Realistic mixture of illicit drugs impaired the oxidative status of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)
2015
Parolini, Marco | Magni, Stefano | Castiglioni, Sara | Zuccato, Ettore | Binelli, Andrea
Illicit drugs are considered to be emerging aquatic pollutants since they are commonly found in freshwater ecosystems in the high ngL−1 to low μgL−1 range concentrations. Although the environmental occurrence of the most common psychoactive compounds is well known, recently some investigations showed their potential toxicity toward non-target aquatic organisms. However, to date, these studies completely neglected that organisms in the real environment are exposed to a complex mixture, which could lead to dissimilar adverse effects. The present study investigated the oxidative alterations of the freshwater bivalve Dreissena polymorpha induced by a 14-d exposure to an environmentally relevant mixture of the most common illicit drugs found in the aquatic environment, namely cocaine (50ngL−1), benzoylecgonine (300ngL−1), amphetamine (300ngL−1), morphine (100ngL−1) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (50ngL−1). The total oxidant status (TOS) was measured to investigate the increase in the reactive oxygen species’ levels, while the activity of antioxidant enzymes and glutathione S-transferase were measured to note the eventual imbalances between pro-oxidant and antioxidant molecules. In addition, oxidative damage was assessed by measuring the levels of lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation. Significant time-dependent increases of all the antioxidant activities were induced by the mixture. Moreover, the illicit drug mixture significantly increased the levels of carbonylated proteins and caused a slight variation in lipid peroxidation. Our results showed that a mixture of illicit drugs at realistic environmental concentrations can impair the oxidative status of the zebra mussel, posing a serious hazard to the health status of this bivalve species.
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