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Seasonal variation of pollution biomarkers to assess the impact on the health status of juvenile Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas exposed in situ

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Abstract

Background, aim, and scope

In this study, a suite of sublethal stress biomarkers were analyzed in juveniles of the sentinel species, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, with a view to using them as pollution monitoring tools. The aim of this work was (1) to study baseline seasonal variations of biomarkers in different body compartments of C. gigas in the reference site and, after selecting biomarkers presenting no seasonal variations, (2) to compare responses of these biomarkers between contaminated and reference sites.

Materials and methods

Juvenile oysters were transplanted from Bouin (France), a reference site, to three different sites in Marennes-Oleron Bay (France), located in another water body and next to different contamination sources. Animals were exposed in situ for 3 months in summer, autumn, and winter. The following biomarkers were measured: superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in gills and digestive gland and lysozyme and phenoloxidase (PO) in plasma.

Results

No significant seasonal variations for SOD in gills and digestive gland, GPx in gills, and PO in plasma were observed in the reference site. Significant differences in enzyme activity were observed between contaminated and reference sites for SOD in gills and digestive gland and PO in plasma, depending on the body compartment, the season, and/or the site.

Conclusions

In conclusion, these data suggest the potential application of these biomarkers in C. gigas to provide ecologically relevant information and, therefore, to be used as biomarkers in coastal pollution monitoring.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Ph.D. grant from the Conseil Général de la Charente-Maritime. The Région Poitou-Charentes, the Région Aquitaine, the Conseil Général de la Charente-Maritime, the Conseil Général de la Gironde, and the Agence de l'Eau Adour-Garonne are acknowledged for the financial support for the project “Défi Cadmium”. The authors wish to thank M. Baudrimont and D. Fichet for supporting this study through the “Défi Cadmium” project. The authors also acknowledge C. Trichet and D. Vilday for their assistance during the study and the Ifremer networks RNO and Razlec, the “Site Ifremer consacré à l'environnement littoral”, and especially O. Le Moine, P. Soletchnik, S. Guesdon, P-G. Sauriau, P. Miramand, and T. Guyot for the data and references from Marennes-Oleron Bay. The authors thank F. Healy (Centre Inter-Pôles d'Enseignement des Langues, Université La Rochelle) for critical reading of this document.

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  1. Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 6250, Université de La Rochelle—CNRS, 2, Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France

    Andrea Luna-Acosta, Paco Bustamante, Joachim Godefroy, Ingrid Fruitier-Arnaudin & Hélène Thomas-Guyon

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  1. Andrea Luna-Acosta
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  2. Paco Bustamante
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  3. Joachim Godefroy
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Correspondence to Andrea Luna-Acosta.

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Luna-Acosta, A., Bustamante, P., Godefroy, J. et al. Seasonal variation of pollution biomarkers to assess the impact on the health status of juvenile Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas exposed in situ. Environ Sci Pollut Res 17, 999–1008 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-009-0287-1

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