1,721,007 research outputs found
Cholinesterase activities in the scallop Pecten jacobaeus: characterization and effects of exposure to aquatic contaminants
No full textNearshore marine environments of industrialized countries are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pollution. It is therefore a priority task to investigate the sensitivity of new ecotoxicological warning signals of the occurrence and effects of aquatic pollutants. The main aims of the present study were: 1) to characterize the biochemical properties of ChEs in tissues of the bivalve Pecten jacobaeus, using different specific substrates and selective inhibitors; 2) to measure sensitivity of ChE activities to in vitro exposure to the OPs azamethiphos and DFP and to the heavy metals cadmium and zinc. Our final aim was to carry out a preliminary evaluation of the suitability of ChEs measurement in tissues of the scallop for monitoring marine environmental quality and neurotoxic compounds contamination in the Mediterranean Sea. Responses to specific inhibitors have suggested that ChEs in adductor muscle share many characteristics with vertebrate acetylcholinesterase. Dose-dependent inhibition of ChE was observed in response to in vitro exposure to environmental contaminants such as cadmium and azamethiphos. Sensitivity to zinc and DFP was lower. ChEs in P. jacobaeus might therefore have potential as a sensitive biomarker for monitoring marine pollution. Results of the present study will be useful to focus further experiment of exposure to pollutants under in vivo conditions. Capsule: Cholinesterase activities in scallop Pecten jacobaeus were observed to be sensitive to contaminants in vitro and may therefore have potential as biomarkers for monitoring water pollution. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Characterization and sensitivity to pollutants of cholinesterases in the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki
No full textAntarctica is affected by man-made contamination and development of sensitive ecotoxicological tools for impact assessment is a priority task. The aims of the present study were to characterize cholinesterase (ChE) activities in an Antarctic key species, the scallop Adamussium colbecki, and to investigate their sensitivity as biological markers (biomarkers) of exposure to pollutants and of their effects. Our results show that ChEs in gills share most characteristics with true acetylcholinesterase. The present results show that ChE activities in A. colbecki are significantly inhibited by organophosphates (OPs) and somehow affected by in vitro exposure to mixtures of marine contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), even if no concentration-dependent pattern of response was observed and no effect was elicited by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The present results do not demonstrate ChEs in A. colbecki as sensitive tools to measure exposure to the above chemicals, but they may be worthy of further study considering the importance of the scallop in Antarctic marine ecosystems and its suitability as a sentinel species. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Cholinesterase activities in the adductor muscle of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki
No full textAntarctica is regarded as one of the most pristine parts of the Earth but even this remote ecosystem is affected by contamination and high levels of certain heavy metals, such as cadmium, which may occur naturally in Antarctic waters. The bivalve scallop Adamussium colbecki is considered a key species of Antarctic benthic ecosystems and a sensitive target for bioaccumulation of xenobiotics and metals. Since cholinesterases (ChEs) in the adductor muscle of A. colbecki presumably play a prominent physiological role through regulation of swimming movements, the main aims of this study was to characterize ChE activities in adductor Muscle of A. colbecki and to investigate their sensitivity to organophosphate pesticides and heavy metals. The results suggest that an acetylcholinesterase-like enzyme in the adductor muscle of the scallop has low sensitivity to organophosphates but was significantly inhibited by exposure to cadmium
Induction of EROD activity in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) experimentally exposed to benzo(a)pyrene and b-naphtoflavone.
No full textCholinesterase activities in the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki: sensitivity to pollutants
No full textPCB muscle content and liver EROD activity in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) treated with Aroclor 1254.
No full textComparative induction of liver EROD and BaPMO activities in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) by benzo[a]pyrene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: a laboratory study
No full textThe objective of the present study was to assess and compare the sensitivity of EROD and BaPMO enzymatic activities as biomarkers of exposure to increasing doses of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and polychlorinated 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro dibenzo-para-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) in Anguilla anguilla. Eels collected from a Mediterranean brackish environment were experimentally exposed to chemicals by intraperitoneal injection and sacrificed seven days later. Both EROD and BaPMO activities showed close dose-response relationships to chemicals, even, if the Presence of a plateau in EROD induction at concentrations above 10 mg/kg B[a]P is suggested. Higher induction occurred for EROD than for BaPMO activity in almost all the groups of exposure. Both EROD and BaPMO activities in A. anguilla appear to be suitable biomarkers to PAHs and PCDDs exposure and a higher sensitivity is suggested for EROD induction as biomarker of exposure to such chemicals
PCB Muscle Content and Liver EROD Activity in the European EEL (Anguilla Anguilla) Treated with Aroclor 1254
No full textThe European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a euryaline fish suitable for investigating exposure, accumulation patterns and biological effects of lipophilic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Eels were collected from the Orbetello Lagoon (Tyrrhenian coast of Italy) and injected with increasing doses of Aroclor 1254 to better characterise EROD activity as biomarker in eels from Mediterranean brackish environments. Fish muscle was analysed for PCB content and EROD activity was measured in liver microsomial fraction. Significant differences of PCB levels were observed in exposed fish (p < 0.05) while EROD activity increased significantly reaching the highest values at the maximum dose of 50 mg/Kg (p < 0.001). Highly positive correlation (r=0.82; p <0.01) was found between PCB content and EROD activity. Isomer profiles showed decreases in hexa-CBs. The European eel is confirmed to be a useful sentinel species for assessing pollution in brackish environments whereas EROD activity is characterised as a sensitive biomarker of exposure for PCB mixtures
THE AIR QUALITY IN OPERATING ROOMS
No full textGli autori descrivono i risultati di un'indagine sull'inquinamento da gas anestetici nelle sale operatorie di un ospedale romano. lo studio analizza l'andamento dell'inquinamento nel tempo, prima e dopo l'attuazione di una serie di interventi finalizzati alla riduzione delle concentrazioni ambientali
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