Histopathology of chironomids exposed to fly ash and microplastics as a new biomarker of ecotoxicological assessment
2023
Authors:
Stojanović, JelenaSavić-Zdravković, Dimitrija
Jovanović, Boris
Vitorović, Jelena
Bašić, Jelena
Stojanović, Ivana
Žabar Popović, Andrea
Duran, Hatice
Kračun-Kolarević, Margareta
Milošević, Đurađ
Document Type:
Article (Published version)
,
© 2023 Elsevier B.V.
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Show full item recordAbstract:
In the last few decades, industrial pollution has gained extensive attention in terms of its effect on the aquatic environment. This imposes the need to develop sensitive biomarkers for early detection of pollutant toxicity in ecotoxicological assessment. The advantages of histopathological biomarkers are many, including quick reaction to the presence of contaminants, and the small number of individuals needed for efficient analysis. The present study analyzed the negative effect of lignite coal fly ash (LCFA) and microplastic particles (MPs) on Chironomus riparius, a suggested model organism by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This study aimed to perform histological analyses of larval tissues and target potential changes in treated groups that could serve as promising histopathological biomarkers of the contaminant's negative effects. Following that, other known sensitive sub-organismal biomarkers were analyzed and paired with the histopathological ones. Histological analysis of larvae showed a significantly decreased length of microvilli in midgut regions II and III in both treatments. Treatments with MPs affected oxidative stress parameters: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and hemoglobin levels, while LCFA significantly affected all tested sub-organismal biomarkers (DNA damage, levels of AOPP, SOD, and hemoglobin), except catalase (CAT) and TBARS. When observing histological slides, a significant shortage of brush border length in the posterior parts of the midgut was detected in all treatments. In the case of LCFA, the appearance of intensive vacuolization of digestive cells with inclusions resembling apoptotic bodies, in mentioned regions was also detected. This study demonstrated high sensitivity of brush border length to the MPs and LCFA exposure, complementary to other tested sub-organismal biomarkers. Revealing the great potential of this histopathological biomarker in ecotoxicological studies contributes to the international standard ecotoxicology assessment of emerging pollutants.
Keywords:
Histology; Chironomidae; Biomarkers; Microplastics; Fly ashSource:
Science of The Total Environment, 2023, 903, 166042Funding / projects:
- European Commission-HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN-01, Grant no. 101072777, “Integrated Cross-Sectoral Solutions to Micro- and Nanoplastic Pollution in Soil and Groundwater Ecosystems – Plastic Underground”
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200124 (Univeristy of Niš, Faculty of Science) (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200124)
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200007 (University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research 'Siniša Stanković') (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200007)
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166042
ISSN: 0048-9697
PubMed: 37543338