title: Metabolic and histopathological alterations in the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis induced by chronic exposure to acrylamide.
abstract: Although the neurotoxic and genotoxic potential of acrylamide has been established in freshwater fish, the full breadth of the toxicological consequences induced by this xenobiotic has not yet been disclosed, particularly in aquatic invertebrates. To assess the effects of acrylamide on a bivalve model, the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), two different setups were accomplished: 1) acute exposure to several concentrations of waterborne acrylamide to determine lethality thresholds of the substance and 2) chronic exposure to more reduced acrylamide concentrations to survey phases I and II metabolic endpoints and to perform a whole-body screening for histopathological alterations. Acute toxicity was low (LC50≈400mg/L). However, mussels were responsive to prolonged exposure to chronic concentrations of waterborne acrylamide (1-10mg/L), yielding a significant increase in lipid peroxidation plus EROD and GST activities. Still, total anti-oxidant capacity was not exceeded. In addition, no neurotoxic effects could be determined through acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity. The findings suggest aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr)-dependent responses in mussels exposed to acrylamide, although reduced comparatively to vertebrates. No significant histological damage was found in digestive gland or gills but female gonads endured severe necrosis and oocyte atresia. Altogether, the results indicate that acrylamide may induce gonadotoxicity in mussels, although the subject should benefit from further research. Altogether, the findings suggest that the risk of acrylamide to aquatic animals, especially molluscs, may be underestimated.
authors.affiliation: CIGMH, Departamento Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larguinho
authors.affiliation: CIGMH, Departamento Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Mário S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. Electronic address: pmcosta@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Pedro M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: CIGMH, Departamento Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. Electronic address: pmvb@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Pedro V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Baptista
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D020106:Acrylamide / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006652:Histological Techniques; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D049878:Mytilus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: C488971:AchE peptide; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D020106:Acrylamide; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase
keywords: Acrylamide; Chronic exposure; Histopathology; Mussels; Oxidative stress; Reproductive toxicity