Integrated Assessment of Coastal Heavy Metal Pollution and Oxidative Stress Response in Mediterranean Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/rbcf4788Keywords:
Mytilus galloprovincialis, Heavy metals, Oxidative stress, Antioxidant enzymes, Lipid peroxidation, Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR).Abstract
Environmental monitoring of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems is essential for assessing marine ecosystem health under intensifying anthropogenic, industrial, and urban pressures. This paper presents an integrated, critical, and systematic assessment of heavy metal accumulation (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Hg) in the tissues of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), coupling these concentrations with biochemical responses of the oxidative stress machinery. Utilizing an integrative ecotoxicological review framework across Mediterranean monitoring programs (such as MED POL and MYTILOS/MYTIOR) and peer-reviewed field investigations, the study highlights pronounced tissue-specific bioaccumulation, with the digestive gland exhibiting significantly higher metallic burdens and metabolic activity than gills. Metal-induced toxicity disrupts redox homeostasis through two distinct pathways: hydroxyl radical generation via Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions (redox-active metals like Cu), and direct sulfhydryl-binding, glutathione depletion, and mitochondrial electron transport disruption (redox-inactive metals like Cd, Pb, and Hg). Antioxidant enzymes, specifically Catalase (CAT), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), and Glutathione S-Transferase (GST), demonstrate a biphasic response characterized by compensatory induction under moderate exposure followed by enzymatic inhibition under chronic toxicity, accompanied by elevated lipid peroxidation (MDA levels). The application of the Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) index effectively reconciles environmental confounders and provides a discriminative ecotoxicological classification of coastal health far superior to standalone chemical surveys
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