Multi biomarker responses of Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia, Corbiculidea) to cadmium and microplastics pollutants

One of the wide spread aquatic organisms in the rivers and estuaries ecosystems in the World is Asian clam Corbicula fluminea. The exotic clam is an invasive species that can adapt to environmental changes, also it was adopted as a model to toxicity tests. The study evaluated the effects of the exposure to cadmium and microplastics their mixtures on Corbicula fluminea, oxidative stress responses, lipid peroxidation, changed the activity of energy-related enzymes and neurotoxicity on the gill, the digestive gland and the gonad. The results of this study show that Cd, MPs and their mixtures cause oxidative stress and damage and neurotoxicity. The enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, acetylcholinesterase and the measure of LPO levels could be chosen as biomarker of Cd pollution. With MPs conditions increased levels of GSH/GSSG ratio and AChE are highly correlated. The combination of Cd and MPs exposure caused a synergetic effect in gill and gonad, while an antagonism response was recorded in digestive gland. The results provide new insights for unveiling the biologic effects of heavy metal, microplastics and their mixtures on Corbicula fluminea. Besides, we demonstrated that the Asian clam is a good bioindicator of microplastics pollution that can occur in the aquatic environments.
SI