Browsing by Subject "Haemolymph"

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    Alterations in haemolymph proteome of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel after an induced injury
    (Elsevier, 2018-01-31) Franco-Martínez, Lorena; Martínez-Subiela, Silvia; Escribano, Damián; Schlosser, Sarah; Nöbauer, Katharina; Razzazi-Fazeli, Ebrahím; Romero, Diego; Cerón, José Joaquín Cerón; Tvarijonaviciute, Asta; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    A proteomic and biochemical approach was performed to assess the effects of an induced muscle injury on the haemolymph of bivalve molluscs. For this purpose, Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed to puncture of adductor muscle for three consecutive days, and their haemolymph proteome was then compared to healthy animals using 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) to identify proteins that differed significantly in abundance. Those proteins were then subjected to tandem mass spectrometry and 6 proteins, namely myosin, tropomyosin, CuZn super-oxide dismutase (SOD), triosephosphate isomerase, EP protein and small heat shock protein were identified. SOD and tropomyosin changes were verified by spectrophotometric measurements and western blotting, respectively. As some of the proteins identified are related to muscular damage and oxidative stress, other biomarkers associated with these processes that can be evaluated by automatic biochemical assays were measured including troponin, creatine kinase (CK), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) for muscle damage, and SOD, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and esterase activity (EA) for oxidative stress. Significantly higher concentrations of troponin, CK, AST, and TEAC were observed in mussels after puncture, being also possible biomarkers of non-specific induced damage.
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    Chronic microplastic exposure and cadmium accumulation in Blue Crabs
    (MDPI, 2022-05-05) Hernández-López, María; Romero, Diego; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    Aquatic ecosystems are severely threatened by the presence of a multitude of pollutants. In seas and oceans, the amount of plastics continues to increase and there is great concern about toxic element accumulation. Specifically, cadmium (Cd), a toxic metal, is highly relevant to public health safety due to its ability to accumulate in the internal tissues of crustaceans; likewise, microplastics (MPs) are emerging as pollutants capable of causing alterations in marine organisms. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the accumulation and distribution of Cd in the tissue of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) chronically exposed to MPs (25 µg L−1). In total, 24 crabs were exposed in water for 118 days to 2 types of MPs (virgin and oxidised). During the final 21 days of the experiment, the crabs were fed with tuna liver, a viscera in which Cd accumulates (mean of 7.262 µg g−1). The presence of MPs caused no changes in Cd concentrations in either the haemolymph or tissues (hepatopancreas, gills, and muscles) of the crabs, although for oxidised MPs, there was a positive correlation between Cd concentrations in the hepatopancreas and muscles, a relevant finding for food safety.
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    Evaluation of immune-related parameters in acellular and cellular fractions in male and female of Atlantic blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus)
    (Elsevier, 2025-05-25) Gálvez, Ricardo; Guardiola Abellán, Francisco Antonio; Biología Celular e Histología; Facultad de Biología
    Brachyurans are relatively understudied compared to other decapods, with numerous fields remaining to be explored, including the immune response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize several immune-related enzymes and activities of the Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in cell-free haemolymph (CFH) and in the haemocyte lysate supernatant (HLS), considering the gender factor and the suitability of measuring each activity in CFH or HLS. Data were expressed by millilitres of haemolymph or milligrams of protein to identify which of these units would be more robust and informative. For this, haemolymph of each gender was collected, and centrifuged to obtain CFH samples, whilst the cells were sonicated to get the HLS. Our results revealed that the protein concentration was higher in CFH compared to HLS. Considering milligrams of protein as units, phenoloxidase and esterase activities were lower in CFH regarding to HLS in both genders. Similarly, the lysozyme and phosphatase activities were lower in CFH compared to HLS but only in females. The values of lysozyme activity were higher in HLS of females compared to males. Studying millilitre of haemolymph as units, lysozyme activity exhibited higher activity in CFH compared to HLS in both genders, whilst phenoloxidase and esterase activities were higher in HLS, showing variations only in males. Interestingly, alkaline phosphatase activity was undetected in CFH male. Any variation was observed between the activities measured in both genders. Protease and antiprotease activities were higher and lower in CFH compared to HLS values, respectively, whilst any variation was observed between genders. Bactericidal activity against V. harveyi, V. alginolyticus and V. anguillarum exhibited stronger values in HLS than in CFH, independently of gender, as well as against P. damselae in females. Considering gender factor, the bactericidal activity against V. alginolyticus, V. anguillarum and P. damselae was higher in HLS of females than in males. However, the bactericidal activity against V. alginolyticus and P. damselae was higher in CFH of males compared to females. Our results could contribute to gender selection in future brachyurans studies considering the variability between males and females due to their distinct biology. Additionally, we provide data regarding the baseline values of several immune-related activities, establishing the most appropriate units from the biological point of view.