Impact of Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766) (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae) on artisanal fishery: A case study from the Mediterranean sea.

Invasive species can cause severe economic damages, ecosystem alterations, and can even threat human health. In the global warming scenario, which can act as a driving force for the expansion of thermophilic species, we investigated for the first time the economic damage caused by the invasive bearded fireworm, Hermodice carunculata, to artisanal longline fishery in the Mediterranean Sea. We focused on bottom longline fishery targeting the highly prized white seabream Diplodus sargus, investigating catch composition of the fishing gear and Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) of species caught, with particular emphasis on the economic damage caused by the bearded fireworm, H. carunculata, in relation to water temperature. Our results clearly indicated direct and indirect economic damage to fishing activities practiced in the southeastern coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea). Type and extent of the damage caused by the invasive worm (H. carunculata) were discussed in relation to temporal scale and overall yields obtained by this traditional artisanal fishery, and some solutions are proposed. However, the actual situation requires special attention because it is expected to worsen in the context of the global warming future scenarios, such that further studies are urgently needed.

Antioxidant activity of two Opuntia Mill. species fruit extracts on human sperm quality after a freeze-thaw cycle.

This study investigated the phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of fruit extracts of Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw.(OD) and Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.(OFI), yellow (F1) and red (F2) varieties. In order to evaluate the antioxidant activity of these extracts on human sperm quality after thawing, the semen parameters (vitality, motility, acrosome reaction, oxidative stress, and DNA fragmentation) were analysed after 1 h of exposure. The results showed that OD has higher phenolic content and antioxidant power than OFI, and that they are higher in F2 than F1. Furthermore, regarding the activity of extracts on thawed sperm, the results showed a significant increase in motility in samples treated with OFI F1 and OD extracts, while an improvement in vitality and acrosome reaction and a reduction of DNA fragmentation were observed in all exposed samples compared to the control. Finally, a reduction of oxidative stress was observed in samples exposed to OFI F2 and OD than control.

Acute Toxicity of a Marine Emerging Pollutant (Promethazine Hydrochloride) on Artemia sp.

Recently, there has been a worrying increase in the pollution of the aquatic ecosystem caused by emerging contaminants (ECs) detected in wastewater effluent discharges. Although traces of ECs in waters have been found in low concentrations, it leads to negative effects for nontarget organisms. Antihistamines are a class of drugs largely used, whose metabolites are widespread in the aquatic ecosystem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the short-term effects of promethazine hydrochloride on nauplii of Artemia sp. A high percentage of mortality and morphological alterations were found. The results suggest a possible correlation between exposure to antihistamine and an acceleration of larval development.

Artemia salina: A microcrustacean to assess engineered nanoparticles toxicity.

The focus of this work was to investigate the toxicity of different metal nanoparticles (gold nanoparticles [AuNPs], silver nanoparticles [AgNPs], titanium dioxide nanoparticles [TiO2 NPs]) on brine shrimp Artemia salina. We investigated if nanoparticles could have an influence on hatching of cysts and on mortality of larvae. Larvae (also called nauplii) and cysts were exposed to NPs for 24 hr in artificial seawater on microplates. At the end of the test, we assessed the endpoint (immobility/death) for the larvae by a stereomicroscope. Nauplii that appeared completely motionless, were counted as dead, and the percentages of mortality were calculated for each treatment. Instead for the cysts, the percentages of not-hatched nauplii for each concentration considered were calculated by counting the number of whole cysts. Currently, nanoparticles toxicity has been investigated in several research; in our study we highlighted the nontoxicity of TiO2 NPs on A. salina nauplii as shown by low percentages of immobilization and on cysts because TiO2 NPs do not affect their hatching. Despite AuNPs exerted toxic effects on hatching, they did not affect larvae development as well as TiO2 NPs. Otherwise, AgNPs induced mortality of the larvae and inhibited cysts hatching.

Evaluation of dimethoate toxicity on fertilization and on embryonic development of Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816).

Organophosphates are a large class of chemicals with anticholinesterase action insecticides. Dimethoate belongs to the class of organophosphates and it is used for agriculture purpose. Its main toxicological role in animals and humans is the inhibition of the activity of acetylcholinesterase. Although it is not considered genotoxic, carcinogenic and teratogen, there is evidence of increased pup mortality in developmental neurotoxicity studies. Since there is scant published literature about developmental toxicity, we investigated the adverse effects of dimethoate on fertilization and embryonic development in sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus), a model organism widely used to assess the toxicity of contaminants on environmental matrices; so pesticide residues can be released into the environment, and could affect the health of organisms, including humans. Different solution of dimethoate (4 × 10-3, 4 × 10-4, 4 × 10-5, 4 × 10-6 and 4 × 10-7 g/10 ml) have been tested on spermatozoa of P. lividus to evaluate the fertilizing ability of them when we added egg cells untreated. We demonstrated that dimethoate does not interfere with fertilizing ability of spermatozoa but egg cells fertilized by treated spermatozoa showed alterations in the segmentation planes as asymmetric and/or asynchronous cell divisions.