Toxicity of Contaminants on Aquatic Organisms II

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecotoxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 5389

Special Issue Editors

Section of Animal Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Patras, GR-26500 Patras, Greece
Interests: (eco)toxicology; cytotoxicity; genotoxicity; biochemistry; bioindicators; biomarkers; monitoring; wastewaters; water contaminants; signaling cascades
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Lonsdale Building, Office X224, Glasnevin Campus, Dublin 9, DO9 Y5NO Dublin, Ireland
Interests: (eco)toxicology; nanotoxicology; metabolomics; freshwater; biochemistry; biomarkers; oxidative stress; redox biology; cell biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The good chemical and ecological status of water bodies is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of social-economic development. However, during recent decades, aquatic basins all over the world have been under increased human pressure, which in turn could contribute to significant decline in aquatic faunal populations and biodiversity, as well as the degradation of habitats and natural resources, thus threatening environmental and human health at higher time scales. To assess the pollution risk and the negative impact of single (metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals,! biocides, nanomaterials, and polymers such as micro- and mesoplastics, etc.) or mixed contaminants (municipal and/or industrial wastes, agrochemicals, landfill leachates, atmospheric inputs, etc.) on aquatic media, (eco)toxicological methods are increasingly applied for determining potential adverse effects (including acute and chronic effects, cellular, biochemical and molecular alterations, etc.) on aquatic organisms of different trophic levels.

Aiming to bring together researchers all over the world that can enrich the current state of knowledge on the Toxicity of Contaminants on Aquatic Organisms II, we are pleased to invite you to contribute to the release of the current Special Issue of Toxics. In this Special Issue, commentaries, original research articles, reviews, and short communications (without restriction on their length), are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) both laboratorial (in vitro and/or in vivo) and field studies regarding the chemical-related toxic effects (acute or chronic toxicity, cytotoxic, genotoxic, oxidative-stress-related effects, etc.) of either single (metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, biocides, nanomaterials, and polymers such as micro- and mesoplastics, etc.) or mixed contaminants (whole effluent toxicity testing methods in municipal and/or industrial wastes, agrochemicals, landfill leachates, atmospheric inputs, etc.) on freshwater or saltwater (marine) species or biological models (cells, tissues, organs, etc.), as well as studies relating to new methods for assessing the toxicity of contaminants to aquatic organisms.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Stefanos Dailianis
Dr. Konstantinos Gkrintzalis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • aquatic organisms
  • (eco)toxicity testing
  • stress indices
  • water contaminants
  • molecular ecotoxicology
  • risk assessment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1873 KiB  
Article
Induction of Oxidative Stress by Waterborne Copper and Arsenic in Larvae of European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.): A Comparison with Their Effects as Nanoparticles
by Rafael Torronteras, Margarita Díaz-de-Alba, María Dolores Granado-Castro, Estrella Espada-Bellido, Francisco Córdoba García, Antonio Canalejo and María Dolores Galindo-Riaño
Toxics 2024, 12(2), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12020141 - 09 Feb 2024
Viewed by 943
Abstract
The aim of this work was to compare the potential induction of oxidative stress and the antioxidant enzymatic response after a short-term waterborne exposure to copper (Cu) and arsenic (As) with that of the nanoparticles (NPs) of these elements (Cu-NPs and As-NPs) in [...] Read more.
The aim of this work was to compare the potential induction of oxidative stress and the antioxidant enzymatic response after a short-term waterborne exposure to copper (Cu) and arsenic (As) with that of the nanoparticles (NPs) of these elements (Cu-NPs and As-NPs) in fish larvae of the species Dicentrarchus labrax. Larvae were grouped in several tanks and exposed to different concentrations of contaminants (0 to 10 mg/L) for 24 or 96 h under laboratory conditions. Copper and arsenic concentrations were analysed in larval tissues using ICP-MS. A set of oxidative stress biomarkers, including the levels of hydroperoxides (HPs), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were assessed. The trace element concentrations (mg/kg d.w.) in larvae ranged as follows: 3.28–6.67 (Cu at 24 h) and 2.76–3.42 (Cu at 96 h); 3.03–8.31 (Cu-NPs at 24 h) and 2.50–4.86 (Cu-NPs at 96 h); 1.92–3.45 (As at 24 h) and 2.22–4.71 (As at 96 h); and 2.19–8.56 (As-NPs at 24 h) and 1.75–9.90 (As-NPs at 96 h). In Cu tests, the oxidative damage (ROOH levels) was induced from 0.1 mg/L at both exposure times, while for Cu-NPs, this damage was not observed until 1 mg/L, which was paralleled by concomitant increases in SOD activity. The CAT activity was also increased but at lower metal concentrations (0.01 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L for both chemical forms). No oxidative damage was observed for As or As-NPs after 24 h, but it was observed for As after 96 h of treatment with 0.01 mg/L. A decrease in SOD activity was observed for As after 24 h, but it turned out to be increased after 96 h. However, As-NPs did not alter SOD activity. The CAT activity was stimulated only at 96 h by As and at 24 h by As-NPs. Therefore, the two chemical forms of Cu exhibited a higher bioaccumulation and toxicity potential as compared to those of As. Importantly, the association of both Cu and As in NPs reduced the respective trace metal bioaccumulation, resulting also in a reduction in the toxic effects (mortality and biochemical). Furthermore, the assessment of oxidative stress-related biomarkers in seabass larvae appears to be a useful tool for biomonitoring environmental-occurring trace elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity of Contaminants on Aquatic Organisms II)
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9 pages, 1767 KiB  
Article
Adults of Sun Coral Tubastraea coccinea (Lesson 1829) Are Resistant to New Antifouling Biocides
by Isabela Martins, Kátia Cristina Cruz Capel and Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa
Toxics 2024, 12(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12010044 - 06 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Biocides used in antifouling (AF) paints, such as 4,5-dichlorine-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazole-3-one (DCOIT), can gradually leach into the environment. Some AF compounds can persist in the marine environment and cause harmful effects to non-target organisms. Nanoengineered materials, such as mesoporous silica nanocapsules (SiNCs) containing AF compounds, [...] Read more.
Biocides used in antifouling (AF) paints, such as 4,5-dichlorine-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazole-3-one (DCOIT), can gradually leach into the environment. Some AF compounds can persist in the marine environment and cause harmful effects to non-target organisms. Nanoengineered materials, such as mesoporous silica nanocapsules (SiNCs) containing AF compounds, have been developed to control their release rate and reduce their toxicity to aquatic organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity of new nanoengineered materials, SiNC-DCOIT and a silver-coated form (SiNC-DCOIT-Ag), as well as the free form of DCOIT and empty nanocapsules (SiNCs), on the sun coral Tubastraea coccinea. T. coccinea is an invasive species and can be an alternative test organism for evaluating the risks to native species, as most native corals are currently threatened. The colonies were collected from the Alcatrazes Archipelago, SP, Brazil, and acclimatized to laboratory conditions. They were exposed for 96 h to different concentrations of the tested substances: 3.33, 10, 33, and 100 µg L−1 of free DCOIT; 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 µg L−1 of SiNC; and 74.1, 222.2, 666.7, and 2000 µg L−1 of SiNC-DCOIT and SiNC-DCOIT-Ag. The test chambers consisted of 500 mL flasks containing the test solutions, and the tests were maintained under constant aeration, a constant temperature of 23 ± 2 °C, and photoperiod of 12 h:12 h (light/dark). At the end of the experiments, no lethal effect was observed; however, some sublethal effects were noticeable, such as the exposure of the skeleton in most of the concentrations and replicates, except for the controls, and embrittlement at higher concentrations. Adults of T. coccinea were considered slightly sensitive to the tested substances. This resistance may indicate a greater capacity for proliferation in the species, which is favored in substrates containing antifouling paints, to the detriment of the native species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity of Contaminants on Aquatic Organisms II)
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21 pages, 3445 KiB  
Article
Acute Toxicity Assays with Adult Coral Fragments: A Method for Standardization
by David Brefeld, Valentina Di Mauro, Matthias Y. Kellermann, Samuel Nietzer, Mareen Moeller, Laura H. Lütjens, Sascha Pawlowski, Mechtild Petersen-Thiery and Peter J. Schupp
Toxics 2024, 12(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12010001 - 19 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1386
Abstract
Coral reefs are globally declining due to various anthropogenic stressors. Amongst those, chemical pollutants, such as pesticides from agricultural runoff, sewage or an overabundance of personal care products in coastal waters due to intense tourism, may be considered as a local stressor for [...] Read more.
Coral reefs are globally declining due to various anthropogenic stressors. Amongst those, chemical pollutants, such as pesticides from agricultural runoff, sewage or an overabundance of personal care products in coastal waters due to intense tourism, may be considered as a local stressor for reef-building corals. The extent to which such chemicals exhibit toxic effects towards corals at environmentally relevant concentrations is currently controversially discussed and existing studies are often based on varying and sometimes deficient test methods. To address this uncertainty, we adapted available methods into a reliable and comprehensive acute coral toxicity test method for the reef-building coral Montipora digitata. The toxicities of the four substances benzophenone-3 (BP-3), Diuron (DCMU), copper (Cu2+ as CuCl2, positive control) and dimethylformamide (DMF, solvent) were assessed in a 96 h semi-static test design. Endpoints such as maximum quantum yield, bleaching, tissue loss and mortality were evaluated with respect to their suitability for regulatory purposes. Overall, the endpoints bleaching and mortality yielded sensitive and robust results for the four tested substances. As the test method follows the principles of internationally standardized testing methods (ISO, OECD), it can be considered suitable for further validation and standardization. Once validated, a standardized test method will help to obtain reproducible toxicity results useful for marine hazard and risk assessment and regulatory decision making. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity of Contaminants on Aquatic Organisms II)
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16 pages, 1725 KiB  
Article
Acute and Transgenerational Effects of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Daphnia magna
by Anna Michalaki and Konstantinos Grintzalis
Toxics 2023, 11(4), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11040320 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1709
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals pose a great threat to organisms inhabiting the aquatic environment. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are major pharmaceutical pollutants with a significant presence in freshwater ecosystems. In this study, the impact of indomethacin and ibuprofen, two of the most commonly prescribed NSAIDs, was [...] Read more.
Pharmaceuticals pose a great threat to organisms inhabiting the aquatic environment. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are major pharmaceutical pollutants with a significant presence in freshwater ecosystems. In this study, the impact of indomethacin and ibuprofen, two of the most commonly prescribed NSAIDs, was assessed on Daphnia magna. Toxicity was assessed as the immobilization of animals and used to determine non-lethal exposure concentrations. Feeding was assessed as a phenotypic endpoint and key enzymes were used as molecular endpoints of physiology. Feeding was decreased in mixture exposures for five-day-old daphnids and neonates. Furthermore, animals were exposed to NSAIDs and their mixture in chronic and transgenerational scenarios revealing changes in key enzyme activities. Alkaline and acid phosphatases, lipase, peptidase, β-galactosidase, and glutathione-S-transferase were shown to have significant changes in the first generation at the first and third week of exposure, and these were enhanced in the second generation. On the other hand, the third recovery generation did not exhibit these changes, and animals were able to recover from the induced changes and revert back to the control levels. Overall, our study points towards transgenerational exposures as more impactful laboratory studies to understand pharmaceutical stressors with a combination of molecular and phenotypic markers of physiology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity of Contaminants on Aquatic Organisms II)
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