Metal, mutagenicity, and biochemical studies on bivalve molluscs from Spanish coasts
- Departmento de Genetica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cordoba, (Spain)
Three species of marine bivalve molluscs (Chamelea gallina, Ruditapes decussatus, and Crassostrea gigas) have been studied in order to evaluate the levels of pollution on the South Atlantic Spanish littoral. Several transition metals (Cu, As, Cd, Sn, Hg, Pb) were determined as a general index of total contamination. Animals from putative contaminated areas exhibited higher metal contents than those from cleaner waters. C. gigas showed 5-20-fold higher total metal content than the other two species. The mutagenicity of ethanolic extracts was assayed by using both the His reversion and the Ara forward mutation tests. Mollusc tissues from the three species did not contain genotoxins active on TA98 (frameshift mutations) or TA100 (mainly G:C base-pair substitutions), but did contain direct-acting genotoxins of a polar nature and oxidative type. This was based on the following observations: (1) mammalian metabolic activation was not required for mutagenicity, (2) mutagens were eluted with the polar fraction from XAD-2 columns, and (3) mutagenic responses were observed with Salmonella typhimurium TA102 (base-pair substitutions; sensitive to oxidative damages) and Escherichia coli catalase-deficient (AraR forward mutations) strains. No relevant differences were found in the mutagenicity of mollusc extracts from areas with different pollution levels. Otherwise, our data suggest that, in general, animals living in contaminated environments had fewer genotoxins of oxidative type than those from less polluted areas. Such a result might be explained by the observation of increased levels of a number of detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione-peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase.
- OSTI ID:
- 5454220
- Journal Information:
- Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis; (United States), Vol. 19:2; ISSN 0893-6692
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ARSENIC
MUTAGEN SCREENING
CADMIUM
COPPER
FOOD CHAINS
CONTAMINATION
LEAD
MERCURY
MOLLUSCS
SPAIN
WATER POLLUTION
TIN
ANTIOXIDANTS
OYSTERS
SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BACTERIA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
EUROPE
EXTRACTION
INVERTEBRATES
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
POLLUTION
SALMONELLA
SCREENING
SEMIMETALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology