title: Human hepatoma cells exposed to estuarine sediment contaminant extracts permitted the differentiation between cytotoxic and pro-mutagenic fractions.
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.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: 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. Electronic address: pmcosta@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Louro
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lavinha
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caeiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Humana, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004249:DNA Damage; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D063366:Estuaries; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: BC; Binucleated cell; CBPI; Cytokinesis-block proliferation index; DCM; DDT; Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; Dichloromethane; FPG; Formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase; Genotoxicity; HCB; HepG2 cells; Hexachlorobenzene; MNBC; MNi; Methanol; Micronucleated binucleated cell; Micronuclei; Mira Estuary; NR; Neutral red; PAH; PCB; Polychlorinated biphenyl; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; RI; ROS; Reactive oxygen species; Replication index; SEQ/mL; Sediment contamination; Sediment equivalent/mL; Solvent extraction; hex; met; n-Hexane