title: Hexavalent chromium is cytotoxic and genotoxic to American alligator cells.
abstract: Metals are a common pollutant in the aquatic ecosystem. With global climate change, these levels are anticipated to rise as lower pH levels allow sediment bound metals to be released. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is an apex predator in the aquatic ecosystem and is considered a keystone species; as such it serves as a suitable monitor for localized pollution. One metal of increasing concern is hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). It is present in the aquatic environment and is a known human carcinogen and reproductive toxicant. We measured the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Cr(VI) in American alligator cells derived from scute tissue. We found that particulate and soluble Cr(VI) are both cytotoxic and genotoxic to alligator cells in a concentration-dependent manner. These data suggest that alligators may be used as a model for assessing the effects of environmental Cr(VI) contamination as well as for other metals of concern.
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Program in Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Center, Medical University of South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Louis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Guillette
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610044, China.
authors.forename: Cairong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Department of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: John Pierce
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Science Building, 96 Falmouth Street, Portland, ME 04103, USA. Electronic address: john.wise@louisville.edu.
authors.forename: John Pierce
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wise
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002857:Chromium / Q000633:toxicity*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000139:chemically induced; D057231:Climate Change; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects; D014481:United States; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002857:Chromium; C074702:chromium hexavalent ion
keywords: American alligator; Aquatic model; Chromium; Cytotoxicity; Genotoxicity; Hexavalent chromium