title: Relationship between seawater pollution and qualitative changes in the extracted proteins from mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to find a reliable biomarker of seawater pollution. For this purpose the contents of Zn and Cu, proteins and antioxidant activity in mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis collected from polluted and non-polluted sites of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast were compared. To determine the above-mentioned indices atomic spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, fluorescence, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and two antioxidant tests were used. It was found that the amounts of Zn and Cu were significantly higher in the mussel proteins from the polluted than from the non-polluted sites (P<0.05). FT-IR spectroscopy and fluorescence revealed specific qualitative changes in secondary and tertiary structures in mussel proteins in the samples from polluted sites. The thermodynamic properties of proteins and the changes upon denaturation were correlated with the secondary structure of proteins and disappearance of alpha-helix. Purified protein scavenging activity against 2, 2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical cation (ABTS(*+)) was significantly higher in mussel samples from polluted than from non-polluted sites. Therefore, the changes in Zn and Cu concentration, in protein's secondary and tertiary structures and antioxidant activity in mussels M. galloprovincialis from polluted sites can be a reliable biomarker of the level of the seawater pollution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12065, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. gorin@cc.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: Shela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gorinstein
authors.forename: Snejana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moncheva
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Toledo
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arancibia-Avila
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trakhtenberg
authors.forename: Arkadi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorinstein
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goshev
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Namiesnik
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D015415:Biomarkers; D002031:Bulgaria; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000737:chemistry; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D049878:Mytilus / Q000737:chemistry*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D015415:Biomarkers; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011506:Proteins; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C002502:2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc