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André C, Auclair J, Gagné F. The influence of rainfall events on the toxicity of urban wastewaters to freshwater mussels Elliptio complanata. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2024; 277:109842. [PMID: 38237842 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
The cumulative impacts of rainfall frequency and intensity towards the ecotoxicity of urban pollution is gaining more and more attention in these times of climate change. The purpose of this study was to examine the ecotoxicological impacts of combined sewers overflows and municipal effluent discharge sites during 3 periods (years) of varying intensity precipitations to freshwater mussels Elliptio complanata. Mussels were placed in benthic cages for 3 months during the summer at 2 overflow discharge and 8 km downstream sites including an upstream site for three consecutive years with low (164 mm), medium (182 mm) and high (248 mm) amounts of rain. The results revealed that the effects were mainly influenced by suspended matter loadings and to the dissolved components to a lesser extent. Impacts at the downstream and overflow sites were noticeable at the reproduction (vitellogenin), genotoxicity, neurotoxicity (dopamine and serotonin changes) levels in addition to xenobiotic biotransformation revealed by glutathione S-transferase activity and metallothioneins for organic and heavy metals respectively. The site downstream the effluent produced most of the effects compared to the overflow sites in the Saint-Lawrence River. However, the impacts of combined sewers overflows could become problematic in low dilution systems such as small river and lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C André
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill, Montréal, Québec H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - J Auclair
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill, Montréal, Québec H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - F Gagné
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill, Montréal, Québec H2Y 2E7, Canada..
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Gendron AD, Lacaze É, Taranu ZE, Gouge R, Larbi-Youcef Y, Houde M, André C, Gagné F, Triffault-Bouchet G, Giroux I. The Comet Assay, a Sensitive Biomarker of Water Quality Improvement Following Adoption of Beneficial Agricultural Practices? ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:2201-2214. [PMID: 37417785 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Numerous actions have been undertaken by farmers to attenuate the impact of agricultural activities on aquatic ecosystems. The identification of biomarkers that respond quickly to water quality improvement could facilitate the assessment of adopted alternative practices and help maintain mobilization among stakeholders. We evaluated the potential of the comet assay, a biomarker of genotoxic effects, using a freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata, as a model animal. The frequency of DNA damage was assessed in hemocytes of mussels collected from a pristine habitat and caged for 8 weeks in the Pot au Beurre River, a tributary of the fluvial Lake St.-Pierre (Quebec, Canada) impacted by agricultural activities. We found that the level of DNA damage naturally induced in mussel hemocytes was low and showed very limited variations over time. Compared with these baseline levels and to laboratory controls, we observed a doubling in DNA alterations in mussels exposed to agricultural runoff in the third branch of the Pot au Beurre River. The genotoxic response was significantly lower in mussels caged in the first branch of the Pot au Beurre River, where longer stretches of shoreline have been restored as buffer strips. Glyphosate, mesotrione, imazethapyr, and metolachlor were the main discriminant pesticides between these two branches. Metolachlor was found in sufficient concentrations to induce DNA damage, but it is more likely that the observed genotoxicity was the result of a "cocktail effect," that is, the cumulative contribution of coexisting genotoxicants including the above-mentioned herbicides and ingredients in their formulation. Our findings suggest that the comet assay is a sensitive tool for the early detection of changes in water toxicity following the adoption of agricultural beneficial practices. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2201-2214. © 2023 Crown copyright and The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. This article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the King's Printer for Scotland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrée D Gendron
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Émilie Lacaze
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zofia E Taranu
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rebecca Gouge
- Compliance Promotion and Marine Programs, Environmental Protection Operations, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Yasmina Larbi-Youcef
- Direction Aménagement du Territoire et Développement Régional, Fédération de l'Union des producteurs agricoles de la Montérégie, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
| | - Magali Houde
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Chantale André
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - François Gagné
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gaëlle Triffault-Bouchet
- Division Écotoxicologie et Évaluation du risque, Centre d'expertise en analyse environnementale du Québec, Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Isabelle Giroux
- Direction générale du suivi de l'état de l'environnement, Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, Quebec, Canada
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André C, Duy SV, Sauvé S, Gagné F. Comparative toxicity of urban wastewater and rainfall overflow in caged freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1233659. [PMID: 37637140 PMCID: PMC10449329 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1233659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Municipal effluents are well-recognized as disrupting sexual differentiation and reproduction in mussels. However, the contribution to this problem made by rainfall combined with sewer overflow (increased by rain due to climate change) is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to compare the neuroendocrine effects of municipal discharge and rainfall overflow on caged endemic mussel Elliptio complanata. To this end, mussels were experimentally caged and placed for 3 months at a municipal effluent dispersion plume site and at overflow sites. Data revealed that downstream surface water contained some pharmaceuticals (caffeine and carbamazepine) and accumulated significant levels of heterotrophic bacteria, but these effects were not observed at the overflow sites. The principal effects observed at the downstream site were increased soft tissue mass (and gonad index), inflammation, and Vtg proteins in male mussels as determined by a novel immunostaining methodology. The rainfall overflow sites had no effects on these markers, but were specifically associated with reduced Vtg proteins in females, dopamine (Dop), gonad lipids, and DNA strand breaks, with increased metallothioneins. In conclusion, the observed feminizing effects of municipal effluent were not additionally observed in mussels caged at rainfall overflow sites, although the latter exhibited a different pattern of toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. André
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - S. V. Duy
- Chemistry Department, Montreal University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - S. Sauvé
- Chemistry Department, Montreal University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - F. Gagné
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Marlatt VL, Bayen S, Castaneda-Cortès D, Delbès G, Grigorova P, Langlois VS, Martyniuk CJ, Metcalfe CD, Parent L, Rwigemera A, Thomson P, Van Der Kraak G. Impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals on reproduction in wildlife and humans. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 208:112584. [PMID: 34951986 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The main objective of this review was to summarize the current knowledge of the impacts of EDCs on reproductive success in wildlife and humans. The examples selected often include a retrospective assessment of the knowledge of reproductive impacts over time to discern how the effects of EDCs have changed over the last several decades. Collectively, the evidence summarized here within reinforce the concept that reproduction in wildlife and humans is negatively impacted by anthropogenic chemicals, with several altering endocrine system function. These observations of chemicals interfering with different aspects of the reproductive endocrine axis are particularly pronounced for aquatic species and are often corroborated by laboratory-based experiments (i.e. fish, amphibians, birds). Noteworthy, many of these same indicators are also observed in epidemiological studies in mammalian wildlife and humans. Given the vast array of reproductive strategies used by animals, it is perhaps not surprising that no single disrupted target is predictive of reproductive effects. Nevertheless, there are some general features of the endocrine control of reproduction, and in particular, the critical role that steroid hormones play in these processes that confer a high degree of susceptibility to environmental chemicals. New research is needed on the implications of chemical exposures during development and the potential for long-term reproductive effects. Future emphasis on field-based observations that can form the basis of more deliberate, extensive, and long-term population level studies to monitor contaminant effects, including adverse effects on the endocrine system, are key to addressing these knowledge gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- V L Marlatt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - S Bayen
- Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - D Castaneda-Cortès
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - G Delbès
- Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - P Grigorova
- Département Science et Technologie, Université TELUQ, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - V S Langlois
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - C J Martyniuk
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - C D Metcalfe
- School of Environment, Trent University, Trent, Canada
| | - L Parent
- Département Science et Technologie, Université TELUQ, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - A Rwigemera
- Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - P Thomson
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC, Canada
| | - G Van Der Kraak
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Kleinert C, Poirier-Larabie S, Gagnon C, André C, Gagné F. Occurrence and ecotoxicity of cytostatic drugs 5-fluorouracil and methotrexate in the freshwater unionid Elliptio complanata. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 244:109027. [PMID: 33631341 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.109027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Municipal effluents continuously release cytostatic drugs with unknown consequences in aquatic organisms. The purpose of the study was to examine the sublethal toxicity of 2 commonly-found cytostatic drugs 5-fluouracile (5-FLU) and methotrexate (MTX) to endemic Elliptio complanata freshwater mussels. The mussels were exposed of each drugs at 0, 4, 20 and 100 μg/L for 96 h t 15 °C. After the exposure period, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and dehydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activities, DNA damage and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were determined. The drugs were detected in mussel tissues with no evidence of accumulation with either drugs. The drug 5-FLU gave a larger spectrum of effects than MTX such as increased DHFR, decreased LPO and DNA strand breaks (repair activity) suggesting that the mussels were metabolically hindered and reduced DNA repair activity. The drug MTX only increased DHFR activity in the gonad. Hence, the data suggest that these drugs are biologically active in freshwater mussels and based on the reported maximum levels of these drugs in municipal effluents, the observed effects are likely in sessile freshwater mussel species downstream urban sources of pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Kleinert
- Aquatic Contaminant Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105, McGill Street, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - Sylvie Poirier-Larabie
- Aquatic Contaminant Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105, McGill Street, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - Christian Gagnon
- Aquatic Contaminant Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105, McGill Street, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - Chantale André
- Aquatic Contaminant Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105, McGill Street, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada.
| | - François Gagné
- Aquatic Contaminant Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105, McGill Street, Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada.
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