Toxic Effects of a Mixture of Pharmaceuticals in Mytilus Galloprovincialis: The Case of 17α-Ethinylestradiol and Salicylic Acid

36 Pages Posted: 1 Nov 2022

See all articles by Marta Cunha

Marta Cunha

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Mónica G. Silva

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Lucia De Marchi

University of Pisa

Valdemar Esteves

Universidade de Aveiro

Valentina Meucci

University of Pisa

Federica Battaglia

University of Pisa

Amadeu M.V.M. Soares

Universidade de Aveiro - Department of Biology

Carlo Pretti

University of Pisa

Rosa Freitas

Universidade de Aveiro - Department of Biology

Abstract

The impact of pharmaceuticals on marine invertebrates has been a topic of rising concern, with an increasing number of publications regarding the effects on bivalves. However, very few investigated the toxicity of mixtures of pharmaceuticals. This knowledge gap was addressed in the present study, where the toxicity of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and Salicylic acid (SA) mixture was evaluated. To this end, Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels were chronically exposed to both pharmaceuticals, acting alone and in combination, and the effects at the cellular level were measured. The integrated biomarker response (IBR) index was used to assess the overall biochemical response given by mussels. The results obtained clearly demonstrated that the most stressful condition was caused by the combined effect of EE2 and SA, with the highest metabolic capacity, antioxidant (catalase activity) and biotransformation (carboxylesterases activity) activation and cellular damage in organisms exposed to the mixture of both drugs in comparison to responses observed when each drug was acting alone. This study highlights the need for future studies considering the mixture of pollutants, mimicking the actual environmental conditions.

Keywords: Marine bivalves, metabolism, Oxidative stress, Integrated biomarker response

Suggested Citation

Cunha, Marta and Silva, Mónica G. and De Marchi, Lucia and Esteves, Valdemar and Meucci, Valentina and Battaglia, Federica and Soares, Amadeu M.V.M. and Pretti, Carlo and Freitas, Rosa, Toxic Effects of a Mixture of Pharmaceuticals in Mytilus Galloprovincialis: The Case of 17α-Ethinylestradiol and Salicylic Acid. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4263861 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4263861

Marta Cunha

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Mónica G. Silva

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Lucia De Marchi

University of Pisa ( email )

Lungarno Pacinotti, 43
Pisa PI, 56126
Italy

Valdemar Esteves

Universidade de Aveiro ( email )

Valentina Meucci

University of Pisa ( email )

Lungarno Pacinotti, 43
Pisa PI, 56126
Italy

Federica Battaglia

University of Pisa ( email )

Lungarno Pacinotti, 43
Pisa PI, 56126
Italy

Amadeu M.V.M. Soares

Universidade de Aveiro - Department of Biology ( email )

Carlo Pretti

University of Pisa ( email )

Lungarno Pacinotti, 43
Pisa PI, 56126
Italy

Rosa Freitas (Contact Author)

Universidade de Aveiro - Department of Biology ( email )

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