Lipoperoxidation and Catalase activity in mussels transplanted to coastal waters of Ushuaia bay (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

GIARRATANO; AMIN

Porto - Portugal

Congreso; SETAC Europe, 17Th annual Meeting; 2007

A biomonitoring assay of caged mussels (Mytilus edulis chilensis) was conducted at four selected sites with different anthropogenic impact along the coastal area of Ushuaia. Mussels were maintained for 4 weeks in winter 2006. Organisms were provided by a mussel farm located at Brown Bay (BB) where a subgroup was used as a control trial at the beginning of the experiment. Gill, mantle and digestive glands of mussels were analyzed individually in week 2 and 4 for catalase activity (CAT) and lipoperoxidation (LPO). At all sites CAT activity was highest in gland. However, the greatest increment from week 2 to 4 was in gill (8-80%) and mantle (35-100%). Highest levels of LPO were found in gill (7.24±1.69 nM MDA) and in digestive gland (7.54±2.69 nM MDA) and tended to increase with exposure time. Transplanted mussels to coastal areas of Ushuaia Bay show an increased response to both CAT and LPO parameters. This could be related to discharge of pollutants into Ushuaia Bay from anthropogenic activities. Our results support the use of transplantation in this environment, which analyzed jointly with existing environmental data, could provide us a tool to identify potential risks