Exposure to environmental pharmaceuticals affects the macromolecular composition of mussels digestive glands.

Human pharmaceuticals represent a major challenge in natural environment. A better knowledge on their mechanisms of action and adverse effects on cellular pathways is fundamental to predict long-term consequences for marine wildlife. The FTIRI Imaging (FTIRI) spectroscopy represents a vibrational technique allowing to map specific areas of non-homogeneous biological samples, providing a unique biochemical and ultrastructural fingerprint of the tissue.

Mixtures of environmental pharmaceuticals in marine organisms: Mechanistic evidence of carbamazepine and valsartan effects on Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Unravelling the adverse outcomes of pharmaceuticals mixture represents a research priority to characterize the risk for marine ecosystems. The present study investigated, for the first time, the interactions between two of the most largely detected pharmaceuticals in marine species: carbamazepine (CBZ) and valsartan (VAL), elucidating mechanisms that can modulate bioaccumulation, excretion and the onset of toxicity. Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed to environmental levels of CBZ and VAL dosed alone or in combination: measurement of drug bioaccumulation was integrated with changes in the whole transcriptome and responsiveness of various biochemical and cellular biomarkers.

Marine heatwaves hamper neuro-immune and oxidative tolerance toward carbamazepine in Mytilus galloprovincialis.

The increased frequency and intensity of short-term extreme warming phenomena have been associated to harsh biological and ecosystem outcomes (i.e., mass mortalities in marine organisms).

Long-lasting effects of chronic exposure to chemical pollution on the hologenome of the Manila clam.

Chronic exposure to pollutants affects natural populations, creating specific molecular and biochemical signatures. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic exposure to pollutants might have substantial effects on the Manila clam hologenome long after removal from contaminated sites. To reach this goal, a highly integrative approach was implemented, combining transcriptome, genetic and microbiota analyses with the evaluation of biochemical and histological profiles of the edible Manila clam , as it was transplanted for 6 months from the polluted area of Porto Marghera (PM) to the clean area of Chioggia (Venice lagoon, Italy).

Environmental pharmaceuticals and climate change: The case study of carbamazepine in M. galloprovincialis under ocean acidification scenario.

Contaminants of emerging concern and ocean changes are key environmental stressors for marine species with possibly synergistic, but still unexplored, deleterious effects. In the present study the influence of a simulated ocean acidification scenario (pH = 7.6) was investigated on metabolism and sub-lethal effects of carbamazepine, CBZ (1 µg/L), chosen as one of the most widely diffused pharmaceuticals in marine organisms.

Human pharmaceuticals in marine mussels: Evidence of sneaky environmental hazard along Italian coasts.

Despite the increasing interest for pharmaceuticals in the marine environment, their accumulation in wild organisms and consequent environmental hazards are still poorly known. The Mediterranean Sea is highly challenged by the density of coastal populations, large consumption of pharmaceuticals and their often limited removal by Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). In this respect, the present study aims to provide the first large-scale survey on the distribution of such contaminants of emerging concern in native mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis from Italian coasts.

Integrated characterization and risk management of marine sediments: The case study of the industrialized Bagnoli area (Naples, Italy).

The aim of the present work is to demonstrate the practical importance of a multidisciplinary approach and weighted criteria to synthesize and integrate different typologies of data (or lines of evidence, LOEs), including chemical levels in marine sediments, their bioavailability to specific indicator species, ecotoxicological effects measured through subcellular biomarkers and batteries of bioassays, and potential impacts of pollution on local benthic communities. The area of Bagnoli (Gulf of Naples, Southern Italy) was selected as a model case-study, as it is a coastal area chronically impacted by massive industrial contamination (trace metals and hydrocarbons), and dismissed decades ago without any subsequent remediation or habitat restoration. The results of each LOE were elaborated to provide specific hazard indices before their overall integration in a weight of evidence (WOE) evaluation.

Biological Effects of the Azaspiracid-Producing Dinoflagellate in from the Mediterranean Sea.

Azaspiracids (AZAs) are marine biotoxins including a variety of analogues. Recently, novel AZAs produced by the Mediterranean dinoflagellate were discovered (AZA-54, AZA-55, 3-epi-AZA-7, AZA-56, AZA-57 and AZA-58) and their biological effects have not been investigated yet. This study aimed to identify the biological responses (biomarkers) induced in mussels after the bioaccumulation of AZAs from .

Pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environments: Evidence of emerged threat and future challenges for marine organisms.

Pharmaceuticals are nowadays recognized as a threat for aquatic ecosystems. The growing consumption of these compounds and the enhancement of human health in the past two decades have been paralleled by the continuous input of such biologically active molecules in natural environments. Waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as a major route for release of pharmaceuticals in aquatic bodies where concentrations ranging from ng/L to μg/L are ubiquitously detected.