Multiple-biomarker approach in the assessment of the health status of a novel sentinel mussel Brachidontes rodriguezii in a harbor area

ARRIGHETTI, FLORENCIA; LANDRO, SONIA MARIBEL; LAMBRE, MARÍA ELISA; PENCHASZADEH, PABLO E.; TESO, VALERIA

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2019 vol. 140 p. 451 - 461

0025-326X

The objective of this study is to analyze whether a combination of biomarkers at different levels of biological complexity could be used to assess the health status of a population of Brachidontes rodriguezii associated to a harbor area in Mar del Plata, Argentina. A battery of biomarkers of general stress was measured in mussels collected from impacted and non-impacted areas. This included: condition index; shell analysis; histopathological alterations; atrophy and integrity of the digestive gland tissue; changes in cell type composition of the digestive gland, and glycogen accumulation. The studied biomarkers were integrated into the Integrative Biological Response (IBR/n) index. Overall, the IBR/n indicated a higher level of stress in mussels located in the harbor area. Thus, this biomarker index is a sensitive analytical tool that could be used to classify the ecotoxicological risk in coastal sites.