Effects of the Interaction of Salinity and Rare Earth Elements on the Health of : The Case of Praseodymium and Europium

Overview

Journal J Xenobiot

Date 2024 Dec 27

PMID 39728416

Authors

Carla Leite

Tania Russo

Gianluca Polese

Amadeu M V M Soares

Carlo Pretti

Eduarda Pereira

Rosa Freitas

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The growing use of products containing rare earth elements (REEs) may lead to higher environmental emissions of these elements, which can potentially enter aquatic systems. Praseodymium (Pr) and europium (Eu) are widely used REEs with various applications. However, their ecotoxicological impacts remain largely unexplored, with poorly understood risks to wildlife. Moreover, organisms also face environmental stressors like salinity fluctuations, and the nature of the interaction between salinity variations and contaminants is not yet clear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of salinity shifts on the impacts of Pr and Eu on adult mussels and the sperm of the species after 28 days and 30 min of exposure, respectively. To do so, biochemical and histopathological alterations were evaluated in adults, while biochemical and physiological changes were analysed in sperm. Additionally, the Integrated Biological Index (IBR) was calculated to understand the overall impact of each treatment. The results showed that adult mussels were most affected when exposed to the combination of high salinity and each element, which altered the behaviour of defence mechanisms causing redox imbalance and cellular damage. On the other hand, sperm demonstrated sensitivity to specific REE-salinity combinations, particularly Pr at lower salinity and Eu at higher salinity. These specific treatments elicited changes in sperm motility and velocity: Pr 20 led to a higher production of O and a decrease in velocity, while Eu 40 resulted in reduced motility and an increase in irregular movement. At both lower and higher salinity levels, exposure to Eu caused similar sensitivities in adults and sperm, reflected by comparable IBR scores. In contrast, Pr exposure induced greater alterations in sperm than in adult mussels at lower salinity, whereas the reverse was observed at higher salinity. These findings suggest that reproductive success and population dynamics could be modulated by interactions between salinity levels and REE pollution, highlighting the need for further investigation into how REEs and environmental factors interact. This study offers valuable insights to inform policymakers about the potential risks of REE contamination, emphasising the importance of implementing environmental regulations and developing strategies to mitigate the impact of these pollutants.

References

Faggio C, Tsarpali V, Dailianis S . Mussel digestive gland as a model tissue for assessing xenobiotics: An overview. Sci Total Environ. 2018; 636:220-229. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.264. View

Gomes P, Valente T, Marques R, Prudencio M, Pamplona J . Rare earth elements - Source and evolution in an aquatic system dominated by mine-Influenced waters. J Environ Manage. 2022; 322:116125. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116125. View

Cuccaro A, De Marchi L, Oliva M, Vieira Sanches M, Freitas R, Casu V . Sperm quality assessment in Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923): Effects of selected organic and inorganic chemicals across salinity levels. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2020; 207:111219. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111219. View

Hatje V, Bruland K, Flegal A . Increases in Anthropogenic Gadolinium Anomalies and Rare Earth Element Concentrations in San Francisco Bay over a 20 Year Record. Environ Sci Technol. 2016; 50(8):4159-68. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04322. View

Olias M, Ceron J, Fernandez I, De la Rosa J . Distribution of rare earth elements in an alluvial aquifer affected by acid mine drainage: the Guadiamar aquifer (SW Spain). Environ Pollut. 2005; 135(1):53-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.10.014. View

Vasseur P, Cossu-Leguille C . Biomarkers and community indices as complementary tools for environmental safety. Environ Int. 2003; 28(8):711-7. DOI: 10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00116-2. View

Leite C, Russo T, Cuccaro A, Pinto J, Polese G, Soares A . The role of warming in modulating neodymium effects on adults and sperm of Mytilus galloprovincialis. J Environ Manage. 2024; 358:120854. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120854. View

Tai P, Zhao Q, Su D, Li P, Stagnitti F . Biological toxicity of lanthanide elements on algae. Chemosphere. 2010; 80(9):1031-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.05.030. View

Gwenzi W, Mangori L, Danha C, Chaukura N, Dunjana N, Sanganyado E . Sources, behaviour, and environmental and human health risks of high-technology rare earth elements as emerging contaminants. Sci Total Environ. 2018; 636:299-313. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.235. View

10.

Catteau A, Le Guernic A, Palos Ladeiro M, Dedourge-Geffard O, Bonnard M, Bonnard I . Integrative biomarker response - Threshold (IBR-T): Refinement of IBRv2 to consider the reference and threshold values of biomarkers. J Environ Manage. 2023; 341:118049. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118049. View

11.

Andrade M, Soares A, Sole M, Pereira E, Freitas R . Salinity influences on the response of Mytilus galloprovincialis to the rare-earth element lanthanum. Sci Total Environ. 2021; 794:148512. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148512. View

12.

Swiacka K, Smolarz K, Maculewicz J, Caban M . Effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of diclofenac in Mytilus trossulus. Sci Total Environ. 2020; 737:139797. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139797. View

13.

Pagano G, Guida M, Siciliano A, Oral R, Kocbas F, Palumbo A . Comparative toxicities of selected rare earth elements: Sea urchin embryogenesis and fertilization damage with redox and cytogenetic effects. Environ Res. 2016; 147:453-60. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.02.031. View

14.

Rahi D, Dzyuba B, Policar T, Malinovskyi O, Rodina M, Dzyuba V . Bioenergetic Pathways in the Sperm of an Under-Ice Spawning Fish, Burbot (): The Role of Mitochondrial Respiration in a Varying Thermal Environment. Biology (Basel). 2021; 10(8). PMC: 8389567. DOI: 10.3390/biology10080739. View

15.

Rajalakshmi S, Mohandas A . Copper-induced changes in tissue enzyme activity in a freshwater mussel. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2005; 62(1):140-3. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2005.01.003. View

16.

Coughlan B, Moroney G, van Pelt F, OBrien N, Davenport J, OHalloran J . The effects of salinity on the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) using the neutral red retention assay with adapted physiological saline solutions. Mar Pollut Bull. 2009; 58(11):1680-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.06.020. View

17.

Regoli F, Giuliani M . Oxidative pathways of chemical toxicity and oxidative stress biomarkers in marine organisms. Mar Environ Res. 2013; 93:106-17. DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2013.07.006. View

18.

Andrade M, Soares A, Sole M, Pereira E, Freitas R . Will climate changes enhance the impacts of e-waste in aquatic systems?. Chemosphere. 2021; 288(Pt 1):132264. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132264. View

19.

De Marchi L, Freitas R, Oliva M, Cuccaro A, Manzini C, Tardelli F . Does salinity variation increase synergistic effects of triclosan and carbon nanotubes on Mytilus galloprovincialis? Responses on adult tissues and sperms. Sci Total Environ. 2020; 734:138837. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138837. View

20.

Kurvet I, Juganson K, Vija H, Sihtmae M, Blinova I, Syvertsen-Wiig G . Toxicity of Nine (Doped) Rare Earth Metal Oxides and Respective Individual Metals to Aquatic Microorganisms Vibrio fischeri and Tetrahymena thermophila. Materials (Basel). 2017; 10(7). PMC: 5551797. DOI: 10.3390/ma10070754. View