Weathered polyethylene microplastics induced immunomodulation in zebrafish.

Microplastics are pollutants of emerging concern and the aquatic biota consumes microplastics (MPs), which has a range of toxicological and environmental effects on aquatic organisms that are not the intended targets. The current study looked into how weathered polyethylene (wPE) MPs affected Danio albolineatus immunological and haematological markers. In this experiment, fish of both sexes were placed in control and exposure groups, and they were exposed for 40 d at the sublethal level (1 μg L) of fragmented wPE, which contained 1074 ± 52 MPs per litre.

Effect of microfibers induced toxicity in marine sedentary polychaete Hydroides elegans: Insight from embryogenesis axis.

Presence of surgical face masks in the environment are more than ever before after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it poses a newer threat to aquatic habitats around the world due to microfibers (MFs) and other contaminants that get discharged when these masks deteriorate. The mechanism behind the developmental toxicity of MFs, especially released from surgical masks, on the early life stages of aquatic organisms are not well understood. Toxicity test were developed to examine the effects of MFs released from surgical facemask upon deterioration using the early gametes and early life stages of marine sedentary polychaete Hydroides elegans.

Microplastic contamination in commercial fish species in southern coastal region of India.

Due to its potential impact on food safety and human health, commercial species that have been contaminated with microplastics (MPs) are drawing more attention on a global scale. This study investigated the possibility of MPs contamination in different marine fish species with substantial commercial value that was captured off the south coast of India, from Adyar and Ennore regions. Over the course of six months, from October 2019 to March 2020, 220 fish were examined.

Substrates with patterned topography reveal metastasis of human cancer cells.

In this study, we aimed at studying the effects of engineered and patterned substrates on the migration characteristics of mammalian cancer cell lines. On the shallow topographical patterns, cells from different histological origins showed different migration speed and directionality. We also observed that cells from the same origin showed distinctive behaviour, suggesting these substrate topographies could distinguish cancer subtypes.

Proteomic characterization of the interactions between fish serum proteins and waterborne bacteria reveals the suppression of anti-oxidative defense as a serum-mediated antimicrobial mechanism.

Fish blood is one of the crucial tissues of innate immune system, but the full repertoire of fish serum components involved in antibacterial defense is not fully identified. In this study, we demonstrated that turbot serum, but not the heat-inactivated control, significantly reduced the number of Edwardsiella tarda (E. tarda).

A Unidirectional Cell Switching Gate by Engineering Grating Length and Bending Angle.

On a microgrooved substrate, cells migrate along the pattern, and at random positions, reverse their directions. Here, we demonstrate that these reversals can be controlled by introducing discontinuities to the pattern. On "V-shaped grating patterns", mouse osteogenic progenitor MC3T3-E1 cells reversed predominately at the bends and the ends.

Benzo[a]pyrene modulates the biotransformation, DNA damage and cortisol level of red sea bream challenged with lipopolysaccharide.

In animals, biotransformation and the immune system interact with each other, however, knowledge of the toxic mechanism of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) on these two systems is not well known. The present study investigated the toxic effects of BaP on the biotransformation system, cortisol level and DNA integrity of red sea bream (Pagrus major). The results showed that cortisol level was induced under the challenge of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Comparative study of 17 β-estradiol on endocrine disruption and biotransformation in fingerlings and juveniles of Japanese sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus.

Estrogenic contaminants in the aquatic environment are associated with endocrine disruption and feminization in fish. The effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on fish have been well documented. However, very few studies have focused on 17 β-estradiol (E2) and its effects on endocrine system and biotransformation in a single prolonged exposure.

Interactive effects of hypoxia and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) on microbial community assembly in surface marine sediments.

Hypoxia alters the oxidation-reduction balance and the biogeochemical processes in sediments, but little is known about its impacts on the microbial community that is responsible for such processes. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia and the ubiquitously dispersed flame-retardant BDE47 on the bacterial communities in marine surface sediments during a 28-days microcosm experiment. Both hypoxia and BDE47 alone significantly altered the bacterial community and reduced the species and genetic diversity.

Interactive effects of hypoxia and PBDE on larval settlement of a marine benthic polychaete.

Marine benthic polychaete Capitella sp. I is widely known to adapt to polluted habitats; however, its response to xenobiotics under hypoxic conditions has been rarely studied. This research aimed to test the hypothesis that interactive effects of hypoxia and congener BDE-47 of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), which is ubiquitous in marine sediments, may alter the settlement of Capitella sp.

Japanese medaka: a non-mammalian vertebrate model for studying sex and age-related bone metabolism in vivo.

Background: In human, a reduction in estrogen has been proposed as one of the key contributing factors for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Rodents are conventional models for studying postmenopausal osteoporosis, but the major limitation is that ovariectomy is needed to mimic the estrogen decline after menopause. Interestingly, in medaka fish (Oryzias latipes), we observed a natural drop in plasma estrogen profile in females during aging and abnormal spinal curvature was apparent in old fish, which are similar to postmenopausal women.

Medaka fish exhibits longevity gender gap, a natural drop in estrogen and telomere shortening during aging: a unique model for studying sex-dependent longevity.

Introduction: Females having a longer telomere and lifespan than males have been documented in many animals. Such linkage however has never been reported in fish. Progressive shortening of telomere length is an important aging mechanism.

Modulation of immune-associated parameters and antioxidant responses in the crab (Scylla serrata) exposed to mercury.

Organic and inorganic contaminants can suppress immune function in molluscs and crustaceans. It was postulated that metals could modulate immune function in marine crabs. To test this hypothesis, sublethal effects of mercury (Hg) on cellular immune and biochemical responses of crabs were determined.

Benzo[a]pyrene modulation of acute immunologic responses in Red Sea bream pretreated with lipopolysaccharide.

The effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been reported to modulate the immune response in aquatic animals, but the collected information of their effects on fish immunity is so far ambiguous. This study demonstrated that Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) exposure altered the expression pattern of an antimicrobial peptide hepcidin (PM-hepc) gene and the activities of some immune-associated parameters in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged red sea bream (Pagrus major). It was observed that LPS could increase respiratory burst, lysozyme and antibacterial activity in P.

Modulation and Interaction of Immune-Associated Parameters with Antioxidant in the Immunocytes of Crab Scylla paramamosain Challenged with Lipopolysaccharides.

Invertebrates are dependent on cellular and humoral immune defences against microbial infection. Scylla paramamosain is an important commercial species, but the fundamental knowledge on its immune defense related to the antioxidant and immune-associated reactions is still lacking. The study was to differentiate the responses of immune-associated parameters of haemolymph components in S.

Biochemical responses and DNA damage in red sea bream from coastal Fujian Province, China.

Relationships between measures of oxidative stress and adaptive antioxidant defenses were studied in red sea bream (Pagrus major, RSB) caged at eight locations along the Fujian coast, China. Oxidative damage in tissues was investigated by measuring concentrations of protein carbonyl (CP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO), acetyl cholinesterase activity (AChE), concentration of thiol groups and activities of enzymes associated with antioxidant defense. Magnitudes of antioxidant defense parameters were significantly, positively correlated with oxidative stress.

Effects of tributyltin and benzo[a]pyrene on the immune-associated activities of hemocytes and recovery responses in the gastropod abalone, Haliotis diversicolor.

Our previous study reports that short-term exposure to sublethal concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) induces immunomodulation in the gastropod abalone, Haliotis diversicolor. In the present study, it was further observed that long-term chronic exposure to sublethal concentrations of BaP modulated the immunocompetence of abalones in terms of the change in activity of the antioxidant and immune associated parameters tested. In addition, the effect of tributyltin (TBT), another important genotoxicant in the aquatic environment, was investigated.

17β estradiol induced ROS generation, DNA damage and enzymatic responses in the hepatic tissue of Japanese sea bass.

The importance of endocrine disrupting chemicals and their effects on fish has been documented in recent years. However, little is known about whether the estrogenic compound 17β estradiol (E2) causes oxidative stress in the hepatic tissue of fish. Therefore, this work tested the hypothesis that E2 might cause oxidative stress in the Japanese sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus liver.

Antioxidant enzymes from the crab Scylla paramamosain: gene cloning and gene/protein expression profiles against LPS challenge.

Recent studies revealed that antioxidant enzymes play important roles in antioxidant responses caused by metabolic process or pathogen invasion. Catalase is one of these key enzymes which has been characterized and highly conserved from invertebrates to vertebrates. In the present study, a full-length cDNA sequence of catalase was cloned from the hemocyte suppression subtractive hybridization library of the crab Scylla paramamosain.

First molecular cloning of a molluscan caspase from variously colored abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) and gene expression analysis with bacterial challenge.

Mammal caspases have been demonstrated to possess important functions in apoptosis and immune signaling, but there is less knowledge available on abalone caspases. In the present study, a molluscan caspase gene, abCaspase, was cloned for the first time from the variously colored abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) and its full-length cDNA sequence was 2427 bp, with a 1008 bp of open reading frame encoding a protein of 336 aa. The molecular mass of the deduced protein was approximately 36.

Effect of 17beta-estradiol on the immunocompetence of Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus).

Environmental contaminants can interfere with hormonal regulation in both vertebrates and invertebrates, and these contaminants may disrupt the endocrine system of human and other organisms. Evidence is growing that contaminants may be partly responsible for the observed increase of disease in marine organisms by adversely affecting their immunity. Fish are commonly used as sentinel organisms in vertebrate immunotoxicology; however, to date, studies have been undertaken only on a single size group of fish (juvenile/adult) and for acute exposure.

Gene cloning of a sigma class glutathione S-transferase from abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) and expression analysis upon bacterial challenge.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a multigene family of xenobiotic metabolizing phase II detoxification enzymes which take part in many pathological and physiological processes, and which can potentially be used as indicators and biomarkers for cancer diagnoses and organic or inorganic pollutant exposure. In this study, a full-length cDNA of a sigma class GST (abGSTsigma) (GenBank accession number EF546619) from variously colored abalone (Haliotis diversicolor) was identified. It was 1328bp containing an open reading frame of 624bp, encoding 208 amino acid residues with a predicted protein molecular weight of 23.

Immunomodulation in the marine gastropod Haliotis diversicolor exposed to benzo(a)pyrene.

It has been reported that environmental pollutants in the aquatic ecosystem could weaken immune competence of organisms. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] on immunomodulation in marine gastropods and to see if these effects are caused by or related to the generation of reactive oxygen species. In our present study, the marine gastropod Haliotis diversicolor was exposed to sublethal concentrations (0.