Genotoxicity of 2-mercaptobenzotiazole (2-MBT), in its free and nanoengineered forms, on the bivalve mollusk Ruditapes philippinarum

• Grant number: 23/13199-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 20, 2023
• End date: March 19, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Toxicology
• Principal Investigator: Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa
• Grantee: Maria Luiza Regueira Alves Lima
• Supervisor: Roberto Carlos Domingues Martins
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade de Aveiro (UA), Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/14437-0 - Ecotoxicity of 2-mercaptobenzotiazole (2-MBT) at free and nanoengineered forms to embryos of the sand dollar Mellita quinquiesperforata, BP.IC

Abstract

The entry of chemical contaminants of anthropogenic origin into water bodies affects the health of the entire aquatic ecosystem. Exposure to such substances can cause changes in the growth, reproduction and survival of organisms, in addition to causing more subtle effects, such as physiological, cellular, biochemical or molecular changes, which can, directly or indirectly, cause damage to their DNA. To study the effects at the cellular or tissue level, techniques are needed to detect damage to the DNA of cells, as is the case with the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet Assay). This project aims to evaluate the genotoxicity of the corrosion inhibitor 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (2-MBT) in its free and nanostructured forms in LDHs on bivalves of the species Ruditapes philippinarum, aiming to evaluate its environmental danger for temperate species (evaluated within the scope of BEPE) and compare the data with subtropical species (evaluated within the scope of the IC project in Brazil), as well as contributing to the environmental validation of a new generation of high-performance anticorrosive additives R. philippinarum has high ecological and economic importance, as it is a food resource and also a primary consumer, with a filtering habit, being exposed to toxic substances accumulated in the marine substrate and in the water column, enhancing trophic transfer to higher levels of the chain, including for humans. Thus, possible genotoxic effects caused by the compounds under evaluation could signal problems for the marine ecosystem, and could also raise public health issues.