Multi-biomarker approach for the (eco)toxicity of UV-filter environmental pollution on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in a multiple stressor context. The case of 4-MBC under salinity shifts

Alessia Cuccaro; Rosa Freitas; Lucia De Marchi; Gianfranca Monni; Valentina Meucci; Matteo Oliva; Giorgia Fumagalli; Carlo Pretti

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122490

Multi-biomarker approach for the (eco)toxicity of UV-filter environmental pollution on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in a multiple stressor context. The case of 4-MBC under salinity shifts

Environ Pollut. 2023 Nov 1:336:122490. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122490. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Authors

Alessia Cuccaro¹, Rosa Freitas², Lucia De Marchi³, Gianfranca Monni³, Valentina Meucci³, Matteo Oliva⁴, Giorgia Fumagalli⁴, Carlo Pretti⁵

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56122, San Piero a Grado (PI), Italy.
² Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
³ Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56122, San Piero a Grado (PI), Italy.
⁴ Interuniversity Consortium of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology "G. Bacci", 57128, Livorno, Italy.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56122, San Piero a Grado (PI), Italy; Interuniversity Consortium of Marine Biology and Applied Ecology "G. Bacci", 57128, Livorno, Italy. Electronic address: carlo.pretti@unipi.it.

PMID: 37660774
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122490

Abstract

Marine-coastal ecosystems are rapidly transforming because of climate change (CC). At the same time, the impacts of emerging organic contaminants (i.e., organic UV-filters) on these ecosystems are intensifying. In the Mediterranean, the consequences of these disturbances are occurring at a fast pace making this area a potential sentinel site to be investigated. While singular effects of organic UV-filters or CC-related factors on marine biota have been relatively described, their combined impact is still largely unknown. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the long-term responses of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis towards anticipated salinity changes (decreases-S20 or increases-S40) when exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of the UV-filter 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC). An integrated multi-biomarker approach was applied, featuring general and oxidative stress, antioxidant and biotransformation enzyme capacity, energy metabolism, genotoxicity, and neurotoxicity biomarkers. Results showed that both projected salinities, considered separately, exerted non-negligible impacts on mussels' health status, with greater biological impairments found at S 40. Combining both stressors resulted in an evident increase in mussels' susceptibility to the UV-filter, which exacerbated the toxicity of 4-MBC. The dominant influence of salinity in the climate change-contaminant interaction played a crucial role in this outcome. The most severe scenario occurred when S 20 was combined with 4-MBC. In this situation, mussels exhibited a decrease in filtration rate, metabolic capacity and deployment of energy reserves increased, with an upregulation of biotransformation and inhibition of antioxidant enzyme activities. This exposure also led to the observation of cellular and DNA damage, as well as an increase in AChE activity. Furthermore, salinity-dependent bioaccumulation patterns were evaluated revealing that the lowest values in contaminated mussels are found at S 20. Overall, the present findings provide evidence that projected CC/pollutant scenarios may represent high risks for mussels' populations, with global relevant implications for the ecosystem level.

Keywords: Climate change-related factor; IBR index; Mussels' adult responses; PCPs; Salinity variations; UV-Filters.