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O 2 , hypersalinity, and Cu 2+ potentiate the toxicity of H 2 S in erythrocytes of a marine invertebrate
Author(s) -
Ortega Jocelynn M,
Kagan Courtney L,
Julian David
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.598.8
Subject(s) - viability assay , salinity , toxicity , propidium iodide , abiotic component , chemistry , polychaete , biology , environmental chemistry , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , ecology , programmed cell death , apoptosis , organic chemistry
Environmental stressors frequently occur in combination and may produce additive or antagonistic effects. In sulfidic environments, H 2 S exposure may be accompanied by hypoxia, a range of salinities and heavy metals. However, whether these stressors interact is unknown. We tested this using erythrocytes from the H 2 S‐tolerant marine polychaete Glycera dibranchiata . Erythrocytes were exposed for 24 h at 15 ?C to abiotic stressors simultaneously: H 2 S (0.03‐0.3%), anoxia, salinity (13‐51 ppt), and Cu 2+ (33‐133 µM). Cell viability was measured using propidium iodide and calcein green AM labeling. Compared to control conditions (normoxia, 32 ppt salinity, and no H 2 S or Cu 2+ ), 0.03% H 2 S did not change cell viability, but 0.3% H 2 S decreased cell viability by 71%. Anoxia alone and salinity alone did not decrease viability, whereas during H 2 S exposure cell viability was increased by anoxia and decreased by hypersalinity. Cu 2+ at 33 µM decreased cell viability by 6%, but when combined with 0.03% H 2 S cell viability was reduced by 76%. Although the combination of anoxia, hypersalinity, and Cu 2+ , did not affect viability, all other combinations of three stressors showed a significant effect. These results suggest that the toxicity of H 2 S is increased by normoxia, hypersalinity, and Cu 2+ , indicating that realistic, complex environmental conditions must be considered when investigating H 2 S toxicity.