This was confirmed by a research group from the universities of Huelva, Seville and Córdoba, in Spain The crab American indicates the state of contamination of the water in which it lives through the damage it presents in some organs.
when an organism is subjected to a toxic agent, the behavior of its tissues and cells is altered. The chemical reactions that take place in the assimilation of nutrients, called metabolic pathwaysmodification to alleviate the harmful effects caused by these substances.
It is precisely, what these experts analyzed with shrimp in a study whose results were presented in an article published in the journal Chemosphere.
Pollution according to the crabs
The study of Spanish scientists from the University of Huelva, Seville and Córdoba ” confirms exposure to these shellfish contaminants, characterizing the smallest molecules, metabolites, and exploring how they behave, “the Discover Foundation reported in a statement.
“We have confirmed the changes that occur in the shrimp’s metabolism after being exposed to a variety of toxins. In any habitat where these alterations are present, we will be able to speak of contamination, “said Tamara García Barrera, researcher at the University of Huelva.
So, the experts pointed out that the changes produced in crabs exposed to the mixture of cadmium, arsenic and diclofenacsince they are usually present in the environment, they are specified in the gills and in the abdominal muscle, and, in the case of the first two, basically in the hepatopancreas, organ of the digestive system of crustaceans.
These alterations produce severe mutations in his body that are still under observation.
The disturbing story of crabs exposed to a chemical cocktail
Brought from Isla Mayor, in Seville, the crabs were exposed to a “chemical cocktail of these toxic compounds.” for 28 days, 21 days for exhibition and 7 additional days of debugging, to know your answer.
Divided into two groups, one treated and one control, metabolic damage caused by this cocktail in the antennae glands, located under the antennae, formed by a sac that collects toxic compounds and through which they expel the gills, the spinal nerve, the abdomen and the hepatopancreas.
Experts have analyzed the path taken by different compounds in the body to find out what changes occur when exposed to these heavy metals; the study showed alterations in the metabolism of glycerophospholipids, fatty acids, amino acids and neurotransmitters.
Therefore, they confirmed that the hepatopancreas, being an organ with high metabolic activity, is the place where the greatest changes in metabolic pathways occurred, although alterations observed after 28 days of experiment in the abdominal muscle, in the gills, in the antennae glands and in the spinal nerve, in this order of importance.
Therefore, the analysis of these organs supposes an indicator of the level of contamination, since knowing the damage they present, it is possible to determine the exposure to which they have been subjected and establish the guidelines necessary to eliminate these compounds.
With information from the EFE agency
Source: Clarin
