spilled oil from the aquatic environment. Prior to employing ISB as a remediation technique, an oil slick must often be corralled by physical or chemical means to achieve a sufficient thickness (typically >1 mm) for ignition. While ISB is an effective means to remove oil mass, less is known about the potential for ISB to mobilize polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) into the aquatic environment. The PACs are primary contaminants of concern in crude oil due to their environmental persistence and toxicity. We examined the potential for ISB to mobilize PACs into underlying waters in a series of small-scale burns conducted across a gradient of oil slick thicknesses (0-7 mm). Concentrations of PACs in underlying waters were evaluated and compared to reference conditions using an equivalent gradient of oil slick thicknesses that were not ignited. At thinner slick thicknesses (i.e. 0 - 4 mm) ISB enhanced the mobilization of total PACs, likely a result of heat transfer to underlying waters; this effect increased as slick thickness increased. Among thicker slicks (i.e. 4 - 7 mm), pyrogenic PACs became more prevalent and greater concentrations of 4-ring PACs were detected in underlying waters. The potential for PAC mobilization needs to be considered in scenarios where ISB may be the only viable oil spill remediation option (e.g. wetlands, marshes, or where oil is entrained) and in shallow systems susceptible to temperature changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas C Blandford
- Centre for Oil and Gas Research and Development, Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Lisa Peters
- Centre for Oil and Gas Research and Development, Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Lauren Timlick
- International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0T4, Canada
| | - José Luis Rodríguez-Gil
- International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0T4, Canada; Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Vince Palace
- International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0T4, Canada.
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