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Relative impact of coexposure compared to single‐substance exposure on the biotransformation and toxicity of benzo[ a ]pyrene and fluoranthene in the marine polychaete Capitella sp. I
Author(s) -
Palmqvist Annemette,
Rasmussen Lene Juel,
Forbes Valery E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1897/07-156r.1
Subject(s) - biotransformation , fluoranthene , bioaccumulation , pyrene , dry weight , toxicity , polychaete , benzo(a)pyrene , chemistry , biology , benzopyrene , toxicology , environmental chemistry , biochemistry , ecology , botany , organic chemistry , enzyme
Most biotransformation studies to date have concentrated on single‐substance exposures. The biotransformation ability of organisms exposed to a single substance, however, may differ from that of organisms coexposed to binary or complex mixtures. The marine polychaete Capitella sp. I was exposed to either 31 μg/g dry weight sediment of benzo[ a ]pyrene (B a P) in a single‐substance exposure or to a mixture of 31 and 28 μg/g dry weight sediment of B a P and fluoranthene (Flu), respectively (coexposure). Biotransformation capability and DNA damage were compared between treatments. Worms exposed to B a P alone accumulated total B a P equivalents to a significantly higher degree than coexposed worms (final body burden: 117.14 ± 3.52 μg B a P equivalents/g dry wt tissue and 69.78 ± 8.58 μg B a P equivalents/g dry wt tissue, respectively), probably because of a higher degree of B a P biotransformation in the latter. In addition, a larger percentage of the accumulated B a P equivalents was in the form of parent compound in worms exposed to B a P alone compared to coexposed worms on day 10 (87 and 56%, respectively). In coexposed worms, Flu was both accumulated and biotransformed to a considerably greater degree than B a P (final Flu body burden: 181.85 ± 18.46 μg Flu equivalents/g dry wt tissue, 24% as parent compound). Neither treatment resulted in significant effects on growth or DNA damage. The present study shows that the extent to which bioaccumulation factors estimated from single‐substance exposures have relevance for the field situation will depend on the degree to which accumulation is influenced by the presence of other contaminants. These results therefore are relevant for assessing risks from contaminated sediments.