Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science & Technology Directorate, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Environ Toxicol Chem. 2014 Jan;33(1):134-43. doi: 10.1002/etc.2401. Epub 2013 Nov 14.
To examine effects of municipal wastewater effluent (MWWE) on sentinel organisms, the authors deployed caged freshwater mussels (Lasmigona costata) in the Grand River (ON, Canada) upstream and downstream of an MWWE outfall. Passive sampling devices were deployed alongside caged mussels to confirm exposure. Biomarkers of xenobiotic biotransformation, oxidative stress, estrogenicity, and immunomodulation were investigated. Elevated concentrations of selected pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and a natural estrogen (estrone) were found at the downstream sites. Mussels caged downstream of the effluent for 2 wk showed minimal evidence of exposure, while those deployed for 4 wk exhibited significantly higher levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity, demonstrating that MWWE-exposed mussels exhibit increased activity in xenobiotic conjugation and oxidative stress. With respect to immune responses, a significant increase in plasma lysozyme activity and hemocyte viability was observed in MWWE-exposed mussels. Vitellogenin (vtg)-like protein in male mussels showed a trend toward induction after 4 wk of deployment at the first downstream site, but mean levels were not significantly different. Discriminant function analysis indicated that mussels deployed for 4 wk upstream and downstream of the MWWE discharge could be discriminated on the basis of LPO, GST, plasma lysozyme, and vtg responses. The physiological stress observed in caged mussels indicates that wild mussels chronically exposed to MWWE in this ecosystem would also be negatively impacted.
为了研究城市污水（MWWE）对指示生物的影响，作者在安大略省格兰德河（加拿大）的 MWWE 出水口的上游和下游放置了笼养淡水贻贝（Lasmigona costata）。同时在笼养贻贝旁部署了被动采样装置以确认暴露情况。研究了外来生物转化、氧化应激、雌激素和免疫调节的生物标志物。在下游地点发现了选定的药物和个人护理产品（PPCP）和天然雌激素（雌酮）的浓度升高。在下游放置了 2 周的贻贝暴露的证据最小，而在下游放置了 4 周的贻贝则表现出明显更高水平的脂质过氧化（LPO）和谷胱甘肽 S-转移酶（GST）活性，表明 MWWE 暴露的贻贝表现出增加的外源性共轭和氧化应激活性。就免疫反应而言，在 MWWE 暴露的贻贝中观察到血浆溶菌酶活性和血细胞活力显著增加。在第一个下游地点，雄性贻贝中的卵黄蛋白原（vtg）样蛋白在 4 周的部署后表现出诱导的趋势，但平均水平没有显著差异。判别函数分析表明，在 MWWE 排放口上下游放置 4 周的贻贝可以根据 LPO、GST、血浆溶菌酶和 vtg 反应来区分。在笼养贻贝中观察到的生理应激表明，在该生态系统中慢性暴露于 MWWE 的野生贻贝也将受到负面影响。
