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Abstract: The metal platinum is inter alia used for industrial and medical purposes. Due to its application in automobile catalytic converters and as an anti-cancer drug, Pt enters the aquatic environment via road runoff and hospital sewage and raises concerns about its environmental impact and toxicity to organisms. Therefore, the genotoxicity of Pt at 0, 0.1, 1, 10, 50, 100 and 200μg/l PtCl2 was tested on two freshwater organisms, zebrafish (Danio rerio) and ramshorn snail (Marisa cornuarietis) using the single cell gel electrophoresis, also called comet assay. PtCl2 did not show any genotoxicity for D. rerio at the tested concentrations, whereas significantly elevated DNA damage was observed in M. cornuarietis at 1μg/l PtCl2 and beyond. The results of the study suggest a high sensitivity of M. cornuarietis concerning the genotoxic impact of PtCl2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

SUMMARY The archetypal body plan of conchiferan molluscs is characterized by an external calcareous shell, though internalization of shells has evolved independently in a number of molluscan clades, including gastropod families. In gastropods, the developmental process of torsion is regarded as a hallmark that is associated with a new anatomical configuration. This configuration is present in extant prosobranch gastropod species, which predominantly bear external shells. Here, we show that short-term exposure to platinum during development uncouples at least two of the processes associated with torsion of the freshwater snail Marisa cornuarietis. That is, the anus of the treated snails is located anteriorly, but the gill and the designated mantle tissue remains in a posterior location, thus preventing the formation of an external shell. In contrast to the prosobranchian archetype, platinum treatment results in the formation of a posterior gill and a cone-shaped internal shell, which persists across the lifetime. This first finding of artificially induced snail-slug conversion was also seen in the pulmonate snail Planorbarius corneus and demonstrates that selective alteration of embryonic key processes can result in fundamental changes of an existing body plan and-if altered regulation is inherited-may give rise to a new one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The platinum group metals (PGMs) platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) are used in automobile catalytic converters, from which they have been emitted into the environment to an increasing degree during the last 20 years. Despite the bioavailability of these metals to plants and animals, studies determining the effects of PGMs on organisms are extremely rare. In the present study, effects of various concentrations of PtCl2 (0.1, 1, 10, 50 and 100μg/L) were investigated with respect to the induction of hsp70 and histopathological alterations in the zebrafish, Danio rerio and the ramshorn snail, Marisa cornuarietis. Histopathological investigations revealed effects of Pt on both species, which varied between slight and strong cellular reactions, depending on the PtCl2 concentration. The hsp70 level in M. cornuarietis did not show an increase following Pt exposure whereas it was significantly elevated at 100μg/L PtCl2 in D. rerio. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Platinum group elements (PGEs), platinum, palladium and rhodium are widely used in automobile catalytic converters. PGEs are emitted into the environment and enter the aquatic ecosystem via runoff rainwater. The present study investigated the bioavailability of platinum chloride for the zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the ramshorn snail (Marisa cornuarietis) and determined the bioaccumulation rate of platinum. Applying the fish early life stage assay for D. rerio (DarT) and the Marisa embryo toxicity test (“Mariett”) for M. cornuarietis, effects of platinum chloride on the embryonic development were investigated. Platinum concentrations tested in this study ranged from environmentally relevant concentrations of 38ngL−1 up to a concentration of 74.2μgL−1 for D. rerio and of 200ngL−1 up to 98.7μgL−1 for M. cornuarietis. Platinum was found to be accumulated in both organisms. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were in the range of 5–55 for D. rerio and of 218.4–723.9 for M. cornuarietis, depending on the tested Pt concentrations. During the embryonic development, platinum was shown to alter the heart rate of both organisms already at the lowest tested concentration. At higher concentrations, platinum decelerated the hatching rate of the embryos of both species. Additionally, a retardation of the general development and a loss of weight due to platinum exposure was observed in M. cornuarietis. Results of this study contribute important data on the ecotoxicity of a rarely studied element. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The present study examined combined effects of the insecticides thiacloprid and diazinon and a physical stressor, elevated temperature (28, 30 and 33.5°C, control at 26°C), on embryonic development of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Early life stages were exposed to five different concentrations (thiacloprid: 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20mg/L; diazinon: 100, 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000μg/L) for 72 or 96h, respectively, depending on the temperature. Thiacloprid was shown to have no effects on early life stage parameters, except on the heart rate. This effect was probably due to an increased metabolism upon exposure to the pollutant. Exposure to diazinon resulted in mortality which strongly increased with elevated temperature. Within the tested temperature range, increased mortality occured particularly at concentrations of 2000 and 3000μg/L diazinon. Observed sublethal effects were a decrease of the heart rate with increasing substance concentration, yolk sac edema, heart sac edema and spine deformations, particularly at concentrations of 2000 and 3000μg/L diazinon. The hatching date was shown to be preponed with increasing temperature, most strikingly in combination with 2000 or 3000μg/L diazinon. Mixtures of temperature and substance concentration as independent variables were shown to act synergistically in a dose-level-dependent manner on hatching rate, whereas the magnitude of synergism depended on effect levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Raptors are ideal indicators for biomonitoring studies using wildlife in order to assess the environmental pollution in the terrestrial ecosystem, since they are placed in the highest trophic position in the food webs and their life expectancy is relatively long. In this study, 26 eggs of 4 bird species (Peregrine falcon, Eurasian curlew, Little owl and Eagle owl) collected in Germany, were investigated for the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and thousands of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Generic sample preparation protocols were followed for the extraction of the analytes and the purification of the extracts, and the samples were analyzed both by liquid (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), for capturing a wide range of organic micropollutants with different physicochemical properties. State-of-the-art screening methodologies were applied in the acquired HRMS data, including wide-scope target analysis of 2448 known pollutants and suspect screening of over 65,000 environmentally relevant compounds. Overall, 58 pollutants from different chemical classes, such as plant protection products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and medicinal products, as well as their transformation products, were determined through target analysis. Most of the detected compounds were lipophilic (logP>2), although the presence of (semi)polar contaminants should not be overlooked, underlying the need for holistic analytical approaches in environmental monitoring studies. p,p'-DDE, PCB 153 and PCB138, PFOS and methylparaben were the most frequently detected compounds. 50 additional substances were identified and semi-quantified through suspect screening workflows, including mainly compounds of industrial use with high production volume. [Display omitted] • 26 eggs of Peregrine falcon, Eurasian curlew, Little and Eagle owl were analyzed. • 58 organic pollutants were determined by LC- and GC-HRMS wide-scope target analysis. • Highest frequency and concentration levels were observed for lipophilic compounds. • PFOS was the most frequent and abundant compound among 13 detected PFAS. • 50 substances were identified and semi-quantified through suspect screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]