Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018;30(1):34.
doi: 10.1186/s12302-018-0164-y. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Multiple biomarker responses in caged benthic gastropods Bellamya aeruginosa after in situ exposure to Taihu Lake in China

Qian Li  1 , Meng Wang  1 , Lei Duan  1 , Yanling Qiu  1 , Taowu Ma  2 , Ling Chen  1 , Magnus Breitholtz  3 , Åke Bergman  4 , Jianfu Zhao  1 , Markus Hecker  5 , Lingling Wu  1   5
Affiliations

Multiple biomarker responses in caged benthic gastropods Bellamya aeruginosa after in situ exposure to Taihu Lake in China

Qian Li et al. Environ Sci Eur. 2018.

Abstract

Background: Freshwater sediments have been recognized as a long-term sink and potential source for environmental pollutants released into the aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the sediment quality of Taihu Lake, which is susceptible to anthropogenic contamination, was assessed by a combination of chemical analytical and biological end points. Specifically, the snail Bellamya aeruginosa was caged in situ at two locations representing different pollution levels for different exposure times (7, 14 and 21 days). At each of these time points, biochemical parameters, i.e., phase I biotransformation enzymes ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, reactive oxygen species, protein carbonyl content and lipid peroxidation, were evaluated in the hepatopancreas of snails. In addition, surface sediments were collected for analysis of contaminants of concern, including inorganic pollutants, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Results: Chemical analyses revealed that sediments from Taihu Lake were contaminated with trace elements and organic pollutants. Concentrations of trace elements (Cu, Ni and As) and organochlorinated pesticides (4,4'-DDE) exceeded their corresponding threshold effect level according to the sediment quality assessment values for freshwater ecosystems in Canada, indicating that adverse biological effects may occur. All biomarkers, except EROD activity, were induced in snails during all exposure times. The integrated biomarker response index (IBR) indicated that during the initial exposure phase (7 days), B. aeruginosa were subjected to significant environmental stress, which diminished during later sampling time points.

Conclusions: Results showed that IBR correlated well with the levels of environmental contaminants, demonstrating the applicability of this biomonitoring approach to complex environmental exposure scenarios.

Keywords: Bellamya aeruginosa; Biomonitoring; Caged organisms; Freshwater sediment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Location of the Yangtze River Delta in China and caging sites in Taihu Lake (solid triangles represent caging sites A and B; double circles around the lake are major cities with population over one million)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Survival rate (%) of Bellamya aeruginosa caged at sites A and B during the caging exposure in Taihu Lake
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
EROD activities in the hepatopancreas of snails (Bellamya aeruginosa) caged at sites A and B over the duration of exposure experiments in Taihu Lake. Results are mean ± SD. Data represent the average of 30 individuals in each sample. Double asterisks indicate significant difference from the control (P < 0.01)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Fold increase in ROS generation compared to the control (a) and activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT activities) (b, c) in the hepatopancreas of snails (Bellamya aeruginosa) caged at sites A and B over the duration of the exposure experiments in Taihu Lake. Results are mean ± SD. Data are given from 30 individuals in each sample. Asterisks indicate significant difference from the control (P < 0.05); double asterisks indicate significant difference from the control (P < 0.01)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Oxidative effects [the levels of LPO (a), PCC (b)] in the hepatopancreas of snails (Bellamya aeruginosa) caged at sites A and B over the duration of the exposure experiments in Taihu Lake. Results are mean ± SD. Data are given from 30 individuals in each sample. Asterisks indicate significant difference from the control (P < 0.05); double asterisks indicate significant difference from the control (P < 0.01)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Integrated biomarker responses index (IBRv2) based on the following biomarkers: ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity (EROD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO), the protein carbonyl content (PCC) and catalase activity (CAT) in the hepatopancreas tissue of Bellamya aeruginosa caged at the site A and site B of the Taihu Lake. For both sites A and B, A values calculated for each biomarker were reported in a star plot indicating the reference deviation of each investigated biomarker. Biomarker results represented in relation to the baseline group. The area above 0 reflects induction of biomarker and below 0 indicates reduction of the biomarker
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Liu GQ, Zhang G, Jin ZD, Li J. Sedimentary record of hydrophobic organic compounds in relation to regional economic development: a study of Taihu Lake, East China. Environ Pollut. 2009;157:2994–3000. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.05.056. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yan ZH, Yang XF, Lu GH, Liu JC, Xie ZX, Wu DH. Potential environmental implications of emerging organic contaminants in Taihu Lake, China: comparison of two ecotoxicological assessment approaches. Sci Total Environ. 2014;470:171–179. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.09.092. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hartwell SI, Hameedi MJ, Pait AS. Empirical assessment of incorporating sediment quality triad data into a single index to distinguish dominant stressors between sites. Environ Monit Assess. 2011;174:605–623. doi: 10.1007/s10661-010-1482-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cesar A, Choueri RB, Riba I, Morales-Caselles C, Pereira CDS, Santos AD, Abessa DMS, DelValls TA. Comparative sediment quality assessment in different littoral ecosystems from Spain (Gulf of Cadiz) and Brazil (Santos and São Vicente estuarine system) Environ Int. 2007;33:429–435. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2006.11.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brinkmann M, Hudjetz S, Kammann U, Hennig M, Kuckelkorn J, Chinoraks M, Cofalla C, Wiseman S, Geisy JP, Schäffer A, Hecker M, Wölz J, Schüttrumpf H, Hollert H. How flood events affect rainbow trout: evidence of a biomarker cascade in rainbow trout after exposure to PAH contaminated sediment suspensions. Aquat Toxicol. 2013;128–129:13–24. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.11.010. - DOI - PubMed