Abstract
Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of trace element pollution in the polychaete Perinereis cultrifera (Grube, 1840) from two Tunisian coasts (the port of Rades, S1; and the Punic port of Carthage, S2). To this end, we used an approach based on proximate composition, biomarker responses and trace element bioaccumulation. Our results showed a decreasing order of metals concentrations (Zn>Cu>Cd>Pb) in P. cultrifera from S1 and S2. The accumulation of Cd, Cu and Zn was significantly higher in S1 than in S2, especially in summer. Lipid, protein and glycogen content also changed significantly between S1 and S2 in relation to trace metal accumulation and environmental conditions. The results revealed a higher level of thiobarbituric acid in P. cultrifera from S1 than from S2. In addition, the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defence system (catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione and metallothionein) was enhanced and acetylcholinesterase activities decreased in P. cultrifera in S1 in comparison with S2. A principal component analysis showed that P. cultrifera from S1 exhibited a clear disruption of oxidative stress responses and trace element bioaccumulation among seasons. Overall, these findings revealed the sensitivity of those organisms to environmental conditions.
Highlights
The daily discharge of pollutants from human activities such as industry, agriculture, shipping, ports, domestic waste and anthropogenic pressure is a serious problem that has harmful effects on aquatic organisms (Paraskevopoulou et al 2014)
Due to the complex stress responses influenced by metals, metalloids and their mixtures, it is important to create a battery of biomarkers that represent different roles and biological levels, such as the variation of oxidative stress (Di Salvatore et al 2013, Bejaoui et al 2017) and trace element concentration (Di Salvatore et al 2013, Sureda et al 2011), which can be linked to whole-organism responses and ecological responses to indicate the presence of harmful substances in the marine environment (Cravo et al 2012)
Our results showed a significant positive correlation between thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels and Cd (0.735), salinity (0.420) and temperature (0.641) for polychaetes collected from S2
Summary
The daily discharge of pollutants from human activities such as industry, agriculture, shipping, ports, domestic waste and anthropogenic pressure is a serious problem that has harmful effects on aquatic organisms (Paraskevopoulou et al 2014). Polychaetes (Annelida) have been used as sentinels in coastal studies for monitoring purposes, especially in soft-bottom habitats (Li et al 2012) These worms are one of the most important groups in terms of diversity and abundance in macro-benthic communities in coastal and marine environments, (Chouikh et al 2019). Due to the complex stress responses influenced by metals, metalloids and their mixtures, it is important to create a battery of biomarkers that represent different roles and biological levels, such as the variation of oxidative stress (Di Salvatore et al 2013, Bejaoui et al 2017) and trace element concentration (Di Salvatore et al 2013, Sureda et al 2011), which can be linked to whole-organism responses and ecological responses to indicate the presence of harmful substances in the marine environment (Cravo et al 2012). To neutralize free radicals and counteract the deleterious effects of ROS, cells possess an antioxidant defence system (Halliwell 2007)
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