Elements concentrations and biomarkers in Homarus americanus from Bay of Fundy and St. Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada

Abstract

IIn this investigation, we screened the elements contamination and biomarkers responses in the American lobster, Homarus americanus from Bay of Fundy and St Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. To this end, concentrations of 15 element; As, Zn, Cd, Fe, Cu, Se, Mo, Mn, Sr, Hg, Pb, Co, Ni, Ca and Mg, in hepatopancreas, muscle and shell of lobsters were determined. Mo, Zn, Cu, Cd, Co, Ni and Fe reached their maximum in the hepatopancreas with 1.95, 123.56, 839.05, 59.47, 0.91, 2.11 and 79.15 μg g -1 DW respectively. While As, Hg and Se recorded their maximum in the muscles with 82.04, 1.10, 12.45 μg g -1 DW and Pb, Mn, Mg, Ca and Sr reached their highest concentrations in the shell with 1.82, 319, 12490.65, 195844.42 and 2411.52 μg g -1 DW respectively. Thus, Glutathione S Transferase (GST) and Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) biomarkers were analyzed in addition to total protein blood concentration. Our results revealed that the American lobster could prevent the element toxicity by moving non-essential elements to the shell and absorb those essentials from the shell to the soft tissues during the deep-shallow water migration. In addition, according to national and international standards guidelines concentrations, we can assume that the edible muscles of lobsters from Bay of Fundy and St. Mary’s Bay are in good quality for all studied elements except for Se. Moreover, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) showed clear segregation between the elements that are classified as toxic and those classified as essentials