Effects of Waterborne Cadmium Exposure on Its Internal Distribution in Meretrix Meretrix and Detoxification by Metallothionein and Antioxidant Enzymes
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fmars-07-00502 July 7, 2020 Time: 19:35 # 1 ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 09 July 2020 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00502 Effects of Waterborne Cadmium Exposure on Its Internal Distribution in Meretrix meretrix and Detoxification by Metallothionein and Antioxidant Enzymes Yao Huang1†, Hongchao Tang1†, Jianyu Jin2, Meng bi Fan1, Alan K. Chang1 and Xueping Ying1* 1 College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China, 2 College of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China Edited by: Andrew Stanley Mount, Clemson University, United States Cadmium (Cd), one of the most toxic metals found in inshore sediments of China, is Reviewed by: a persistent environmental contaminant capable of exerting irreversible toxic effects Mirza Hasanuzzaman, on aquatic organisms and their associated ecosystems. Although Cd is known to Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, be toxic to marine animals, the underlying mechanism of this toxicity is not clear. Bangladesh Kamrun Nahar, In this study, Meretrix meretrix, a commercially and ecologically important species of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, clam, was exposed to different concentrations of cadmium chloride (0, 1.5, 3, 6, and Bangladesh 12 mg L−1) for 5 days, and the levels of Cd accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activity, *Correspondence: Xueping Ying and expression of metallothionein (MT) in the hepatopancreas, gill, foot, and mantle [email protected]; were evaluated. The results revealed a sharp increase in Cd accumulation in the tissues [email protected]; in response to increased Cd2C concentrations in the water, and significant differences [email protected] in Cd accumulation were observed among the different tissues. Increased Cd2C level †These authors have contributed equally to this work in the tissues also led to a significant increase in malondialdehyde content, caused by increased lipid peroxidation. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase Specialty section: 2C This article was submitted to also increased, peaking at different Cd concentrations, depending on the tissue. Marine Molecular Biology Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the gill and mantle initially increased but then and Ecology, decreased with increasing external Cd2C concentration. In the hepatopancreas and a section of the journal 2C Frontiers in Marine Science foot, GPx activity was inhibited by Cd , even at low concentrations. Furthermore, 2C Received: 06 March 2020 Cd also stimulated the expression of MT in all four tissues. However, the levels of Accepted: 03 June 2020 reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in the gill and mantle, as Published: 09 July 2020 well as the GSH/GSSG ratios in all four tissues, decreased with increasing external Cd2C Citation: Huang Y, Tang H, Jin J, Fan M, concentrations. Taken together, the results suggested that in M. meretrix, response C Chang AK and Ying X (2020) Effects to the toxic effect of Cd2 might occur through a combination of mechanisms, of Waterborne Cadmium Exposure on which involve both enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and the ability to bind and Its Internal Distribution in Meretrix 2C meretrix and Detoxification by sequester Cd via cysteine-rich molecules such as GSH and MT, both of which would Metallothionein and Antioxidant eventually lead to the reduction of heavy metal-induced oxidative stress. Enzymes. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:502. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00502 Keywords: cadmium, Meretrix meretrix, oxidative damage, metallothionein, glutathione, antioxidant enzyme Frontiers in Marine Science | www.frontiersin.org 1 July 2020 | Volume 7 | Article 502 fmars-07-00502 July 7, 2020 Time: 19:35 # 2 Huang et al. Cadmium Exposure on Meretrix meretrix and Detoxification by Antioxidants HIGHLIGHTS where it is involved in the protection of cell membrane from −· lipid peroxidation by scavenging oxygen radicals (O2 ,H2O2, - Cd2C accumulation in different tissue of M. meretrix is and OH). This function plays a key role in the complexation concentration dependent. and detoxification of heavy metal ions (Lavradas et al., 2014; - Cd2C induces a significant increase in MDA level in Bouzahouane et al., 2018; Chan and Wang, 2018). Glutathione different M. meretrix tissues. can exist in a thiol-reduced state (GSH) or in an oxidized state - MT response significantly correlates with Cd2C (GSSG), which consists of two GSH molecules that are linked bioaccumulation. together by a disulfide bond (Fraternale et al., 2017). The content - CAT and SOD activities vary according to external of GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio can act as an important indicator of Cd2C concentrations. the body’s antioxidant capacity (Nair et al., 2015). In the cytosol, −· - Antioxidant enzymes, GSH and MT, might act hydroxyl (·OH) and superoxide (O2 ) radicals are preferably cooperatively against oxidative stress. scavenged by metallothioneins (MTs), which are low-molecular- weight (6–7 kDa) cysteine-rich metal-binding proteins involved in multiple physiological activities, such as metal homeostasis and INTRODUCTION detoxification (Amiard et al., 2006; Min et al., 2016). Moreover, MT can protect cells from metal toxicity not only by acting as Toxic metal pollution, which can seriously threaten the biological an oxyradical scavenger but also through metal-binding/release sustainability of coastal ecosystems, has now become a major dynamics (Gu et al., 2019; Ohta et al., 2019). Metallothioneins can problem for the aquatic environment (Liu et al., 2018). Among participate directly in antioxidative defenses, and the synthesis the toxic metals, cadmium (Cd) is considered to be one of the of MT mRNA is correlated with the extent of metal stress (Zhu most dangerous, and it is usually found in marine environments et al., 2018; Chen et al., 2019; Gu et al., 2019). In addition, MT (Liu et al., 2015; Gu et al., 2019). In normal water, the level can be excreted from the cells and absorbed by the cells via of dissolved Cd generally ranges from 10 to 500 ng L−1, but a receptor-mediated mechanism, in which MT remains in an levels that exceed 10 mg L−1 have also been recorded in some endocytotic compartment while the metal is transported to the industrialized areas in China (Hu et al., 2011; Meng et al., 2013; cytosol (Amiard et al., 2006; Ohta et al., 2019). Chan and Wang, 2018). Cadmium has a long half-life and can Meretrix meretrix is a clam that is widely found along the be bioaccumulated in organisms through the food chain. The coastal areas of China, and it is an economically and ecologically accumulation of Cd within living aquatic animals would exert a important bivalve mollusk. It has low-metabolism and high filter- wide range of toxicological effects on the various tissues of the feeding activity, and it lives mainly in sandy or muddy substrates animals and their human consumers (Liu et al., 2015; García- in estuarine lower intertidal and shallow subtidal areas, and Navarro et al., 2017). Cadmium can induce the body to produce therefore it is vulnerable to environmental pollutants (Zhang a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Sandbichler et al., 2011; Xia et al., 2016). M. meretrix is known to have a and Höckner, 2016; Jing et al., 2019). The ROS in turn can cause strong capacity to accumulate metals (Zhang et al., 2011; Wang oxidative damage, which is often linked to lipid peroxidation, et al., 2013) and is therefore widely used as a biological tool protein denaturation, and inactivation of enzymes as well as for monitoring toxic metal pollution in the marine environment DNA replication errors (Chandurvelan et al., 2015; Xia et al., (Hamad et al., 2011; Meng et al., 2013; Liu et al., 2018). While 2016; Lin et al., 2017). Malondialdehyde (MDA), a final product research has focused on the effect of Cd2C toxicity on mollusks, of the decomposition of lipid peroxidation, has recently been there is a lack of data with regard to the effect of Cd2C exposure considered as a sensitive biomarker of oxidative damage. It can on MT and other antioxidants in the different tissues of the be used to determine the extent of lipid peroxidation and the clam. Our objectives were to determine the toxicological and accumulation of ROS in an organism (Liu and Wang, 2016; Lin biochemical responses of M. meretrix to acute Cd exposure and et al., 2017; Haque et al., 2018). to investigate the bioaccumulation of Cd in different tissues as a In general, aquatic organisms have independently evolved function of exposure concentration. This could allow us to better an antioxidant defense mechanism to protect biomolecules understand how the antioxidant defense system of these bivalves from oxidative stress caused by ROS, in which both enzymatic might respond to Cd2C stress. Furthermore, the relationships antioxidants and non-enzymatic antioxidants are functionally between Cd accumulation in the tissues and MT as well as involved (Lavradas et al., 2014; Xia et al., 2016; Cui et al., the antioxidants examined were also investigated. Our findings 2020). A clear understanding of the link between antioxidants’ highlight the potential application of Cd toxicity-associated defense systems and metal bioconcentrations may help to identify biomarkers in clam in the future selection of biomarkers and markers that can reflect the status of aquatic ecosystems (Haque bioindicator species for aquatic environmental monitoring. et al., 2018). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is considered to be −· the first line of defense against oxidative stress, since O2 is converted to O2 and H2O2, and H2O2 is subsequently converted MATERIALS AND METHODS to O2 and H2O by catalase (CAT) present in the peroxisomes or by glutathione peroxidase (GPx) present in the mitochondria Animals and Treatments and cytosol (Chen et al., 2019; Gu et al., 2019). Glutathione is an Meretrix meretrix clams (shell length, 64.36 ± 2.85 mm; shell important sulfhydryl non-protein compound found in the tissue, width, 31.69 ± 1.42 mm; shell height, 53.57 ± 2.45 mm; Frontiers in Marine Science | www.frontiersin.org 2 July 2020 | Volume 7 | Article 502 fmars-07-00502 July 7, 2020 Time: 19:35 # 3 Huang et al.