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Bettencourt S, Freitas DN, Lucas C, Costa S, Caeiro S. Marine litter education: From awareness to action. Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 192:114963. [PMID: 37201345 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114963] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Marine litter is a global problem. Education has been acclaimed as a potential tool to tackle this issue, yet, integrative, student-centered, and over weeks studies to raise awareness on the theme that compares pre- with post-intervention results are limited in the literature. Furthermore, almost no studies rely on the basis of previous experience on the theme and local reality. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational intervention to raise awareness and educate students (1st cycle to high-school) about marine litter. Different learning skills were fostered through theoretical, laboratorial, and hands-on activities and students participated in a beach clean-up to summarize the classroom's learnings in loco. Pre- and post-questionnaire results indicate that students' knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intentions changed. Identification of marine litter estimated degradation times and observation of microplastics in local sand samples were activities highly appreciated by youngsters. This intervention positively impacted schoolchildren's literacy, contributing to advancing education in marine litter and can be further adapted to other educational areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bettencourt
- Center for Global Studies, Department of Science and Technology, Portuguese Distance Learning University, Lisbon, Portugal; CENSE Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, School of Science and Technology, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal; MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, ARDITI Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, Madeira, Portugal; OOM-Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, ARDITI-Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, Madeira, Portugal.
| | - Diogo Nuno Freitas
- ITI/LARSyS/M-ITI-Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute, Madeira, Portugal; NOVA LINCS NOVA Laboratory for Computer Science and Informatics, Lisbon, Portugal; Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering, University of Madeira, Madeira, Portugal
| | - Carlos Lucas
- OOM-Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, ARDITI-Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, Madeira, Portugal
| | - Sónia Costa
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, ARDITI Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, Madeira, Portugal; OOM-Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, ARDITI-Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, Madeira, Portugal
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- Center for Global Studies, Department of Science and Technology, Portuguese Distance Learning University, Lisbon, Portugal; CENSE Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, School of Science and Technology, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal
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Caeiro A, Caeiro S, Correia S, Canhoto J. Induction of Somatic Embryogenesis in Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) Involves Increases in the Endogenous Auxin Indole-3-Acetic Acid. Plants 2022; 11:plants11101347. [PMID: 35631771 PMCID: PMC9144520 DOI: 10.3390/plants11101347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a complex biological process regulated by several factors, such as the action of plant growth regulators, namely auxins, of which the most physiologically relevant is indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). In tamarillo, an optimized system for induction of SE creates, after an induction process, embryogenic (EC) and non-embryogenic callus (NEC). In this work the endogenous levels of auxin along the induction phase and in the calli samples were investigated using chemical quantifications by colorimetric reactions and HPLC as well as immunohistochemistry approaches. Differential gene expression (IAA 11, IAA 14, IAA 17, TIR 1, and AFB3) analysis during the induction phase was also carried out. The results showed that the endogenous IAA content is considerably higher in embryogenic than in non-embryogenic calli, with a tendency to increase as the dedifferentiation of the original explant (leaf segments) evolves. Furthermore, the degradation rates of IAA seem to be related to these levels, as non-embryogenic tissue presents a higher degradation rate. The immunohistochemical results support the quantifications made, with higher observable labeling on embryogenic tissue that tends to increase along the induction phase. Differential gene expression also suggests a distinct molecular response between EC and NEC.
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Bettencourt S, Costa S, Caeiro S. Marine litter: A review of educative interventions. Mar Pollut Bull 2021; 168:112446. [PMID: 33991982 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Marine litter is claimed to be one of the most meaningful environmental crises of the century. Education that supports behavior change is a tool to tackle this problem. However, there is a lack of research linking educational initiatives and marine litter issues. A literature review was conducted through a bibliometric and content analysis to explore the state of knowledge regarding educational actions. The results revealed that 2019 was the year with the highest number of publications and that 83.4% of the documents were collaborative efforts. Concerning educational approaches, hands-on and technological activities are being explored to raise awareness and stimulate behavior change. Students and questionnaires represent, respectively, the most common audience and evaluating method. More integrative actions and respective long-term methodological triangulation evaluation were identified as necessary in future studies. This paper is expected to contribute to innovative knowledge in the area by identifying the main gaps in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bettencourt
- Department of Science and Technology, Portuguese Distance Learning University, Lisbon, Portugal; CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Madeira, Portugal; OOM - Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Madeira, Portugal.
| | - Sónia Costa
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Madeira, Portugal; OOM - Oceanic Observatory of Madeira, Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Madeira, Portugal
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- Department of Science and Technology, Portuguese Distance Learning University, Lisbon, Portugal; CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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Walker AM, Opferkuch K, Roos Lindgreen E, Raggi A, Simboli A, Vermeulen WJV, Caeiro S, Salomone R. What Is the Relation between Circular Economy and Sustainability? Answers from Frontrunner Companies Engaged with Circular Economy Practices. Circ Econ Sustain 2021; 2:731-758. [PMID: 34888562 PMCID: PMC8170867 DOI: 10.1007/s43615-021-00064-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The circular economy (CE) concept has become a major interest for companies, promising new business opportunities and a decrease in environmental impacts. Though research on circular business models has recently increased, few scholars have investigated how companies engaged with CE view the connection between CE and sustainability. To address this gap, this paper uses a semi-quantitative survey and semi-structured interviews conducted with companies based in Italy and the Netherlands. Purposive sampling was employed to target firms associated with national and international CE networks, as these companies already engage with CE practices. The survey was distributed online to over 800 firms, of which 155 provided information on their understanding of the CE concept and its relationship with sustainability. The survey results are complemented through findings from 43 interviews with a subset of the survey respondents. The survey answers show that companies view CE as one of the tools to achieve sustainable development, particularly in the environmental domain, where the focus lies on environmentally friendly resource use. Yet, the respondents are less confident whether CE increases economic and social benefits of firms. Interviews show that a majority of respondents position sustainability as the overarching concept. However, most companies advocate that the private sector should strive for both sustainability and circularity, though the distinction between the two concepts in daily business operations seems synthetic and futile to some. These findings provide an important stepping stone for better understanding how firms could apply CE practices to move towards a more sustainable society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Walker
- Deptartment of Economic Studies, University "G. d'Annunzio", Pescara, Italy
| | - Katelin Opferkuch
- Department of Science and Technology, Universidade Aberta, Lisbon, Portugal.,Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE), NOVA University, Caparica, Portugal
| | | | - Andrea Raggi
- Deptartment of Economic Studies, University "G. d'Annunzio", Pescara, Italy
| | - Alberto Simboli
- Deptartment of Economic Studies, University "G. d'Annunzio", Pescara, Italy
| | - Walter J V Vermeulen
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- Department of Science and Technology, Universidade Aberta, Lisbon, Portugal.,Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE), NOVA University, Caparica, Portugal
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Leal Filho W, Price E, Wall T, Shiel C, Azeiteiro UM, Mifsud M, Brandli L, Farinha CS, Caeiro S, Salvia AL, Vasconcelos CR, de Sousa LO, Pace P, Doni F, Veiga Avila L, Fritzen B, LeVasseur TJ. COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development teaching. Environ Dev Sustain 2021; 23:11257-11278. [PMID: 33424430 PMCID: PMC7785399 DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-01107-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis, one which also influences the ways sustainability is being taught at universities. This paper undertakes an analysis of the extent to which COVID-19 as a whole and the lockdown it triggered in particular, which has led to the suspension of presence-based teaching in universities worldwide and influenced teaching on matters related to sustainable development. By means of a worldwide survey involving higher education institutions across all continents, the study has identified a number of patterns, trends and problems. The results from the study show that the epidemic has significantly affected teaching practices. The lockdowns have led to a surge in the use of on-line communication tools as a partial replacement to normal lessons. In addition, many faculty teaching sustainability in higher education have strong competencies in digital literacy. The sampled higher education educations have-as a whole-adequate infrastructure to continue to teach during the lockdowns. Finally, the majority of the sample revealed that they miss the interactions via direct face-to-face student engagement, which is deemed as necessary for the effective teaching of sustainability content. The implications of this paper are two-fold. Firstly, it describes how sustainability teaching on sustainable development has been affected by the lockdown. Secondly, it describes some of the solutions deployed to overcome the problem. Finally, the paper outlines the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may serve the purpose of showing how university teaching on sustainability may be improved in the future, taking more advantage of modern information technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Leal Filho
- European School of Sustainability Science and Research, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD UK
| | - Elizabeth Price
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD UK
| | - Tony Wall
- International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, CH1 4BJ UK
| | - Chris Shiel
- Bournemouth University, Christchurch House C212, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB UK
| | - Ulisses M. Azeiteiro
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Mark Mifsud
- Centre for Environmental Education & Research, University of Malta, MSD 2080, Msida, Malta
| | - Luciana Brandli
- Graduate Program in Civil and Environment Engineering, University of Passo Fundo, Campus I - BR 285, São José, Passo Fundo, RS 99052-900 Brazil
| | - Carla Sofia Farinha
- Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE), NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- Department of Science and Technology, Universidade Aberta, Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Science and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Amanda Lange Salvia
- Graduate Program in Civil and Environment Engineering, University of Passo Fundo, Campus I - BR 285, São José, Passo Fundo, RS 99052-900 Brazil
| | - Claudio Ruy Vasconcelos
- Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
- Algoritmi Research Centre, School of Engineering, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luiza Olim de Sousa
- Department of Geography Education and Environmental Education, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Paul Pace
- Centre for Environmental Education & Research, University of Malta, MSD 2080, Msida, Malta
| | - Federica Doni
- Department of Business and Law, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucas Veiga Avila
- Graduate Program in Accounting Sciences - PPGCC and Graduate Program in Production Engineering - PPGEP, Federal University of Santa Maria – UFSM, Santa Maria, RS Brazil
| | - Bárbara Fritzen
- Graduate Program in Civil and Environment Engineering, University of Passo Fundo, Campus I - BR 285, São José, Passo Fundo, RS 99052-900 Brazil
| | - Todd Jared LeVasseur
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sustainability Literacy Institute, College of Charleston, Charleston, USA
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Machado A, Fernandes AP, Paixão E, Caeiro S, Matias-Dias C. An epidemiological approach to characterise the human exposure pathways in a contaminated estuarine environment. Sci Total Environ 2017; 601-602:1753-1761. [PMID: 28618664 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study's aim was to develop and implement an integrative epidemiologic cross-sectional study that allows identifying and characterising exposure pathways of populations living and working on the shores of a contaminated estuarine environment. Population residing in Carrasqueira, located on the Sado estuary with known contaminated areas was compared to another population on a noncontaminated estuary (Vila Nova de Mil Fontes - VNMF), considered a nonexposed population. Simple random samples of individuals were selected in each study population from the National Health Service Lists: 140 individuals were selected in Carrasqueira and 219 in VNMF. Participation rates were higher in the exposed group (62.5%, n=102 in Carrasqueira and 48.3%, n=100 individuals in VNMF). The same structured questionnaire was used in both populations, including questions on occupational activities, leisure activities, consumption of food (including fish and mollusks from the estuary) and use of water for human intake and agriculture. Results showed that a significantly higher proportion of Carrasqueira participants reported doing tasks in their job that promote direct (48.8% vs 1.2% in VNMF, p-value<0.001) or indirect (30% vs 11.9% in VNMF, p-value=0.004) contact with water from the estuary. Regarding seafood consumption, the exposed population of Carrasqueira had a higher frequency of consumption of cuttlefish (23.5% vs 9% in VNMF, p-value=0.007), sole (22.5% vs 4% in VNMF, p-value<0.001) and clams (18.6% vs 5.0 in VNMF, p-value=0.004). The comparative study design, with exposed and nonexposed populations living on the shores of two different estuaries allowed us to confirm the hypothesis of a higher risk of contamination from the contaminated estuarine environment. The study design and the selection of both populations were adequate for this type of epidemiologic study of potential routes of human contamination in a mixture of contaminated estuarine environment and can be used in other estuarine areas with similar environmental risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ausenda Machado
- Epidemiology Department, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Ana Paula Fernandes
- Departament of Sciences and Technology, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 141, 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CAPP, Centre for Public Administration & Public Policies, Institute of Social Sciences and Politics, Lisbon University, Rua Almerindo Lessa, 1300-663 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Eleonora Paixão
- Technical Support Center in Areas of Investment, Planning and Statistics, Alentejo Regional Administration of Health, Largo do Jardim do Paraíso, n° 1, 7000-864 Évora, Portugal
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- Departament of Sciences and Technology, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 141, 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CAPP, Centre for Public Administration & Public Policies, Institute of Social Sciences and Politics, Lisbon University, Rua Almerindo Lessa, 1300-663 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carlos Matias-Dias
- Epidemiology Department, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Centro de investigação em Saúde Pública, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
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Pinto MF, Louro H, Costa PM, Caeiro S, Silva MJ. Exploring the potential interference of estuarine sediment contaminants with the DNA repair capacity of human hepatoma cells. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2015; 78:559-570. [PMID: 25965191 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2015.1006712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Estuaries may be reservoirs of a wide variety of pollutants, including mutagenic and carcinogenic substances that may impact on the ecosystem and human health. A previous study showed that exposure of human hepatoma (HepG2) cells to extracts from sediment samples collected in two areas (urban/industrial and riverine/agricultural) of an impacted estuary (Sado, Portugal), produced differential cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. Those effects were found to be consistent with levels and nature of sediment contamination. The present study aimed at evaluating whether the mixtures of contaminants contained in those extracts were able to modulate DNA repair capacity of HepG2 cells. The residual level of DNA damage was measured by the comet assay in cells exposed for 24 or 48 h to different extracts, after a short preexposure to a challenging concentration range of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), as a model alkylating agent. The results suggested that the mixture of contaminants present in the tested samples, besides a potential direct effect on the DNA molecule, may also interfere with DNA repair mechanisms in HepG2 cells, thus impairing their ability to deal with genotoxic stress and, possibly, facilitating accumulation of mutations. Humans are environmentally/occupationally exposed to mixtures rather than to single chemicals. Thus, the observation that estuarine contaminants induce direct and indirect DNA strand breakage in human cells, the latter through the impairment of DNA repair, raises additional concerns regarding potential hazards from exposure and the need to further explore these endpoints in the context of environmental risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ferreira Pinto
- a National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P. , Department of Human Genetics , Lisbon , Portugal
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Costa PM, Pinto M, Vicente AM, Gonçalves C, Rodrigo AP, Louro H, Costa MH, Caeiro S, Silva MJ. An integrative assessment to determine the genotoxic hazard of estuarine sediments: combining cell and whole-organism responses. Front Genet 2014; 5:437. [PMID: 25540652 PMCID: PMC4261831 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2014.00437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of the Comet assay in environmental monitoring remains challenging in face of the complexity of environmental stressors, e.g., when dealing with estuarine sediments, that hampers the drawing of cause-effect relationships. Although the in vitro Comet assay may circumvent confounding factors, its application in environmental risk assessment (ERA) still needs validation. As such, the present work aims at integrating genotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage induced by sediment-bound toxicants in HepG2 cells with oxidative stress-related effects observed in three species collected from an impacted estuary. Distinct patterns were observed in cells exposed to crude mixtures of sediment contaminants from the urban/industrial area comparatively to the ones from the rural/riverine area of the estuary, with respect to oxidative DNA damage and oxidative DNA damage. The extracts obtained with the most polar solvent and the crude extracts caused the most significant oxidative DNA damage in HepG2 cells, as measured by the formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (FPG)-modified Comet assay. This observation suggests that metals and unknown toxicants more hydrophilic than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be important causative agents, especially in samples from the rural part of the estuary, where oxidative DNA damage was the most significant. Clams, sole, and cuttlefish responded differentially to environmental agents triggering oxidative stress, albeit yielding results accordant with the oxidative DNA damage observed in HepG2 cells. Overall, the integration of in vivo biomarker responses and Comet assay data in HepG2 cells yielded a comparable pattern, indicating that the in vitro FPG-modified Comet assay may be an effective and complementary line-of-evidence in ERA even in particularly challenging, natural, scenarios such as estuarine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr.Ricardo Jorge Lisboa, Portugal ; MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Caparica, Portugal
| | - Miguel Pinto
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr.Ricardo Jorge Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana M Vicente
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr.Ricardo Jorge Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cátia Gonçalves
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana P Rodrigo
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Caparica, Portugal
| | - Henriqueta Louro
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr.Ricardo Jorge Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria H Costa
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Caparica, Portugal
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Caparica, Portugal ; Departamento de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica Lisboa, Portugal ; Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Caparica, Portugal
| | - Maria J Silva
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr.Ricardo Jorge Lisboa, Portugal
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Gonçalves C, Martins M, Diniz MS, Costa MH, Caeiro S, Costa PM. May sediment contamination be xenoestrogenic to benthic fish? A case study with Solea senegalensis. Mar Environ Res 2014; 99:170-178. [PMID: 24857782 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Within an environmental risk assessment framework of a moderately contaminated estuary (the Sado, SW Portugal), the present work intended to detect endocrine disruption in a flatfish, Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858, and its potential relationship to organic toxicants. Animals were collected from two distinct areas in the estuary (industrial and rural) and from an external reference area. Hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) levels, cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) induction, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity plus gonad histology were analysed. Males and females were sexually immature and showed no significant evidence of degenerative pathologies. However, hepatic VTG concentrations in males from the industrial area were higher than Reference, even reaching levels comparable to females, indicating low but measurable oestrogenic effects caused by the complex contaminant mixture in estuarine sediments. These individuals also presented elevated CYP1A induction and EROD activity, which is consistent with contamination by organic toxicants such as PAHs and other aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) -mediated toxicants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cátia Gonçalves
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Marta Martins
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; IPMA - Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Avenida do Brasil, 1449-006 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mário S Diniz
- REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Maria H Costa
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Sandra Caeiro
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 141, 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Pedro M Costa
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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10
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Pinto M, Costa PM, Louro H, Costa MH, Lavinha J, Caeiro S, Silva MJ. Determining oxidative and non-oxidative genotoxic effects driven by estuarine sediment contaminants on a human hepatoma cell line. Sci Total Environ 2014; 478:25-35. [PMID: 24530582 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.01.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 09/12/2013] [Revised: 01/03/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Estuarine sediments may be reservoirs of hydrophilic and hydrophobic pollutants, many of which are acknowledged genotoxicants, pro-mutagens and even potential carcinogens for humans. Still, studies aiming at narrowing the gap between ecological and human health risk of sediment-bound contaminant mixtures are scarce. Taking an impacted estuary as a case study (the Sado, SW Portugal), HepG2 (human hepatoma) cells were exposed in vitro for 48 h to extracts of sediments collected from two areas (urban/industrial and Triverine/agricultural), both contaminated by distinct mixtures of organic and inorganic toxicants, among which are found priority mutagens such as benzo[a]pyrene. Comparatively to a control test, extracts of sediments from both impacted areas produced deleterious effects in a dose-response manner. However, sediment extracts from the industrial area caused lower replication index plus higher cytotoxicity and genotoxicity (concerning total DNA strand breakage and clastogenesis), with emphasis on micronucleus induction. On the other hand, extracts from the rural area induced the highest oxidative damage to DNA, as revealed by the FPG (formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase) enzyme in the Comet assay. Although the estuary, on its whole, has been classified as moderately contaminated, the results suggest that the sediments from the industrial area are significantly genotoxic and, furthermore, elicit permanent chromosome damage, thus potentially being more mutagenic than those from the rural area. The results are consistent with contamination by pro-mutagens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), potentiated by metals. The sediments from the agriculture-influenced area likely owe their genotoxic effects to metals and other toxicants, probably pesticides and fertilizers, and able to induce reactive oxygen species without the formation of DNA strand breakage. The findings suggest that the mixtures of contaminants present in the assayed sediments are genotoxic to HepG2 cells, ultimately providing a useful approach to hazard identification and an effective line-of-evidence in the environmental monitoring of anthropogenically-impacted coastal ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pinto
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - P M Costa
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - H Louro
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M H Costa
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - J Lavinha
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - S Caeiro
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 141, 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CENSE - Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - M J Silva
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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Pinto M, Costa PM, Louro H, Costa MH, Lavinha J, Caeiro S, Silva MJ. Human hepatoma cells exposed to estuarine sediment contaminant extracts permitted the differentiation between cytotoxic and pro-mutagenic fractions. Environ Pollut 2014; 185:141-8. [PMID: 24275312 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 07/23/2013] [Revised: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Complex toxicant mixtures present in estuarine sediments often render contaminant screening unfeasible and compromise determining causation. HepG2 cells were subjected to bioassays with sediment extracts obtained with a series of progressively polar solvents plus a crude extract. The sediments were collected from an impacted area of an estuary otherwise regarded as pristine, whose stressors result mostly from aquaculture effluents and hydrodynamic shifts that enhance particle deposition. Compared to a reference scenario, the most polar extracts yielded highest cytotoxicity while higher genotoxicity (including oxidative damage) was elicited by non-polar solvents. While the former caused effects similar to those expected from biocides, the latter triggered effects compatible with known pro-mutagens like PAHs, even though the overall levels of toxicants were considered of low risk. The results indicate that the approach may constitute an effective line-of-evidence to infer on the predominant set of hazardous contaminants present in complex environmental mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pinto
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - P M Costa
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal; IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - H Louro
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M H Costa
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - J Lavinha
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - S Caeiro
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 141, 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CENSE - Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - M J Silva
- Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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Rodrigo AP, Costa PM, Costa MH, Caeiro S. Integration of sediment contamination with multi-biomarker responses in a novel potential bioindicator (Sepia officinalis) for risk assessment in impacted estuaries. Ecotoxicology 2013; 22:1538-1554. [PMID: 24142132 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-013-1140-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/05/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
For the purpose of biomonitoring, species that combine ecological and commercial importance may provide a link between ecological and human health risk. The common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, holds both characteristics in south-western Europe, albeit remaining unsurveyed in ecotoxicological studies. Cuttlefish collected from an impacted estuary in SW Portugal and a reference location off the coast were analysed for a battery of biomarker responses in the digestive gland and gills. The contrast to reference animals revealed that biomarker responses, especially those related to oxidative stress, were consistent with sediment contamination by PAHs, even in a situation that combines complex toxicant mixtures, moderate levels of contamination and high ecotoxicological diversity. However, environmental parameters related to the differences between shore and estuarine habitats should not be overruled. Also, digestive gland metallothionein retained significant specificity to metals even though previous studies in the area with clams and fish failed to trigger a conclusive response. The highest net differences in biomarker responses were detected in the gills, likely indicating higher sensitivity to environmental stressors. Still, the digestive gland responses were overall the most consistent with sediment contamination and effectively differentiated between estuarine industrial- and rural-impacted sites. The results indicate that S. officinalis may be a candidate to meet the European Union's requirements for efficient biomonitoring programmes, with the additional importance of being cosmopolitan, abundant, commercially valuable and combining the molluscan biology that has been granting bivalves their high value for biomonitoring with foraging behaviour, thus better able to reflect anthropogenic stressors impacting a wider area than sedentary organisms. Nevertheless, further investigations in unpolluted sites are needed to better evaluate the background levels of biomarker responses in the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Rodrigo
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal
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Gonçalves C, Martins M, Costa MH, Caeiro S, Costa PM. Ecological risk assessment of impacted estuarine areas: integrating histological and biochemical endpoints in wild Senegalese sole. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2013; 95:202-211. [PMID: 23810368 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2013.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [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: 04/14/2013] [Revised: 06/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The analysis of multiple biomarker responses is nowadays recognized as a valuable tool to circumvent potential confounding factors affecting biomonitoring studies and allows a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying exposure to natural mixtures of toxicants. For the purpose of an environmental risk assessment (ERA) in an impacted estuary in SW Europe (the Sado, Portugal), juvenile Solea senegalensis from commercial fishing areas were surveyed for histopathological liver alterations and biochemical biomarkers. Although the findings revealed moderate differences in the patterns of histopathological traits between urban/industrial- and agricultural-influenced areas within the same estuary, no significant distinction was found between the cumulative alterations in animals from the two sites. The overall level of histopathological injury was low and severe traits like neoplasms or pre-neoplastic foci were absent. While metallothionein induction and lipid peroxidation could relate to histopathological condition indices, the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes appeared to be impaired in animals collected off the estuary's heavy-industry belt (the most contaminated site), which may partially explain some degree of hepatic integrity loss. Overall, the results are consistent with low-moderate contamination of the estuary and indicate that oxidative stress is the most important factor accounting for differences between sites. The study highlights the need of integrating multiple biomarkers when multiple environmental stressors are involved and the advantages of surveying toxicity effects in field-collected, foraging, organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cátia Gonçalves
- IMAR, Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
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Costa PM, Caeiro S, Costa MH. Multi-organ histological observations on juvenile Senegalese soles exposed to low concentrations of waterborne cadmium. Fish Physiol Biochem 2013; 39:143-158. [PMID: 22752339 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-012-9686-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
A histopathological screening was performed on juvenile Senegalese soles exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of waterborne Cd (0.5, 5 and 10 μg L(-1)) for 28 days. The severity and dissemination of histopathological changes were variable and limited to the kidney, liver, spleen, gills and skin goblet cells. Contradicting available literature that refers the liver as the most affected organ upon acute exposure and the kidney following chronic exposure, the liver was the most impacted organ (even at the lowest concentration), in a trend that could relate to the duration of exposure and Cd concentration. The most noticeable hepatic alterations related to inflammation, although hepatocellular alterations like lipidosis and eosinophilic foci also occurred. The trunk kidney of exposed fish endured moderate inflammation, apoptosis and necrosis, however, without a clear time-dependent effect. The spleen of fish subjected to the highest concentrations revealed diffuse necrotic foci accompanied by melanomacrophage intrusion. The gills, albeit the most important apical uptake organ of dissolved toxicants, sustained only moderate damage, from epithelial hyperplasia and pavement cell detachment to the potentially more severe chloride cell alterations. In the skin, an increase in goblet cell size occurred, most notoriously correlated to Cd concentration at earlier stages of exposure. The results show that a metal-naïve juvenile fish can endure deleterious effects when exposed to low, ecologically relevant, concentrations of a common toxic metal and that the pattern of Cd-induced histopathological alterations can be complex and linked to organ-specific responses and metal translocation within the organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Costa
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Carreira S, Costa MH, Caeiro S. Development of histopathological indices in a commercial marine bivalve (Ruditapes decussatus) to determine environmental quality. Aquat Toxicol 2013; 126:442-454. [PMID: 23010389 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2012] [Revised: 08/09/2012] [Accepted: 08/16/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Bivalve histopathology is an acknowledged tool in environmental toxicology studies, however geographically restricted, limited to a few species and still lacking the degree of detail needed to develop effective (semi)quantitative approaches. A first-time detailed histopathological screening was performed on grooved carpet shell clams collected from commercial shellfish beds in distinct coastal ecosystems of the Southern Portuguese coast: two parted sites within an impacted estuary (S(1) and S(2)), an inlet channel of a fish farm at a considered pristine estuary (site M) and a site allocated in a clean coastal lagoon (A). A total of thirty histopathological lesions and alterations were analysed in the gills and digestive glands following a weighted condition indices approach, including inflammation-related responses, necrosis, neoplastic diseases and parasites. Digestive glands were consistently more damaged than gills, except for animals collected from site M, where the most severe lesions were found in both organs, immediately followed by S(2). Clams from sites S(1) and A were overall the least damaged. Neoplastic diseases were infrequent in all cases. Inflammation-related traits were some of the most common alterations progressing in animals enduring severe lesions such as digestive tubule (diverticula) and intertubular tissue necrosis. Some alterations, such as lipofuscin aggregates within digestive tubule cells, did not relate to histological lesions. Granulocytomas only occurred in heavily infected tissues. Animals from M and A presented the highest infections in the digestive gland, especially by protozoa. Gill infections were more similar between sites. Still, the level of infection does not account for all histopathological lesions in either organ. Overall, the results are in accordance with environmental parameters, such as distance to pollution sources, sediment type and hydrodynamics, and show that the combination of multiple histopathological features in these clams provides good sensitivity for inter-site distinction even when low or moderate anthropogenic impacts are at stake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.
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Carreira S, Costa PM, Martins M, Lobo J, Costa MH, Caeiro S. Ecotoxicological heterogeneity in transitional coastal habitats assessed through the integration of biomarkers and sediment-contamination profiles: a case study using a commercial clam. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2013; 64:97-109. [PMID: 23052360 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-012-9812-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2012] [Accepted: 09/10/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Transitional waterbodies, such as estuaries, are highly diversified environments with respect to ecology, geophysics, and nature of anthropogenic impacts. This spatial heterogeneity may pose important constraints when developing monitoring programmes for aquatic pollution. The present study compared three distinct coastal ecosystems located in Southern Portugal (subjected to different anthropogenic stressors), namely, two estuaries and a coastal lagoon, through the characterisation of sediment contamination and a biomarker approach to an important commercial clam (Ruditapes decussatus) obtained from local fishing grounds. The results showed high heterogeneity of sediment contamination for both estuaries and a marked distinction between industrially and agriculturally influenced areas as well as between natural and artificialized sites. Hydrodynamics and oceanic influence (in essence dictating sediment type) play a major role in environmental quality. Environmental heterogeneity constituted an important confounding factor for biomarker analysis in the clams' digestive glands since the animals appeared to respond to their immediate surroundings' characteristics rather than the geographical area where they were collected from, despite the relative distance to pollution hot spots. Still, oxidative stress biomarkers (lipid peroxidation and catalase activity) could correlate with each other and to both organic and metallic contamination, whereas metallothionein-like protein induction failed to correlate to any class of sediment toxicants (albeit metals being the most representative pollutants) and appeared to be strongly affected (unlike the previous) by clam size and probably other unknown internal and external variables, among which contaminant interactions should play a major role.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Carreira
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal
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Costa PM, Chicano-Gálvez E, Caeiro S, Lobo J, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Vale C, Alhama-Carmona J, Lopez-Barea J, DelValls TA, Costa MH. Hepatic proteome changes in Solea senegalensis exposed to contaminated estuarine sediments: a laboratory and in situ survey. Ecotoxicology 2012; 21:1194-1207. [PMID: 22362511 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-012-0874-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/11/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Assessing toxicity of contaminated estuarine sediments poses a challenge to ecotoxicologists due to the complex geochemical nature of sediments and to the combination of multiple classes of toxicants. Juvenile Senegalese soles were exposed for 14 days in the laboratory and in situ (field) to sediments from three sites (a reference plus two contaminated) of a Portuguese estuary. Sediment characterization confirmed the combination of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorines in the two contaminated sediments. Changes in liver cytosolic protein regulation patterns were determined by a combination of two-dimensional electrophoresis with de novo sequencing by tandem mass spectrometry. From the forty-one cytosolic proteins found to be deregulated, nineteen were able to be identified, taking part in multiple cellular processes such as anti-oxidative defence, energy production, proteolysis and contaminant catabolism (especially oxidoreductase enzymes). Besides a clear distinction between animals exposed to the reference and contaminated sediments, differences were also observed between laboratory- and in situ-tested fish. Soles exposed in the laboratory to the contaminated sediments failed to induce, or even markedly down-regulated, many proteins, with the exception of a peroxiredoxin (an anti-oxidant enzyme) and a few others, when compared to reference fish. In situ exposure to the contaminated sediments revealed significant up-regulation of basal metabolism-related enzymes, comparatively to the reference condition. Down-regulation of basal metabolism enzymes, related to energy production and gene transcription, in fish exposed in the laboratory to the contaminated sediments, may be linked to sediment-bound contaminants and likely compromised the organisms' ability to deploy adequate responses against insult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da, IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Caeiro S, Vale C, Delvalls TÀ, Costa MH. Can the integration of multiple biomarkers and sediment geochemistry aid solving the complexity of sediment risk assessment? A case study with a benthic fish. Environ Pollut 2012; 161:107-120. [PMID: 22230075 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Revised: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 10/09/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Surveying toxicity of complex geochemical media as aquatic sediments often yields results that are either difficult to interpret or even contradictory to acknowledged theory. Multi-level biomarkers were investigated in a benthic fish exposed to estuarine sediments through laboratory and in situ bioassays, to evaluate their employment either in ecological risk assessment or in more mechanistic approaches to assess sediment-bound toxicity. Biomarkers reflecting lesions (such as genotoxicity or histopathology), regardless of their low or absent specificity to contaminants, are efficient in segregating exposure to contaminated from uncontaminated sediments even when classical biomarkers like CYP1A and metallothionein induction are inconclusive. Conversely, proteomics and gene transcription analyses provided information on the mechanics of toxicity and aided explaining response variation as a function of metabolic imbalance and impairment of defences against insult. In situ bioassays, although less expedite and more affected by confounding factors, produced data better correlated to overall sediment contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Miguel C, Caeiro S, Lobo J, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Vale C, DelValls TA, Costa MH. Transcriptomic analyses in a benthic fish exposed to contaminated estuarine sediments through laboratory and in situ bioassays. Ecotoxicology 2011; 20:1749-1764. [PMID: 21660599 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-011-0708-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The transcription of contaminant response-related genes was investigated in juvenile Senegalese soles exposed to sediments from three distinct sites (a reference plus two contaminated) of a Portuguese estuary (the Sado, W Portugal) through simultaneous 28-day laboratory and in situ bioassays. Transcription of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), metallothionein 1 (MT1), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), caspase 3 (CASP3) and 90 kDa heat-shock protein alpha (HSP90AA) was surveyed in the liver by real-time PCR. CASP3 transcription analysis was complemented by surveying apoptosis through the TUNEL reaction. After 14 days of exposure, relative transcription was either reduced or decreased in fish exposed to the contaminated sediments, revealing a disturbance stress phase during which animals failed to respond to insult. After 28 days of exposure all genes' transcription responded to contamination but laboratory and in situ assays depicted distinct patterns of regulation. Although sediments revealed a combination of organic and inorganic toxicants, transcription of the CYP1A gene was consistently correlated to organic contaminants. Metallothionein regulation was found correlated to metallic and organic xenobiotic contamination in the laboratory and in situ, respectively. The transcription of oxidative stress-related genes can be a good indicator of general stress but caution is mandatory when interpreting the results since regulation may be influenced by multiple factors. As for MT1, HSP90 up-regulation has potential to be a good indicator for total contamination, as well as the CASP3 gene, even though hepatocyte apoptosis depicted values inconsistent with sediment contamination, showing that programmed cell death did not directly depend on caspase transcription alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Caeiro S, Lobo J, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Vale C, DelValls TÁ, Costa MH. Estuarine ecological risk based on hepatic histopathological indices from laboratory and in situ tested fish. Mar Pollut Bull 2011; 62:55-65. [PMID: 20884033 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2010] [Revised: 09/04/2010] [Accepted: 09/06/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile Senegalese soles were exposed through 28-day laboratory and field (in situ) bioassays to sediments from three sites of the Sado estuary (W Portugal): a reference and two contaminated by metallic and organic contaminants. Fish were surveyed for ten hepatic histopathological alterations divided by four distinct reaction patterns and integrated through the estimation of individual histopathological condition indices. Fish exposed to contaminated sediments sustained more damage, with especial respect to regressive changes like necrosis. However, differences were observed between laboratory- and field-exposed animals, with the latest, for instance, exhibiting more pronounced fatty degeneration and hepatocellular eosinophilic alteration. Also, some lesions in fish exposed to the reference sediment indicate that in both assays unaccounted variables produced experimental background noise, such as hyaline degeneration in laboratory-exposed fish. Still, the field assays yielded results that were found to better reflect the overall levels of contaminants and physico-chemical characteristics of the tested sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Neuparth TS, Caeiro S, Lobo J, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Vale C, DelValls TA, Costa MH. Assessment of the genotoxic potential of contaminated estuarine sediments in fish peripheral blood: laboratory versus in situ studies. Environ Res 2011; 111:25-36. [PMID: 20965503 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2010.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2010] [Revised: 07/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/24/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile Senegalese soles (Solea senegalensis) were exposed to estuarine sediments through 28-day laboratory and in situ (field) bioassays. The sediments, collected from three distinct sites (a reference plus two contaminated) of the Sado Estuary (W Portugal) were characterized for total organic matter, redox potential, fine fraction and for the levels of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines, namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichloro diphenyl tricholoethane plus its main metabolites (DDTs). Genotoxicity was determined in whole peripheral blood by the single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE or "comet") assay and by scoring erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA). Analysis was complemented with the determination of lipid peroxidation in blood plasma by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) protocol and cell type sorting. The results showed that exposure to contaminated sediments induced DNA fragmentation and clastogenesis. Still, laboratory exposure to the most contaminated sediment revealed a possible antagonistic effect between metallic and organic contaminants that might have been enhanced by increased bioavailability. The laboratory assay caused a more pronounced increase in ENA whereas a very significant increase in DNA fragmentation was observed in field-tested fish exposed to the reference sediment, which is likely linked to increased lipid peroxidation that probably occurred due to impaired access to food. Influence of natural pathogens was ruled out by unaltered leukocyte counts. The statistical integration of data correlated lipid peroxidation with biological variables such as fish length and weight, whereas the genotoxicity biomarkers were more correlated to sediment contamination. It was demonstrated that laboratory and field bioassays for the risk assessment of sediment contamination may yield different genotoxicity profiles although both provided results that are in overall accordance with sediment contamination levels. While field assays may provide more ecologically relevant data, the multiple environmental variables may produce sufficient background noise to mask the true effects of contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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Lobo J, Costa PM, Caeiro S, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Cesário R, Vale C, Costa MH. Evaluation of the potential of the common cockle (Cerastoderma edule L.) for the ecological risk assessment of estuarine sediments: bioaccumulation and biomarkers. Ecotoxicology 2010; 19:1496-1512. [PMID: 20717720 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-010-0535-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Common cockles (Cerastoderma edule, L. 1758, Bivalvia: Cardiidae) were subjected to a laboratory assay with sediments collected from distinct sites of the Sado Estuary (Portugal). Cockles were obtained from a mariculture site of the Sado Estuary and exposed through 28-day, semi-static, assays to sediments collected from three sites of the estuary. Sediments from these sites revealed different physico-chemical properties and levels of metals and organic contaminants, ranging from unimpacted (the reference site) to moderately impacted, when compared to available sediment quality guidelines. Cockles were surveyed for bioaccumulation of trace elements (Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) and organic contaminants (PAHs, PCBs and DDTs). Two sets of potential biomarkers were employed to assess toxicity: whole-body metallothionein (MT) induction and digestive gland histopathology. The bioaccumulation factor and the biota-to-soil accumulation factor were estimated as ecological indices of exposure to metals and organic compounds. From the results it is inferred that C. edule responds to sediment-bound contamination and might, therefore, be suitable for biomonitoring. The species was found capable to regulate and eliminate both types of contaminants. Still, the sediment contamination levels do not account for all the variation in bioaccumulation and MT levels, which may result from the moderate metal concentrations found in sediments, the species' intrinsic resistance to pollution and from yet unexplained xenobiotic interaction effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Lobo
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
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Costa PM, Caeiro S, Diniz MS, Lobo J, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Vale C, DelValls TA, Costa MH. Biochemical endpoints on juvenile Solea senegalensis exposed to estuarine sediments: the effect of contaminant mixtures on metallothionein and CYP1A induction. Ecotoxicology 2009; 18:988-1000. [PMID: 19603267 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-009-0373-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/24/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile Solea senegalensis were exposed to fresh sediments from three stations of the Sado estuary (Portugal) in 28-day laboratory assays. Sediments revealed distinct levels of total organic matter, fine fraction, redox potential, trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc) and organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and a pesticide: dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane). Organisms were surveyed for contaminant bioaccumulation and induction of two hepatic biochemical biomarkers: metallothionein (MT) and cytochrome P450 (CYP1A), as potential indicators of exposure to metallic and organic contaminants, respectively. Using an integrative approach it was established that, although bioaccumulation is in general accordance with sediment contamination, lethality and biomarker responses are not linearly dependent of the cumulative concentrations of sediment contaminants but rather of their bioavailability and synergistic effects in organisms. It is concluded that metals and organic contaminants modulate both MT and CYP1A induction and it is suggested that reactive oxygen species may be the link between responses and effects of toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
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Caeiro S, Costa MH, DelValls A, Repolho T, Gonçalves M, Mosca A, Coimbra AP, Ramos TB, Painho M. Ecological risk assessment of sediment management areas: application to Sado Estuary, Portugal. Ecotoxicology 2009; 18:1165-1175. [PMID: 19597989 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-009-0372-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2009] [Accepted: 06/24/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this work was to integrate different methodologies to assess the potential ecological risk of estuarine sedimentary management areas, using the Sado Estuary in Portugal as case study. To evaluate the environmental risk of sediment contamination, an integrative and innovative approach was used involving assessment of sediment chemistry, sediment toxicity, benthic community structure, human driving forces and pressures and management areas organic load levels. The basis for decision-making for overall assessment was a statistical multivariate analysis appended into a score matrix tables, using a best expert judgment. The integrated approach allowed to identify from the 19 management areas analyzed, three with no risk but other three with high risk to cause adverse effects in the biota, related with the contaminants analyzed. The methodologies used showed to be effective as a support for decision making leading to future estuarine management recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Caeiro
- Department of Science and Technology, Portuguese Distance Learning University, R. Fernão Lopes, 9, 1269-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Diniz MS, Caeiro S, Lobo J, Martins M, Ferreira AM, Caetano M, Vale C, DelValls TA, Costa MH. Histological biomarkers in liver and gills of juvenile Solea senegalensis exposed to contaminated estuarine sediments: a weighted indices approach. Aquat Toxicol 2009; 92:202-12. [PMID: 19282038 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2008.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2008] [Revised: 12/15/2008] [Accepted: 12/19/2008] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Young juvenile Solea senegalensis were exposed to three sediments with distinct contamination profiles collected from a Portuguese estuary subjected to anthropogenic sources of contamination (the Sado estuary, western Portugal). Sediments were surveyed for metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc), a metalloid (arsenic) and organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and a pesticide, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane plus its metabolites), as well as total organic matter, redox potential and particle fine fraction. The fish were exposed to freshly collected sediments in a 28-day laboratorial assay and collected for histological analyses at days 0 (T(0)), 14 (T(14)) and 28 (T(28)). Individual weighted histopathological indices were obtained, based on presence/absence data of eight and nine liver and gill pathologies, respectively, and on their biological significance. Although livers sustained more severe lesions, the sediments essentially contaminated by organic substances caused more damage to both organs than the sediments contaminated by both metallic and organic contaminants, suggesting a possible synergistic effect. Correlation analyses showed that some alterations are linked, forming distinctive histopathological patterns that are in accordance with the severity of lesions and sediment characteristics. The presence of large eosinophilic bodies in liver and degeneration of mucous cells in gills (a first-time described alteration) were some of the most noticeable alterations observed and were related to sediment organic contaminants. Body size has been found to be negatively correlated with histopathological damage in livers following longer term exposures. It is concluded that histopathological indices provide reliable and discriminatory data even when biomonitoring as complex media as natural sediments. It is also concluded that the effects of contamination may result not only from toxicant concentrations but also from their interactions, relative potency and sediment characteristics that ultimately determine bioavailability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Costa
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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Costa PM, Repolho T, Caeiro S, Diniz ME, Moura I, Costa MH. Modelling metallothionein induction in the liver of Sparus aurata exposed to metal-contaminated sediments. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2008; 71:117-24. [PMID: 17617458 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2007.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2007] [Revised: 04/12/2007] [Accepted: 05/03/2007] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Metallothionein (MT) in the liver of gilthead seabreams (Sparus aurata L., 1758) exposed to Sado estuary (Portugal) sediments was quantified to assess the MT induction potential as a biomarker of sediment-based contamination by copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As). Sediments were collected from two control sites and four sites with different levels of contamination. Sediment Cu, Cd, Pb, As, total organic matter (TOM) and fine fraction (FF) levels were determined. Generalized linear models (GLM) allowed integration of sediment parameters with liver Cu, Cd, Pb, As and MT concentrations. Although sediment metal levels were lower than expected, we relate MT with liver Cd and also with interactions between liver and sediment Cu and between liver Cu and TOM. We suggest integrating biomarkers and environmental parameters using statistical models such as GLM as a more sensitive and reliable technique for sediment risk assessment than traditional isolated biomarker approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Costa
- IMAR-Instituto do Mar, DCEA, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Monte de Caparica, Portugal.
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Cunha I, Neuparth T, Caeiro S, Costa MH, Guilhermino L. Toxicity ranking of estuarine sediments on the basis of Sparus aurata biomarkers. Environ Toxicol Chem 2007; 26:444-53. [PMID: 17373507 DOI: 10.1897/06-119r.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Sparus aurata biomarkers were used to rank sediments from the Sado River estuary (Portugal) according to their toxicity. Initially, the activities of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, liver and gill glutathione S-transferases, muscle lactate dehydrogenase, and brain acetylcholinesterase were tested in a laboratory bioassay with the reference compound benzo[a]pyrene. Enzymatic activities were determined in different tissues of fish exposed for 48, 96, or 240 h to three concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (25, 50, and 100 microg/L). Induction of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase was observed at all the exposure periods and concentrations, suggesting a continuous response of this system to toxicant exposure. Induction of liver glutathione S-transferases activity was only observed after 240 h of exposure, whereas gill glutathione S-transferases activity was significantly inhibited at all the exposure periods, suggesting a direct or indirect effect of the toxicant on these enzymes. Inhibition of lactate dehydrogenases activity was only observed after 96 h of exposure to 25 microg/L of benzo[a]pyrene. No significant effects were observed on acetylcholinesterase activity, suggesting that cholinergic function of S. aurata is not affected by benzo[a]pyrene. In a second phase, fish were exposed for 240 h to sediments collected at five sites of the Sado River estuary, and the same biomarkers were analyzed. For all the enzymes assayed, significant differences among sites were found. In this study, the battery of biomarkers used allowed to discrimination among sites with different types of contamination, levels of contamination, or both, after multivariate data analysis. Discrimination of sites was similar to the ranking provided by a more complex and parallel study (including chemical analysis of sediments, macrobenthic community analysis, amphipod mortality toxicity tests, and sea urchin abnormality embryo assays), suggesting its suitability to evaluate the toxicity of estuarine sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Cunha
- CIMAR-LA/CIIMAR-Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
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Nunes LM, Caeiro S, Cunha MC, Ribeiro L. Optimal estuarine sediment monitoring network design with simulated annealing. J Environ Manage 2006; 78:294-304. [PMID: 16112341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2003] [Revised: 03/07/2005] [Accepted: 04/14/2005] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
An objective function based on geostatistical variance reduction, constrained to the reproduction of the probability distribution functions of selected physical and chemical sediment variables, is applied to the selection of the best set of compliance monitoring stations in the Sado river estuary in Portugal. These stations were to be selected from a large set of sampling stations from a prior field campaign. Simulated annealing was chosen to solve the optimisation function model. Both the combinatorial problem structure and the resulting candidate sediment monitoring networks are discussed, and the optimal dimension and spatial distribution are proposed. An optimal network of sixty stations was obtained from an original 153-station sampling campaign.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Nunes
- Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8000 Faro, Portugal.
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Caeiro S, Costa MH, Goovaerts P, Martins F. Benthic biotope index for classifying habitats in the Sado Estuary: Portugal. Mar Environ Res 2005; 60:570-93. [PMID: 15950274 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2005.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2004] [Revised: 04/15/2005] [Accepted: 04/15/2005] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
An integration of sediment physical, chemical, biological, and toxicity data is necessary for a meaningful interpretation of the complex sediment conditions in the marine environment. Assessment of benthic community is a vital component for that interpretation, yet their evaluation is complex and requires a large expenditure of time and funds. Thus, there is a need for new tools that are less expensive and more understandable for managers. This paper presents a benthic biotope index to predict from physical and chemical variables the occurrence of macrobenthic habitats. Parameters such as sediment type, organic matter, depth, and hydrodynamic parameters were selected, through a discriminant analysis, to compute the index. Other authors have used multivariate methods to determine the benthic biotopes for Sado Estuary. The index proved to be a valid tool to classify and assess the spatial patterns of benthic habitat and to synthesize stress biotope gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Caeiro
- IMAR, Department of Exact and Technological Sciences of the Portuguese Distance Learning University, R. Escola Politecnica, 147, 1269-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
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Rielo-Arias F, Segura-Iglesias R, Caeiro S, Hernández-Lahoz Ortiz I, Gallegos M. Cirugía infragenicular en pacientes ancianos: el valor de la edad. Angiología 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3170(04)74907-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Caeiro S, Goovaerts P, Painho M, Costa MH. Delineation of estuarine management areas using multivariate geostatistics: the case of Sado Estuary. Environ Sci Technol 2003; 37:4052-4059. [PMID: 14524435 DOI: 10.1021/es0262075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The Sado Estuary is a coastal zone located in the south of Portugal where conflicts between conservation and development exist because of its location near industrialized urban zones and its designation as a natural reserve. The aim of this paper is to evaluate a set of multivariate geostatistical approaches to delineate spatially contiguous regions of sediment structure for Sado Estuary. These areas will be the supporting infrastructure of an environmental management system for this estuary. The boundaries of each homogeneous area were derived from three sediment characterization attributes through three different approaches: (1) cluster analysis of dissimilarity matrix function of geographical separation followed by indicator kriging of the cluster data, (2) discriminant analysis of kriged values of the three sediment attributes, and (3) a combination of methods 1 and 2. Final maximum likelihood classification was integrated into a geographical information system. All methods generated fairly spatially contiguous management areas that reproduce well the environment of the estuary. Map comparison techniques based on kappa statistics showed thatthe resultant three maps are similar, supporting the choice of any of the methods as appropriate for management of the Sado Estuary. However, the results of method 1 seem to be in better agreement with estuary behavior, assessment of contamination sources, and previous work conducted at this site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Caeiro
- IMAR, Department of Exact and Technological Sciences of the Portuguese Distance Learning University, R. Escola Politecnica 147, 1269-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
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Hernández-Lahoz I, López-Trapero V, Rielo-Arias F, Caeiro S, Sanromán-Budiño B, Segura-Iglesias R. Disección espontánea aguda de la aorta abdominal infrarrenal. Angiología 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3170(03)74812-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Caeiro S. Outcome measures after lower extremity bypass surgery: there is more than just patency. Br J Surg 2000; 87:827-8. [PMID: 10848868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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Alonso M, Segura RJ, Prada C, Caeiro S, Cachaldora JA, Diaz E, Luján S, Cal L, Vidal J. Cryopreserved arterial homografts: preliminary results in infrageniculate arterial reconstructions. Ann Vasc Surg 1999; 13:261-7. [PMID: 10347258 DOI: 10.1007/s100169900255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this report is to present our preliminary experience using cryopreserved arterial homografts in below-knee revascularization. We carried out a retrospective study at the Public Health Hospital of the Servicio Galego da Saude (SERGAS) from October 1995 to March 1997 in which cryopreserved arterial homografts were used for revascularization of 17 lower limbs in 16 patients. The clinical indications were limb-threatening ischemia in 15 lower extremities (7 with rest pain and 8 with ischemic ulcers or gangrene), and large aneurysms of femoropopliteal arteries in 2. In addition, 75% of the patients had undergone previous surgical procedures for revascularization on the involved extremity. No patient had a suitable greater saphenous vein in the ipsilateral extremity and all patients required a below-knee arterial reconstruction procedure. There was just one runoff vessel in 11 of 17 extremities (65%). A histological exam was performed in four patients who died (1 case) or had homograft-related complications (3 cases). The results of this study indicated that cryopreserved arterial homografts could be a promising alternative when below-knee revascularization is required in patients lacking suitable greater saphenous vein, especially in those with limited life expectancy, but despite early acceptable results, many aspects must be clarified. Close follow-up is mandatory.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alonso
- Service of Vascular Surgery, Hospital Juan Canalejo, A Coruña, Spain
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Alonso M, Caeiro S, Cachaldora J, Segura R. Infected abdominal aortic aneurysm: in situ replacement with cryopreserved arterial homograft. J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino) 1997; 38:371-5. [PMID: 9267346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Infected aortic aneurysms are a rare (1.3% of all abdominal aortic aneurysms) but life-threatening disease. At present controversy continues about the specific diagnosis and the best surgical management. We present one case of infected aortic aneurysm treated with in situ reconstruction with cryopreserved arterial homograft. He was a 50-year-old man with recent history of pneumococcal meningitis who is readmitted because he suffered a stroke and during physical examination a pulsatile abdominal mass was discovered. Blood cultures were done and the result was repeatedly negative. Radiological studies were performed: the abdominal CT scanning showed a non ruptured 5 cm infrarenal aortic aneurysm with irregular wall and in the aortography it appeared eccentric, multilobulated with a clear neck in an otherwise normal size aorta but with some arteriosclerotic lesions. The diagnosis of infected aneurysm was suspected and the patient received antibiotic therapy and was operated on: aneurysm resection with wide debridement of surrounding tissues and in situ aortic replacement with aortobifemoral cryopreserved arterial homograft. Cultures of the aneurysm wall and contents were negative but aneurysm wall biopsy suggested an infected aortic aneurysm. The postoperative course was uneventful and antibiotics were continued for 6 weeks. The patient is doing well 7 months after surgery without signs of recurrent infection and normal appearance of the cryopreserved arterial homograft. We conclude that specific diagnosis of infected aortic aneurysms is essential for correct treatment but may be difficult, in these cases a history of infection supported by radiologic findings and aneurysm wall biopsy are of great value. Cryopreserved arterial homografts constitute a good alternative to prosthetic grafts for in situ reconstructions in the treatment of infected aortic aneurysms, decreasing the risk of re-infection or septic complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alonso
- Service of Angiology and Vascular Surgery Hospital Juan Canalejo, La Coruña, Spain
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