Environmentally realistic concentrations of cocaine in seawater disturbed neuroendrocrine parameters and energy status in the marine mussel Perna perna

Author(s)

Fontes, Mayana Karoline ^[1] ; Dourado, Priscila Leocadio Rosa ^[2] ; Campos, Bruno Galva de ^[1] ; Maranho, Luciane Alves ^[1] ; Almeida, Eduardo Alves de ^[3] ; Abessa, Denis Moledo de Souza ^[1] ; Pereira, Camilo Dias Seabra ^{[4, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Campus Litoral Paulista, Infante Dom Henrique S-N, BR-11330900 Sao Vicente - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias Letras & Ciencias Exatas, Campus Sao Jose do Rio Preto R Cristovao Colombo, BR-15054000 Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, SP - Brazil

^[3] Fundacao Univ Reg Blumenau, Dept Ciencias Nat, Ave Antonio da Veiga 140, BR-89030903 Blumenau, SC - Brazil

^[4] Univ Santa Cecilia, Lab Ecotoxicol, Rua Oswaldo Cruz 266, BR-11045907 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Mar, Rua Maria Maximo 168, BR-11030100 Santos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY C-TOXICOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY; v. 251, JAN 2022.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Cocaine (COC) is a powerful illicit drug frequently detected in the aquatic environment. COC acts by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine (DOPA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT-serotonin) and causes endocrine disturbances in mammals. This study investigated similar effects from cocaine exposure in the marine mussel Perna perna, as well as neurotoxicity and energy imbalances. Mussels were exposed to COC (0.2 mu g.L-1 and 2 mu g.L-1) for periods of 48, 96, and 168 h. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was measured in adductor muscle tissue to determine neurotoxicity, and neurotransmitter levels (DOPA and 5-HT), monoamine oxidase (MAO) and cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, and energy status (mitrochondrial electron transport, MET, and total lipids, TLP) were evaluated in the mussels' gonads. COC decreased AChE activity in the mussels exposed to 0.2 mu g.L-1 and 2 mu g.L-1 after 168 h, and all concentrations of COC increased neurotransmitter levels. Increases in MET (0.2 mu g.L-1, for all exposure periods) and TLP (0.2 mu g.L-1 after 48 h, and 2 mu g.L-1 after 96 h and 168 h) were also observed. No significant change was detected in MAO activity. COC also decreased COX activity in the mussels exposed to 0.2 mu g.L-1 (48 h and 96 h) and 2 mu g.L-1 (96 h). These results suggest that COC may compromise neurotransmitter levels and COX activity. Furthermore, the changes in MET and LPT suggest that COC affects the energy balance of the mussels, and could negatively affect physiological processes such as metabolism, hormone production, and embryonic development. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/24033-3 - Ecotoxicological study and environmental risk assessment of cocaine in marine ecosystems
• Grantee: Mayana Karoline Fontes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 15/17329-0 - Ecotoxicological study and environmental risk assessment of illicit drugs in marine ecosystems
• Grantee: Camilo Dias Seabra Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants