Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore and compare the sex-specific differences in the toxic effects of water-accommodated fractions of 380# heavy fuel oil (HFO WAF) on the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Sea urchins were acutely exposed to HFO WAF at different nominal concentrations (0%, 10% and 20%) for seven days. The results showed that females had a higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bioaccumulation in gonad tissues and that both the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels in the gonad tissues of females were much higher than those of males. The PAHs bioaccumulation in gametes indicated that parents’ exposure could lead to a transfer of PAHs to their offspring, and eggs had higher TAC and LPO than sperms. After maternal and paternal exposure to HFO WAF, the frequency of morphological abnormalities of the offspring was increased when compared to the control. Overall, these results indicated that maternal exposure to HFO WAF could cause more significantly toxic effects on sea urchins than paternal exposure could, which could lead to more significantly negative effects on their offspring.
Highlights
Oil pollution, which is mainly derived from factory sewage and oil spills, has been one of the major concerns in the marine ecological environment
This study revealed sex-specific differences in the toxic effect of heavy fuel oil (HFO) water-accommodated fractions (WAF) on parental sea urchin gonad tissues, gametes and their offspring
Our results showed that sea urchin exposure to HFO WAF for seven days caused a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bioaccumulation and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level increase in gonad tissues and gametes
Summary
Oil pollution, which is mainly derived from factory sewage and oil spills, has been one of the major concerns in the marine ecological environment. Once an oil spill occurs, the floating oil could cause a decrease in the oxygen content of the seawater and release aromatic hydrocarbons into the water column, leading to huge damage to the marine ecosystem and producing certain toxic effects on marine organisms [1,2]. With their high bioaccumulation and toxicity, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have generally been known as the main components of crude oil to pose primary potential risks to marine organisms [3,4]. Due to being extremely sensitive to pollution [6,7], sea urchins at an early plankton stage have been regarded as an effective model organism for marine ecotoxicology research and environmental monitoring [8,9]
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