Biochemical and physiological effects of nickel in the euryhaline crab Neohelice granulata (Dana, 1851) acclimated to different salinities.

The estuarine crab Neohelice granulata was maintained under control condition or exposed to sublethal concentrations of dissolved Ni (measured: 128 and 1010μg/L) for 96h at different salinities (2 and 30ppt). After metal exposure, whole-body oxygen consumption was measured and tissue (hemolymph, gills, hepatopancreas and muscle) samples were collected. Control crabs acclimated to 2ppt salinity showed lower hemolymph concentrations of Na (33%), Mg (19%) and K (30%), as well as increased LPO levels in anterior gills (379%), posterior gills (457%) and hepatopancreas (35%) with respect to those acclimated to 30ppt salinity.

Copper accumulation and toxicity in isolated cells from gills and hepatopancreas of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus).

In the present study, we used fresh preparations of mixed-cell populations to evaluate accumulation and toxicity of dissolved copper (1-100 microM) in isolated cells from posterior gills and hepatopancreas of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus). For both gill and hepatopancreatic cells, significant increases in copper accumulation were observed after exposure to 50 or 100 microM copper. In gill cells, a linear increase in copper accumulation was observed over time.