Microplastic in industrial aquaculture: Occurrence in the aquatic environment, feed and organisms (Dicentrarchus labrax).

The increasing use of plastics and the growing concern about their impact on the environment and living beings makes it necessary to study how microplastics (MP) affect aquaculture systems. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of these systems, this study covers the water intake, the purification treatment at the inlet, the water in the culture tanks, as well as the feed used in the feeding and the organism itself. For this purpose, five samples were taken, both in the water line, feed and sea bass during the weeks of the experiment. It is shown that the available purification systems reduce the amount of MP entering from the receiving environment. However, new MP are observed in the sea bass tank, which may be due mainly to those added through the feed and found in the feed, as well as in the piping and other materials used in current aquaculture systems (PTFE, PA, among others). If focusing on the feed that can reach the consumer, in the case of this study, carried out with sea bass, some types of MP (PE, PTFE, PS and PA) were found in 4 head samples and 4 skin/muscle samples. Although inlet water purification systems manage to reduce a high percentage of MPs in the system, it is observed that there are other access routes that should be considered and reduced in aquaculture facilities to prevent them from reaching the human consumer.

Microplastics in a tropical Andean Glacier: A transportation process across the Amazon basin?

Microplastic (MPs) contamination is ubiquitous in most terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Recently MPs have been reported at high altitudes which indicates that air masses can transport and deposit MPs in the surface snow of high mountain ecosystems, however, whether MPs typification and abundance can be influenced by direction and origin of air masses still remains an open question. Here we present the first report of MPs above 5000 m a.s.l from surface snow of a glacier in the tropical Andes. We collected surface snow along an elevational gradient, from 5000 to 5400 m a.s.l., in the Antisana Glacier, in the northern Andes cordillera of Ecuador to analyze MPs abundance and polymeric identification with the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and also to hypothesized the possible MPs sources in this remote area by comparing the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopic ratio composition of the snow samples and by analyzing the wind direction. We observed an average of 131 ± 24 MPs L-1 in our samples. Fibers corresponded to 70% of all MP shapes; FTIR results showed that MPs composition mainly included polyurethane, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, and high-density polyethylene in surface snow. There were no statistically significant differences of MPs abundance among sampled elevations, and the isotopic ratio composition did not differ among locations. Our results suggest that MP that accumulated in the glacier may be transported from the east, across the Amazonia, by the prevalent eastward air flow. The absence of industrial cities at least 2000 km further east from Antisana, indicates that the remote Andean glaciers could constitute important depositional zones for long-distance transported contaminants.

Toxicity of malathion during Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis larval development and metamorphosis: Histopathological disorders and effects on type B esterases and CYP1A enzymatic systems.

The toxicity of malathion to Solea senegalensis was studied in a static renewal bioassay during its first month of larval life (between 4 and 30 dph). Through the use of different biomarkers and biochemical, cellular and molecular approaches (inhibition of cholinesterases [ChEs], changes in cytochrome P450-1A [CYP1A] and the study of histopathological alterations), the effects of three concentrations of malathion (1.56, 3.12, and 6.25 µg/L) have been analyzed. In subacute exposure, malathion inhibited cholinesterase activities (AChE, BChE, CbE) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, ranging the inhibition percentage from 20% to 90%. However, the expression levels of CYP1A and AChE transcripts or proteins were not modified. Additionally, exposure to malathion provoked histopathological alterations in several organ systems of Senegalese sole in a time- and dose dependent way, namely disruption of parenchymal architecture in the liver, epithelial desquamation, pyknotic nuclei and steatosis in the intestine, disorganization of supporting cartilage, and sings of hyperplasia and hypertrophy in the gills and degeneration of the epithelial cells from the renal tubules. Malathion exposure also provoked strong disorganization of cardiac fibers from the heart. The findings provide evidence that exposure to sublethal concentrations of malathion that provoked serious injury to the fish S. senegalensis, were below the expected environmental concentrations reported in many other ecosystems and different fish species,revealing a higher sensitivity for Solea senegalensis to malathion exposure, thus reinforcing its use as sentinel species for environmental pollution in coastal and estuarine environments.

Miniaturized and direct spectrophotometric multi-sample analysis of trace metals in natural waters.

Trends in the analysis of trace metals in natural waters are mainly based on the development of sample treatment methods to isolate and pre-concentrate the metal from the matrix in a simpler extract for further instrumental analysis. However, direct analysis is often possible using more accessible techniques such as spectrophotometry. In this case a proper ligand is required to form a complex that absorbs radiation in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrum. In this sense, the hydrazone derivative, di-2-pyridylketone benzoylhydrazone (dPKBH), forms complexes with copper (Cu) and vanadium (V) that absorb light at 370 and 395 nm, respectively. Although spectrophotometric methods are considered as time- and reagent-consuming, this work focused on its miniaturization by reducing the volume of sample as well as time and cost of analysis. In both methods, a micro-amount of sample is placed into a microplate reader with a capacity for 96 samples, which can be analyzed in times ranging from 5 to 10 min. The proposed methods have been optimized using a Box-Behnken design of experiments. For Cu determination, concentration of phosphate buffer solution at pH 8.33, masking agents (ammonium fluoride and sodium citrate), and dPKBH were optimized. For V analysis, sample (pH 4.5) was obtained using acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer, and masking agents were ammonium fluoride and 1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid. Under optimal conditions, both methods were applied to the analysis of certified reference materials TMDA-62 (lake water), LGC-6016 (estuarine water), and LGC-6019 (river water). In all cases, results proved the accuracy of the method.

Simplification of iron speciation in wine samples: a spectrophotometric approach.

A simple direct spectrophotometric method was developed for the analysis of Fe(II) and total Fe in wine samples. This method is based on the formation of an Fe(II) complex with 2,2'-dipyridylketone picolinoylhydrazone (DPKPH), which shows a maximum green-blue absorption (λ = 700 nm) at pH 4.9. Operative conditions for the batch procedure were investigated including reagent concentration, buffer solutions, and wavelength. The tolerance limits of foreign ions and sample matrix have been also evaluated. Limits of detection and quantification were 0.005 and 0.017 mg L(-1) of Fe(II), respectively, allowing its determination in real wine samples. Finally, the proposed method was used in the analysis of white, rose, and red wines. Results were compared with a reference method of Commission Regulation (ECC) No. 2676/90 of September 1990 determining European Community methods for the analysis of wines for Fe analysis, showing the reliability of the proposed method in Fe analysis in wine samples.

Toxicity of parathion on embryo and yolk-sac larvae of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata l.): effects on survival, cholinesterase, and carboxylesterase activity.

This study was conducted to examine the acute toxicity of the organophosphorus pesticide (OP) parathion on embryos and yolk-sac larvae of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), and to investigate the effects of this compound on cholinesterase and carboxylesterase activity of seabream larvae in the phase of endogenous feeding. The 72-h LC50 for yolk-sac larvae (0.523 mg L⁻¹) was about two-fold lower than the 48-h LC50 for embryos (1.005 mg L⁻¹). Parathion significantly inhibited the activity of ChE and CaE activity in yolk sac larvae but there were not significant differences in the sensitivity of both esterases to parathion as inferred by their 72-h IC50 values. Larvae exposed to parathion for 72 h showed a 70% inhibition of the whole body acetylcholinesterase at approximately the LC50.

Cholinesterase activity in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) larvae: Characterization and sensitivity to the organophosphate azinphosmethyl.

Assessment of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition is widely used as a specific biomarker for evaluating the exposure and effects of non-target organisms to anticholinesterase agents. Cholinesterase and carboxylesterase activities have been measured in larvae of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, during the endogenous feeding stage, and ChE was characterized with the aid of diagnostic substrates and inhibitors. The results of the present study showed that whole-body ChE of yolk-sac seabream larvae possesses typical properties of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with a apparent affinity constant (K(m)) of 0.163+/-0.008 mM and a maximum velocity (V(max)) of 332.7+/-2.8 nmol/min/mg protein. Moreover, sensibility of this enzyme was investigated using the organophosphorus insecticide azinphosmethyl. Static-renewal toxicity tests were conducted over 72 h and larval survival and AChE inhibition were recorded. Mean mortality of seabream larvae increased with increasing concentrations of azinphosmethyl and exposure duration. The estimated 72-h LC50 value to azinphosmethyl was 4.59 microg/l (95% CI=0.46-8.71 microg/l) and inhibition of ChE activity gave an IC50 of 3.04 microg/l (95% CI=2.73-3.31 microg/l). Larvae exposed to azinphosmethyl for 72h showed a 70% inhibition of the whole-body acetylcholinesterase activity at approximately the LC50. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that monitoring ChE activity is a valuable tool indicating OP exposure in S. aurata larvae and that acetylthiocholine is the most appropriate substrate for assessing ChE inhibition in this early-life stage of the fish.