Lipid Composition Modifications in the Blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) from the White Sea

Studying biochemical indicators in response to various environmental factors allows revealing the metabolic adaptive strategy of the organism’s tolerance and survival under a variety of environmental impacts. This review analyses both the authors’ own data and the available literature on the problem of biochemical adaptations of the lipid composition in marine bivalves, particularly blue mussels, Mytilus edulis L., to various environmental impacts. Modifications in the composition of lipids and their fatty acids in blue mussels caused by short-term (under laboratory conditions) and chronic (field monitoring) exposure to natural and human factors indicate that homeostasis is maintained in cell membranes and the organism’s energy requirements and facilitate the adaptation and tolerance of the mussels to environmental disturbances. The lipid and fatty acid composition indices in White Sea intertidal mussels which reflect their chronic exposure to a wide variety of environmental factors are discussed and compared to data on changes in the lipid composition of blue mussels exposed to some environmental factors (salinity, anoxia, metals) in aquarium experiments. The lipid profile plays an important role in the adaptation of blue mussels to new conditions in the habitat, and it can be used as a biochemical marker for indicating the organism’s physiological state

Antioxidant System Response of Freshwater Mussel Anodontacygnea to Cadmium Exposure

Cadmium is one of the widespread toxic substances being hazardous for man as it capable to enter from the environment into animal and plant tissues and spreading along the food chain. We have studied the effect of Cd on the gills and hepatopancreas of the fresh water bivalve mollusks Anodontacygnea. After 12-day acclimation the mollusks were kept for 24 and 72 hours in aquariums with Cd2+ concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 μg/L. Mass-spectrometric analysis has shown that Cd accumulation rate increased with increasing metal concentration in the water. At cadmium concentration of 100 μg/L the mollusk was capable of accumulating up to 0.44 μg of Cd per day. The accumulation of such high metal concentrations in the mollusk tissues did not kill the animals, but signs of oxidative stress, more pronounced in the gills than in the digestive gland, were observed. Exposure to cadmium ions decreased GSH concentration and increase Рx activity in the mollusk gills as early as 24 hours after the beginning of the experiment. Changing the water in the aquarium had a considerable influence on SOD activity in the gills comparable with the effect of the addition of Cd

Survival, Growth Performance, and Hepatic Antioxidant and Lipid Profiles in Infected Rainbow Trout (<i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i>) Fed a Diet Supplemented with Dihydroquercetin and Arabinogalactan

Natural feed supplements have been shown to improve fish viability, health, and growth, and the ability to withstand multiple stressors related to intensive cultivation. We assumed that a dietary mix of plant-origin substances, such as dihydroquercetin, a flavonoid with antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, and arabinogalactan, a polysaccharide with immunomodulating activity, would promote fish stress resistance and expected it to have a protective effect against infectious diseases. Farmed rainbow trout fish, Oncorhynchus mykiss, received either a standard diet or a diet supplemented with 25 mg/kg of dihydroquercetin and 50 mg/kg of arabinogalactan during a feeding season, from June to November. The fish in the control and experimental groups were sampled twice a month (eight samplings in total) for growth variable estimations and tissue sampling. The hepatic antioxidant status was assessed via the quantification of molecular antioxidants, such as reduced glutathione and alpha-tocopherol rates, as well as the enzyme activity rates of peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase. The lipid and fatty acid compositions of the feed and fish liver were analyzed using thin-layer and high-performance liquid chromatography. The viability, size, and biochemical indices of the fish responded to the growth physiology, environmental variables such as the dissolved oxygen content and water temperature, and sporadic factors. Due to an outbreak of a natural bacterial infection in the fish stock followed by antibiotic treatment, a higher mortality rate was observed in the fish that received a standard diet compared to those fed supplemented feed. In the postinfection period, reduced dietary 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 fatty acid assimilation contents were detected in the fish that received the standard diet in contrast to the supplemented diet. By the end of the feeding season, an impaired antioxidant response, including reduced glutathione S-transferase activity and glutathione content, and a shift in the composition of membrane lipids, such as sterols, 18:1n-7 fatty acid, and phospholipids, were also revealed in fish fed the standard diet. Dietary supplementation with plant-origin substances, such as dihydroquercetin and arabinogalactan, decreases lethality in fish stocks, presumably though the stimulation of natural resistance in farmed fish, thereby increasing the economic efficacy during fish production. From the sustainable aquaculture perspective, natural additives also diminish the anthropogenic transformation of aquaculture-bearing water bodies and their ecosystems

Antioxidant System Response of Freshwater Mussel Anodontacygnea to Cadmium Exposure

Cadmium is one of the widespread toxic substances being hazardous for man as it capable to enter from the environment into animal and plant tissues and spreading along the food chain. We have studied the effect of Cd on the gills and hepatopancreas of the fresh water bivalve mollusks Anodontacygnea. After 12-day acclimation the mollusks were kept for 24 and 72 hours in aquariums with Cd2+ concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 μg/L. Mass-spectrometric analysis has shown that Cd accumulation rate increased with increasing metal concentration in the water. At cadmium concentration of 100 μg/L the mollusk was capable of accumulating up to 0.44 μg of Cd per day. The accumulation of such high metal concentrations in the mollusk tissues did not kill the animals, but signs of oxidative stress, more pronounced in the gills than in the digestive gland, were observed. Exposure to cadmium ions decreased GSH concentration and increase Рx activity in the mollusk gills as early as 24 hours after the beginning of the experiment. Changing the water in the aquarium had a considerable influence on SOD activity in the gills comparable with the effect of the addition of Cd

A phytochemical study of the clover growing in Kuzbass

In addition to studying bioactive organic compounds in plants, it is increasingly important to determine the biological role of elements in plants growing in environmentally unfavorable areas. One of such regions in Russia is Kuzbass with its intensively developing chemical, metallurgical, and coal mining sectors. In this study, we assessed the plant materials of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum L.), and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) collected from their natural populations in Kuzbass. The qualitative and quantitative composition of heavy metals in the clover samples was determined voltammetrically. The contents of molybdenum and phosphorus were measured by the photocolorimetric method. Total nitrogen and protein were determined by the Kjeldahl method. Nickel, cobalt, and chromium were quantified by spectrophotometry. We analyzed the plant materials of the clover samples for heavy metals and found that the content of lead was the least in red clover and the highest in alsike clover. Copper varied in a larger range and was minimal in red clover compared to that in alsike and white clover. Zinc was found at higher concentrations of in white and red clover compared to that in alsike clover. The levels of cadmium exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations in all the clover samples. We also revealed that the clover samples contained different amounts of various amino acids, including arginine, valine, lysine, glycine, aspartic acid, and alanine. The plant materials of the clover species growing in Kuzbass can be used to improve the fertility of soil and nitrogen regime. However, the clover species should not be used in bulk feed for farm animals because of high concentrations of cadmium

Hemostasis System and Plasminogen Activity in Retrochorial Hematoma in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

(1) Background: The components of the fibrinolytic system and its main component, plasminogen, play a key role in the first months of pregnancy. The effect of autoantibodies interacting with plasminogen in the formation of retrochorial hematoma is unknown. The aim of our study was to determine the role of plasminogen and IgA, IgM, and IgG, which bind to plasminogen, in retrochorial hematoma. (2) Methods: Prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), partial activated thromboplastin time (aPTT), soluble fibrin-monomer complex (SFMC), D-dimer, plasminogen activity (%Plg), plasminogen concentration (Plg), and the levels of IgG (IgG-Plg), IgM (IgM-Plg), IgA (IgA-Plg) interacting with plasminogen were determined in plasma samples of 57 women with normal pregnancy and 16 with retrochorial hematoma. (3) Results: %Plg in plasma samples from women with retrochorial hematoma was significantly lower than in plasma samples from women with normal pregnancy. The diagnostic significance of %Plg in the ROC analysis was AUC = 0.85. A direct correlation was found between aPTT and the level of autologous IgM interacting with plasminogen. (4) Conclusions: A decrease in the activity of plasminogen in the blood serum of women in the first trimester of pregnancy may indicate disturbances in the hemostasis system and the formation of retrochorial hematoma. According to the results of the study, it is possible to recommend the determination of plasminogen activity in the management of pregnant women in gynecological practice