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Toxicity Assessment of the Biogenic Amines Cadaverine and Putrescine in Aquatic Organisms

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Abstract

Cemeteries are among the most polluting sources of groundwater and surface water in the world. Necro-leachate, a liquid released during the putrefaction of corpses, is the main culprit of such pollution. Among the compounds in this liquid are the potentially toxic amines cadaverine and putrescine, which are still poorly understood in terms of the environmental health risks they pose. This study evaluated the acute toxicity of cadaverine and putrescine, using efficient contamination bioindicators of aquatic environments. Danio rerio and Daphnia magna were exposed to both amines individually or in a mixture. Acute toxicity (LC50) was then observed in both organisms after exposure to the amines individually. Cadaverine showed higher lethality for D. magna (LC50 – 9.5 mg. L−1) and D. rerio (LC50—335.5 mg. L−1) than did putrescine (LC50—36.7 mg. L−1 and LC50- 452.6 mg. L−1, respectively). In embryotoxicity tests with D. rerio (hatching rate and malformations), delayed hatching, vertebral column malformations, and pericardial edema were observed after exposure to an amine mixture. However, co-exposure to cadaverine and putrescine was not toxic to D. magna. The results of this study confirmed the efficiency of the bioindicators used to assess contaminants in cemeteries and raised awareness of the toxic potential of cadaveric decomposition by-products.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

We would like to thank CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoa de Nível Superior) for supplying a scholarship to the first author and Embrapa Environment for providing support for the development of this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. 24-A, 1515, P.O Box 178, Rio Claro, São Paulo State, 13506-900, Brazil

    Ana Paula Andrade Braga & Maria Aparecida Marin-Morales

  2. Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa Environment, Highway SP-340, Km 127.5, Jaguariúna, São Paulo State, 13918-110, Brazil

    José Henrique Vallim, Rodrigo Fernandes Castanha & Vera Lucia Scherholz Salgado de Castro

Authors
  1. Ana Paula Andrade Braga
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  2. José Henrique Vallim
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  3. Rodrigo Fernandes Castanha
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  4. Vera Lucia Scherholz Salgado de Castro
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  5. Maria Aparecida Marin-Morales
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Ana Paula Andrade Braga. José Henrique Vallim and Rodrigo Fernandes Castanha contributed to the performance of bioassays and data analysis. Vera Lucia Scherholz Salgado de Castro and Maria Aparecida Marin Morales acting in the supervision, conceptualization, and revision of the entire manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Maria Aparecida Marin-Morales.

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All experimental procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals registered nº 001/2022. Embrapa Environment, Brazil.

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Braga, A.P.A., Vallim, J.H., Castanha, R.F. et al. Toxicity Assessment of the Biogenic Amines Cadaverine and Putrescine in Aquatic Organisms. Water Air Soil Pollut 235, 197 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-06983-z

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