Stage-dependent uptake of cadmium by Bufo arenarum embryos

Toxicity of wine effluents and assessment of a depuration system for their control: assay with tadpoles of Rhinella arenarum (BUFONIDAE)

We evaluated the toxicity of the winery effluent and the efficiency of a symbiotic depuration system by means an experiment with Rhinella arenarum tadpoles. The studied effluent was taken from warehouses during the cleaning season. These effluents subsequently subjected to the purification treatment under evaluation. The effluent samples differentiated into two treatment levels: "raw" where the effluent was evaluated with field conditions and "treated" where the effluent was previously filtered with the symbiotic depuration system. The results of the bioassays compared with the physicochemical parameters determined in the effluent samples. The lethal response had a clear-cut correspondence with the effluent quality assessed utilizing physicochemical parameters. In all cases, dilution of the samples resulted in a significant reduction of their toxicity. It concluded that (a) winery effluents could be harmful to tadpoles of R. arenarum, (b) the symbiotic purification system used to treat wine effluents it would produce a significant reduction in the contaminant levels of the effluent. However, this reduction in contaminant levels does not provide sufficient safety for the release of the effluents into the environment.

Abatement of toxicity of effluents containing Cr(VI) by heterogeneous photocatalysis. Toxicity assessment by AMPHITOX assay

Toxicity of a Cr(VI) solution before and after treatment by TiO2 heterogeneous photocatalysis (HP) was performed with AMPHITOX bioassay. Changes in toxicity on Rhinella arenarum larvae for 10-d were monitored after exposure to an untreated Cr(VI) solution and to the same solution after HP treatment. The HP treatment of a 41.60 mg L(-1) Cr(VI) solution reduced to 37.5% the concentration of the metal ion. A 10-fold reduction in toxicity at acute exposure (72 h) and 150-fold reduction in toxicity after 240 h was found. Further, the LOEC value increased from 0.001% for the untreated solution to 0.153% after HP treatment. Moreover, the safe concentration in untreated solution corresponded to 0.0001% sample, and it was 0.01% after the treatment, i.e., 100 times higher. A saving of water of about 100,000 L per L of effluent would be possible through dilution to allow safer concentrations for discharge; the saving would reach the highest value (1,000,000 L per L) at 240 h. Sub-lethal effects were completely absent in larvae exposed to the treated solution. The AMPHITOX test allowed to detect chronic effects at low Cr concentrations, i.e. at environmentally relevant levels.

Differential uptake of endosulfan in the South American toad under sublethal exposure

Agroecosystems are usually polluted with a wide variety of contaminants with pesticides being very frequently detected. Endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide, has been shown to cause both lethal and sublethal effects on aquatic organisms such as amphibians and especially on its early developmental stages. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the uptake of environmentally relevant concentrations of endosulfan and its correlation with differential sensitivity in the early development stages of the common South American toad, Rhinella arenarum. Embryos and larvae were exposed to sublethal concentrations of endosulfan for several periods of exposures. According to the developmental stage at which they were exposed, the uptake rate was different. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for embryos significantly decreased with exposure time and concentration (p < 0.05) reaching a BCF of ≤1679 for embryos at 96 h of exposure to 0.001 mg endosulfan L(-1). BCFs for larvae significantly increased with exposure time (p < 0.05) obtaining a maximum of 40 at 504 h. In our previous study, we reported that embryos were less sensitive to the effects of endosulfan than larvae, which is in line with the main tendency of embryos to bioconcentrate endosulfan as observed in this study.

Developmental toxicity and risk assessment of nonylphenol to the South American toad, Rhinella arenarum

The toxicity of Nonylphenol, an emerging pollutant, on the common South American toad Rhinella arenarum was stage and time dependent, thus Median Lethal Concentrations (LC50) for acute (96h), short-term chronic (168h) and chronic exposure (336h) were 1.06; 0.96 and 0.17mgNP/L from embryonic period (S.4), whereas for exposure from larvae (S.25), LC50 remained constant at 0.37mgNP/L from 96h to 168h, decreasing to 0.11mgNP/L at 336h. NOEC-168h for exposure from embryos was 0.025mgNP/L. The Teratogenic Potential (NOEC-lethality/NOEC-sublethal effects) was 23 times higher than the threshold value, indicating a high risk for embryos to be malformed in absence of significant lethality and representing a threat for the species conservation. By comparing with other amphibians, the early development of R. arenarum was very sensitive to NP. The results highlight the relevance of extending the exposure time and look for the most sensitive stage in order to perform the bioassays for conservation purposes.

Chronic exposure to cadmium disrupts the adrenal gland activity of the newt Triturus carnifex (Amphibia, Urodela)

We intended to verify the safety of the freshwater values established for cadmium by the European Community and the Italian Ministry of Health in drinking water (5 μg/L) and sewage waters (20 μg/L). Therefore, we chronically exposed the newt Triturus carnifex to 5 μg/L and 20 μg/L doses of cadmium, respectively, during 3 and 9 months and verified the effects on the adrenal gland. We evaluated the serum concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, aldosterone, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. During the 3-month exposure, both doses of cadmium decreased ACTH and corticosterone serum levels and increased aldosterone and epinephrine serum levels. During the 9-month exposure, the 5 μg/L dose decreased ACTH and increased aldosterone and epinephrine serum levels; the 20 μg/L dose decreased norepinephrine and epinephrine serum levels, without affecting the other hormones. It was concluded that (1) chronic exposure to the safety values established for cadmium disrupted the adrenal gland activity and (2) the effects of cadmium were related both to the length of exposure and the dose administered. Moreover, our results suggest probable risks to human health, due to the use of water contaminated by cadmium.

Stage-dependent susceptibility to copper in Rhinella arenarum embryos and larvae

Copper toxicity in different embryonic and larval stages of the common South American toad Rhinella arenarum was evaluated by means of continuous and 24-h pulse treatments in 12 different developmental stages. Lethal concentrations (LC) of 10, 50, and 90% of continuous treatment with Cu from early blastula (S.4), complete operculum (S.25), and hind limb bud (S.28) stages were plotted from 24 to 168 h, resulting from S.4 in a 24-h LC50 of 137 µg Cu(2+) /L and a 168-h LC50 of 19.5 µg Cu(2+) /L. This result was in agreement with pulse treatments that showed a high resistance to Cu at blastula and gastrula stages, whereas the organogenic period, between muscular response (S.18) and open mouth (S.21), was very susceptible to this metal. Continuous treatments from S.25 showed no significant differences along exposure time (168-h LC50 = 51 µg Cu(2+) /L), but in the case of S.28 toxicity increased slightly from a 24-h LC50 of 138.6 µg Cu(2+) /L to a 168-h LC50 of 104 µg Cu(2+) /L, pointing out that, although the larval period was significantly more resistant to Cu, there was also a remarkable stage-dependent susceptibility to this metal. Copper teratogenic potential was approximately two, and main adverse effects were reduced body size, axial flexure, microcephaly, acephaly, mouth malformations, agenesis of or underdeveloped gills, agenesis of or underdeveloped tail, and hydropsy. The results are discussed considering Cu toxicity mechanisms, an evolutionary perspective, and environmental protection.

Lead and cadmium accumulation in anuran amphibians of a permanent water body in arid Midwestern Argentina

PURPOSE

Heavy metals have been detected in water and sediments from the Embalse La Florida, an artificial lake in the arid region of San Luis province, Argentina, representing one of the few sources of permanent water for reproduction of native anuran species. This study assesses lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in the anuran species found in this water reservoir as well as differences between compounds, species and sites of collection.

METHODS

Adult anuran amphibians were collected on the north and south shores of the Embalse La Florida and Pb and Cd concentrations were measured in whole body homogenates digested using wet ashing techniques.

RESULTS

All individuals of the six species assayed had detectable levels of Pb and Cd that ranged from 1.19 to 5.57 μg/g dry mass and from 1.09 to 6.86 μg/g dry mass, respectively. Anuran amphibians collected in the more contaminated south shore accumulated 21% more Cd and 40% more Pb than individuals from the less altered north shore. Cd and Pb accumulation was not significantly correlated with the concentration in water at the site of collection.

CONCLUSIONS

Amphibians of the Embalse La Florida accumulate Cd and Pb. Between and within species, differences were detected in Cd and Pb concentrations. Differences in metal concentrations between species, metals, and individuals collected on shores of the Embalse La Florida with different contamination, were detected. Therefore, it is crucial to implement adequate policies to protect amphibians from the accelerated urban development experienced in this location.

Acclimation to low level exposure of copper in Bufo arenarum embryos: linkage of effects to tissue residues

The acclimation possibilities to copper in Bufo arenarum embryos was evaluated by means of three different low level copper exposure conditions during 14 days. By the end of the acclimation period the copper content in control embryos was 1.04 +/- 0.09 microg g(-1) (wet weight) while in all the acclimated embryos a reduction of about 25% of copper was found. Thus copper content could be considered as a biomarker of low level exposure conditions. Batches of 10 embryos (by triplicate) from each acclimation condition were challenged with three different toxic concentrations of copper. As a general pattern, the acclimation protocol to copper exerted a transient beneficial effect on the survival of the Bufo arenarum embryos. The acclimation phenomenon could be related to the selection of pollution tolerant organisms within an adaptive process and therefore the persistence of information within an ecological system following a toxicological stressor.

Evoecotoxicology: environmental changes and life features development during the evolutionary process-the record of the past at developmental stages of living organisms

For most of evolutionary history, scientific understanding of the environment and life forms is extremely limited. In this commentary I discuss the hypothesis that ontogenetic features of living organisms can be considered biomarkers of coevolution between organisms and physicochemical agents during Earth's history. I provide a new vision of evolution based on correlations between metabolic features and stage-dependent susceptibility of organisms to physicochemical agents with well-known environmental signatures. Thus, developmental features potentially reflect environmental changes during evolution. From this perspective, early multicellular life forms would have flourished in the anoxic Earth more than 2 billion years ago, which is at least 1.2 billion years in advance of available fossil evidence. The remarkable transition to aerobic metabolism in gastrula-stage embryos potentially reflects evolution toward tridermic organisms by 2 billion years ago. Noteworthy changes in embryonic resistance to physicochemical agents at different developmental stages that can be observed in living organisms potentially reflect the influence of environmental stress conditions during different periods of evolutionary history. Evoecotoxicology, as a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, can enhance our understanding of evolution, including the phylogenetic significance of differences in susceptibility/resistance to physicochemical agents in different organisms.

The effect of UV-B radiation on Bufo arenarum embryos survival and superoxide dismutase activity

The exposure of Bufo arenarum embryos to 300-310 nm UV-B at a dose of 4,104 Joule/m(2) resulted in 100% lethality within 24 hr while 820 Joule/m(2) was the NOEC value for short-term chronic (10 days) exposure. The dose response curves show that lethal effects are proportional with the dose and achieve its highest value within 48 hr post exposure. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in amphibian embryos for sublethal UV-B exposures was evaluated by means of UV-B treatments with 273 (A), 820(B), 1368(C) and 1915(D) Joule/m(2) at 2 and 5 hours post irradiation. The SOD activity in units/mg protein in A, B, C and D at 2 hr after treatments were 80.72 +/- 14.29, 74.5 +/- 13.19, 39.5 +/- 6.99 and 10.7 +/- 1.89 respectively while for control embryos it was 10.88 +/- 1.31. At 5 hr after treatments the SOD values were similar to those found in control embryos. The results confirm the high susceptibility of amphibian embryos to UV-B and point out that the SOD activity is enhanced by low doses of UV-B irradiation achieving significantly higher values than in control embryos at 2 hr post exposure.

Ecotoxicological studies of environmental samples from Buenos Aires area using a standardized amphibian embryo toxicity test (AMPHITOX)

The toxicity of 34 environmental samples from potentially polluted and reference stations were evaluated by means of the AMPHITOX test from acute to chronic exposure according to the toxicity found in each sample. The samples were obtained from surface and ground water, leaches, industrial effluents and soils. The data, expressed in acute, short-term chronic and chronic Toxicity Units (TUa, TUstc and TUc) resulted in a maximal value of 1000 TUc, found in a leach, while the lower toxicity value was 1.4 TUa corresponding to two surface water samples. In five samples (four providing from reference places) no toxicity was detected. The results point out the possibility of evaluating the toxicity of a wide diversity of samples by means of AMPHITOX as a customized toxicity test. The fact that almost all samples with suspected toxicity in rivers and streams from the Metropolitan area of Buenos Aires city resulted toxic, indicates the need of enhanced stewardship of chemical substances for environmental and human health protection purposes.

Toxic effects of cadmium on reproduction, development, and hatching in the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis for water quality monitoring

The freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis was exposed to cadmium concentrations of 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 microgram liter-1. The influence of this highly toxic metal on various stages of reproduction (number of egg masses, number of eggs, embryo development, and hatching) was studied. Egg production ceased at 400 microgram Cd2+ liter-1 and hatching was reduced to 0.4% with 200 microgram liter-1 at 20 degreesC. The study revealed that embryo development was the most sensitive stage, the main anomalies observed depending on the Cd2+ concentration. At the highest concentration studied (400 microgram liter-1) the eggs were blocked in the first cleavage stage. At 100 and 200 microgram Cd2+ liter-1, development of the eggs was halted at various stages of embryogenesis (cleavage, gastrula, veliger, and prehatching) depending on their position in the egg masses. At concentrations of 25 to 100 microgram Cd2+ liter-1, development was slowed down and hatching occurred 5 to 15 days later than in the controls (controls hatched 12 to 13 days after laying). The results obtained demonstrate the effects of Cd2+ on reproduction and development in L. stagnalis and provide information on the targets affected (neuroendocrine control of laying or cell multiplication and organogenesis of the embryos). It is thus possible to predict the probability of survival of the species in an environment polluted with cadmium and to compare it with the effects of other pollutants in the same or other species.

Cadmium uptake and bioaccumulation in Xenopus laevis embryos at different developmental stages

The uptake of cadmium in Xenopus laevis embryos was studied by exposing them to solutions containing cadmium concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2 mg Cd2+/L at seven developmental stages for 72 h. The uptake values were from 0.0027 microgram Cd2+/embryo (two blastomeres stage) to 0.081 microgram Cd2+/embryo, (hindlimb bud distinct stage). During early developmental stages, a limited permeability to cadmium could play a significant role for the survival of embryos. At the last developmental stage evaluated there was a significantly higher uptake of cadmium simultaneously with a very significant increase in the resistance against cadmium toxicity. The cadmium bioaccumulation factor (BF) ranged from 5 to 460. As a general pattern at all developmental stages the BF was higher in embryos exposed to the lower cadmium concentration, and as development advanced the BF increased.