Mastrorocco Fabrizio, Guglielmi Marco Vito, De Martino Luca, Musicco Clara, Cox Sharon Natasha, Pesole Graziano, Scillitani Giovanni, Leoni Claudia
Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), National Research Council (CNR), Via Amendola n. 122/O, Bari, 70126, Italy.
Water Research Institute (IRSA) National Research Council (CNR), Taranto, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 26;15(1):33166. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15576-7.
The growing release of rare earth elements (REEs) into aquatic environments, driven by their extensive industrial and technological applications, has raised growing concern due to their largely unknown ecological and toxicological effects. Among these, lanthanum (La), one of the most widely used REEs, is increasingly detected in marine ecosystems. This study investigates the short-term impact of exposure on the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, a key benthic species in Mediterranean aquaculture. Clams were exposed to 10 mg/L of LaCl₃·7 H₂O, and their gill tissues were analyzed through histological examination and untargeted metabolomics. Histological analysis revealed epithelial degeneration, decreased mucus secretion, and altered glycoprotein expression following exposure. Metabolomic profiling identified 188 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) associated with disruptions in organic acid, fatty acid, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism. Functional analysis of DEMs revealed that alterations in glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid, oleic acid, and thymidine levels may serve as biomarkers of La-induced oxidative and metabolic stress in bivalves. These findings emphasize the ecological threats associated with the increasing REEs contamination in marine environments.
由于稀土元素（REEs）在工业和技术领域的广泛应用，其向水生环境中的释放量不断增加，鉴于其在生态和毒理学方面的影响大多未知，这引发了越来越多的关注。其中，镧（La）是使用最广泛的稀土元素之一，在海洋生态系统中越来越多地被检测到。本研究调查了暴露于镧对菲律宾蛤仔（Ruditapes philippinarum）的短期影响，菲律宾蛤仔是地中海水产养殖中的一种关键底栖物种。将蛤仔暴露于10 mg/L的LaCl₃·7H₂O中，并通过组织学检查和非靶向代谢组学对其鳃组织进行分析。组织学分析显示，暴露后出现上皮变性、黏液分泌减少和糖蛋白表达改变。代谢组学分析鉴定出188种差异表达代谢物（DEMs），这些代谢物与有机酸、脂肪酸、氨基酸和核苷酸代谢的紊乱有关。对DEMs的功能分析表明，谷胱甘肽（GSH）、抗坏血酸、油酸和胸苷水平的改变可能作为双壳贝类中镧诱导的氧化和代谢应激的生物标志物。这些发现强调了海洋环境中稀土元素污染增加所带来的生态威胁。
