Salvatore Fasulo | University of Messina (original) (raw)

Papers by Salvatore Fasulo

Science of The Total Environment, 2016

The present work aims to elucidate the free fatty acid (FFA) profile of the mussel Mytilus gallop... more The present work aims to elucidate the free fatty acid (FFA) profile of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis caged in an anthropogenically impacted area and in a reference site through an innovative and validated analytical approach for the assessment of biological alterations induced by marine pollution. The FFA pattern is involved in the regulation of different cellular pathways and differs with respect to metabolic stimuli. To this purpose, the lipid fraction of mussels coming from both sampling areas was extracted and the FFA fractions were isolated and purified by a solid phase extraction; then, nano-scale liquid chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (nanoLC-EI-MS) was employed for the characterization of the two samples. A total of 19 and 17 FFAs were reliably identified in the mussels coming from the reference and polluted site, respectively. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences found in saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated species may be exploited as typical pollution biomarkers (e.g. alteration of the fatty acid biosynthetic system and lipotoxicity) and explain adverse and compromising effects (e.g. oxidative stress and inflammatory processes) related to environmental pollution.

Metabolomics is a novel approach with a huge potential to assess and reveal in a complex biologic... more Metabolomics is a novel approach with a huge potential to assess and reveal in a complex biological system altered metabolism produced in response to environmental stressors, diseases or exposure to toxicants. The high applicability of this approach is due to its ability to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the chemical profile of all the low molecular weight metabolites (metabolome) present in cells, tissues, organs, and biological fluids as end products of the cellular regulatory pathways. Thus, providing a snapshot of the phenotype of a biological system, metabolomics offers useful contributions to a comprehensive insight into the functional status of human, animal, plant, and microbe organisms. One of the main analytical platforms employed in metabolomics is the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy that, when linked with pattern recognition techniques and data mining tools, can provide an overview of the metabolic status of a complex biological system and co...

Animals, 2020

Insects have been recognized as sustainable alternative sources of nutrients for food and feed. T... more Insects have been recognized as sustainable alternative sources of nutrients for food and feed. The Black Soldier Fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, is a particularly promising species for its great potential in the waste valorization to produce, during the bioconversion process, high-value fat and proteins that currently represent a valuable source for fish feed. The present study aims to evaluate the efficiency to use substrate proteins in two different BSF developmental stages as sustainable biotechnological tools for vegetable waste management. We provide insights into the nutritional values of both V instar larvae and prepupae in terms of valuable amino acids with special focus on taurine, a crucial nutrient for fish. Moreover, we cloned four key genes from BSF involved in the taurine biosynthesis pathway, 2-aminoethanethiol dioxygenase (Hiado), cysteine dioxygenase (Hicdo), cysteine sulfonate decarboxylase (Hicsad), and glutamate decarboxylase (Higad). The gene expression analysis ...

Journal of Biotechnology, 2019

The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens provides a promising strategy in the waste valorisa... more The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens provides a promising strategy in the waste valorisation process and a sustainable alternative source of valuable nutrients, including lipids for food and feed. In the present study, the differences in growth performances and nutritional values of BSF V instar larvae and prepupae reared on vegetable waste were analyzed and compared focusing on fat content. V instar larvae showed higher capacity to bioconvert the substrate into biomass than prepupae. The nutritional composition and the fatty acid profiles were dependent on the developmental stage. The expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acc), fatty acid synthase (fas), lipase (lip) and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (acd) genes involved in the lipid metabolism pathway and herein characterized for the first time, were evaluated in order to understand the molecular basis underlying the observed differences in fatty acid profiles. Our results suggest that the different fatty acid profiles of BSF V instar larvae and prepupae may be related to the modulation of the lipid metabolism-related genes expression during larval development. Our study highlights substantial differences between H. illucens V instar larvae and prepupae giving important features regarding the opportunity to modulate the preferable fatty acid profile to meet the industrial requirements.

Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Jan 14, 2018

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are widely used in various industrial applications, i.e. sem... more Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are widely used in various industrial applications, i.e. semiconductor devices, batteries, solar energy converter, gas sensor, microelectronics, heat transfer fluids, and have been recently recognized as emerging pollutants of increasing concern for human and marine environmental health. Therefore, the toxicity of CuO NPs needs to be thoroughly understood. In this study, we evaluated the potential role of oxidative stress in CuO NP toxicity by exploring the molecular response of Arbacia lixula embryos to three CuO NP concentrations (0.7, 10, 20 ppb) by investigating the transcriptional patterns of oxidative stress-related genes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) and metallothionein, here cloned and characterized for the first time. Time- and concentration-dependent changes in gene expression were detected in A. lixula embryos exposed to CuO NPs, up to pluteus stage (72 h post-fertilization, hpf), indicating that oxidative stress is one of the to...

Journal of environmental management, 2018

A chicken manure management process was carried out through co-conversion of Hermetia illucens L.... more A chicken manure management process was carried out through co-conversion of Hermetia illucens L. larvae (BSFL) with functional bacteria for producing larvae as feed stuff and organic fertilizer. Thirteen days co-conversion of 1000 kg of chicken manure inoculated with one million 6-day-old BSFL and 10 CFU Bacillus subtilis BSF-CL produced aging larvae, followed by eleven days of aerobic fermentation inoculated with the decomposing agent to maturity. 93.2 kg of fresh larvae were harvested from the B. subtilis BSF-CL-inoculated group, while the control group only harvested 80.4 kg of fresh larvae. Chicken manure reduction rate of the B. subtilis BSF-CL-inoculated group was 40.5%, while chicken manure reduction rate of the control group was 35.8%. The weight of BSFL increased by 15.9%, BSFL conversion rate increased by 12.7%, and chicken manure reduction rate increased by 13.4% compared to the control (no B. subtilis BSF-CL). The residue inoculated with decomposing agent had higher mat...

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part D, Genomics & proteomics, Jan 27, 2018

The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck 1819) is a popular shellfish commonly... more The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck 1819) is a popular shellfish commonly included in human diet and is routinely used as bioindicator in environmental monitoring programmes worldwide. Recently, metabolomics has emerged as a powerful tool both in food research and ecotoxicology for monitoring mussels' freshness and assessing the effects of environmental changes. However, there is still a paucity of data on complete metabolic baseline of mussel tissues. To mitigate this knowledge gap, similarities and differences in metabolite profile of digestive gland (DG), gills (G), and posterior adductor muscle (PAM) of aquaculture-farmed M. galloprovincialis were herein investigated by a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR)-based metabolomic approach and discussed considering their physiological role. A total of 44 metabolites were identified in mussel tissues and grouped in amino acids, energy metabolites, osmolytes, neurotransmitters, nucleotides, alkaloids, a...

Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.), Jan 18, 2017

In aquatic environments, hypoxia and oxygen-deficient areas are increasing worldwide. Transitions... more In aquatic environments, hypoxia and oxygen-deficient areas are increasing worldwide. Transitions in oxygen levels can influence the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), eventually leading to oxidative stress. The transcriptional response of oxidative stress biomarkers was evaluated by qPCR in gill tissue from Mytilus galloprovincialis experimentally subjected to 48-h air exposure followed by 48-h re-oxygenation, as compared to normoxic control mussels. Superoxide dismutases (CuZnsod and Mnsod), catalase (cat), and glutathione S-transferase (gst) were over-expressed early after 8-h air exposure and returned to normoxic levels during re-oxygenation. Moreover, the mRNAs and protein expression patterns of heat shock proteins (HSP70 and HSP90) and metallothioneins (MT-10 and MT-20) were modulated by oxygen availability with increased levels during re-oxygenation suggesting the participation of these cytoprotective mechanisms in the physiological oxidative stress response when ox...

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2017

Environmental metabolomics is a high-throughout approach that provides a snapshot of the metaboli... more Environmental metabolomics is a high-throughout approach that provides a snapshot of the metabolic status of an organism. In order to elucidate the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on aquatic invertebrates, mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were caged at the "Augusta-Melilli-Priolo" petrochemical area and Brucoli (Sicily, south Italy), chosen as the reference site. After confirming the elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mercury (Hg) in Augusta sediments in our previous work (Maisano et al., 2016a), herein an environmental metabolomics approach based on protonic nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), coupled with chemometrics, was applied on the mussel posterior adductor muscle (PAM), the main muscular system in bivalve molluscs. Amino acids, osmolytes, energy storage compounds, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, and nucleotides, were found in PAM NMR spectra. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that mussels...

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2017

Drospirenone (DRO) is a synthetic progestin derived from 17α-spironolactone with a pharmacologica... more Drospirenone (DRO) is a synthetic progestin derived from 17α-spironolactone with a pharmacological mechanism of action similar to progesterone. Despite its wide use as pharmaceutical and consequent continuous release into the aquatic environment, DRO effects have been poorly investigated on aquatic biota. In order to unravel the toxicity mechanisms of DRO, mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed for 7 days to different concentrations of DRO, namely 20ng/L (Low; L), 200ng/L (Medium; M), 2000ng/L (High; H) and 10μg/L (Super High; SH) nominal doses. Following exposure, no significant effect was observed on gonad maturation of treated and untreated mussels. The levels of progesterone (P4) and testosterone (T) were measured in mantle/gonad tissues and no significant alteration detected after exposure. However, the application of a protonic nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR)-based metabolomics approach enabled a comprehensive assessment of DRO effects in mussels. Specifically, (...

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP, 2017

The extensive use of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in many applications has raised concern... more The extensive use of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in many applications has raised concerns over their toxicity on environment and human health. Herein, the embryotoxicity of CuO NPs was assessed in the black sea urchin Arbacia lixula, an intertidal species commonly present in the Mediterranean. Fertilized eggs were exposed to 0.7, 10 and 20ppb of CuO NPs, until pluteus stage. Interferences with the normal neurotransmission pathways were observed in sea urchin embryos. In detail, evidence of cholinergic and serotoninergic systems affection was revealed by dose-dependent decreased levels of choline and N-acetyl serotonin, respectively, measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics, applied for the first time to our knowledge on sea urchin embryos. The metabolic profile also highlighted a significant CuO NP dose-dependent increase of glycine, a component of matrix proteins involved in the biomineralization process, suggesting perturbed skeletogenesis according...

Gene, Jan 6, 2017

Two full-length cDNAs of heat shock protein (HSP) genes (Hihsp70 and Hihsp90) were cloned from th... more Two full-length cDNAs of heat shock protein (HSP) genes (Hihsp70 and Hihsp90) were cloned from the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens larvae reared in a food waste bioconversion pilot plant. The Hihsp70 and Hihsp90 transcripts were 2243 and 2507bp long, contained 1923 and 2166bp open reading frames encoding proteins of 640 and 721 amino acids with a molecular mass of 69.8 and 83kDa, respectively. Comparative analysis of protein sequences revealed the presence of the conserved HSP motifs in both proteins, showing high homology to their counterparts in other insect species from six different orders. Hihsp70 and Hihsp90 transcriptional expression profiles during two key developmental stages in the bioconversion process were evaluated by quantitative real time PCR showing that both genes were modulated during larval development. HiHsp70 mRNA expression levels during the II instar larvae was higher in respect to the V instar larvae. A similar difference in mRNA expression levels, ...

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 2016

Mercury (Hg) is recognized as a dangerous contaminant due to its bioaccumulation and biomagnifica... more Mercury (Hg) is recognized as a dangerous contaminant due to its bioaccumulation and biomagnification within trophic levels, leading to serious health risks to aquatic biota. Therefore, there is an urgent need to unravel the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of Hg. To this aim, a metabolomics approach based on protonic nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), coupled with chemometrics, was performed on the gills of wild golden grey mullets L. aurata living in an Hg-polluted area in Ria de Aveiro (Portugal). Gills were selected as target organ due to their direct and continuous interaction with the surrounding environment. As a consequence of accumulated inorganic Hg and methylmercury, severe changes in the gill metabolome were observed, indicating a compromised health status of mullets. Numerous metabolites, i.e. amino acids, osmolytes, carbohydrates, and nucleotides, were identified as potential biomarkers of Hg toxicity in fish gills. Specifically, decrease of taurine and glyceroph...

Marine Environmental Research, 2017

This work was designed to evaluate the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on marin... more This work was designed to evaluate the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on marine mussels. Mytilus galloprovincialis, widely used as sentinel organisms in biomonitoring studies, were caged at the "Augusta-Melilli-Priolo" industrial site (eastern Sicily, Italy), chosen as one of the largest petrochemical areas in Europe, and Brucoli, chosen as reference site. Chemical analyses of sediments at the polluted site revealed high levels of PAHs and mercury, exceeding the national and international guideline limits. In mussels from the polluted site, severe morphological alterations were observed in gills, mainly involved in nutrient uptake and gas exchange. Changes in serotonergic and cholinergic systems, investigated through immunohistochemical, metabolomics and enzymatic approaches, were highlighted in gills, as well as onset of hypoxic adaptive responses with up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor transcript. Overall, the application of a multi-biomarker panel results effective in assessing the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on the health of aquatic organisms.

Italian Journal of Zoology, 2011

Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France), 1993

The presence and distribution of eleven different types of immunoreactive endocrine cells and nin... more The presence and distribution of eleven different types of immunoreactive endocrine cells and nine types of immunoreactive nerve elements were immunohistochemically identified in the gut and pancreas of the italian cave salamander, Hydromantes ambrosii. The majority of gastrointestinal endocrine cells were of open-type, often presenting basal cytoplasmic processes. Gastrin- and substance P-immunoreactive cells in the fundus and bombesin-immunoreactive cells in the intestinal portion were instead of closed type. Immunoreactive nerve fibres were particularly numerous in the muscular layers and blood vessel wall; bombesin- and substance P-immunoreactive nerve fibres were also abundant beneath gastro-intestinal epithelium. Besides substance P-, caerulein- and cholecystokinin-immunoreactive nerve fibres, all the other immunopositive nerve fibres seemed to be of intrinsic types. By the use of four different gastrin/cholecystokinin antisera three variously distributed subpopulations of end...

Science of The Total Environment, 2016

The present work aims to elucidate the free fatty acid (FFA) profile of the mussel Mytilus gallop... more The present work aims to elucidate the free fatty acid (FFA) profile of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis caged in an anthropogenically impacted area and in a reference site through an innovative and validated analytical approach for the assessment of biological alterations induced by marine pollution. The FFA pattern is involved in the regulation of different cellular pathways and differs with respect to metabolic stimuli. To this purpose, the lipid fraction of mussels coming from both sampling areas was extracted and the FFA fractions were isolated and purified by a solid phase extraction; then, nano-scale liquid chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (nanoLC-EI-MS) was employed for the characterization of the two samples. A total of 19 and 17 FFAs were reliably identified in the mussels coming from the reference and polluted site, respectively. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences found in saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated species may be exploited as typical pollution biomarkers (e.g. alteration of the fatty acid biosynthetic system and lipotoxicity) and explain adverse and compromising effects (e.g. oxidative stress and inflammatory processes) related to environmental pollution.

Metabolomics is a novel approach with a huge potential to assess and reveal in a complex biologic... more Metabolomics is a novel approach with a huge potential to assess and reveal in a complex biological system altered metabolism produced in response to environmental stressors, diseases or exposure to toxicants. The high applicability of this approach is due to its ability to qualitatively and quantitatively characterize the chemical profile of all the low molecular weight metabolites (metabolome) present in cells, tissues, organs, and biological fluids as end products of the cellular regulatory pathways. Thus, providing a snapshot of the phenotype of a biological system, metabolomics offers useful contributions to a comprehensive insight into the functional status of human, animal, plant, and microbe organisms. One of the main analytical platforms employed in metabolomics is the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy that, when linked with pattern recognition techniques and data mining tools, can provide an overview of the metabolic status of a complex biological system and co...

Animals, 2020

Insects have been recognized as sustainable alternative sources of nutrients for food and feed. T... more Insects have been recognized as sustainable alternative sources of nutrients for food and feed. The Black Soldier Fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, is a particularly promising species for its great potential in the waste valorization to produce, during the bioconversion process, high-value fat and proteins that currently represent a valuable source for fish feed. The present study aims to evaluate the efficiency to use substrate proteins in two different BSF developmental stages as sustainable biotechnological tools for vegetable waste management. We provide insights into the nutritional values of both V instar larvae and prepupae in terms of valuable amino acids with special focus on taurine, a crucial nutrient for fish. Moreover, we cloned four key genes from BSF involved in the taurine biosynthesis pathway, 2-aminoethanethiol dioxygenase (Hiado), cysteine dioxygenase (Hicdo), cysteine sulfonate decarboxylase (Hicsad), and glutamate decarboxylase (Higad). The gene expression analysis ...

Journal of Biotechnology, 2019

The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens provides a promising strategy in the waste valorisa... more The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens provides a promising strategy in the waste valorisation process and a sustainable alternative source of valuable nutrients, including lipids for food and feed. In the present study, the differences in growth performances and nutritional values of BSF V instar larvae and prepupae reared on vegetable waste were analyzed and compared focusing on fat content. V instar larvae showed higher capacity to bioconvert the substrate into biomass than prepupae. The nutritional composition and the fatty acid profiles were dependent on the developmental stage. The expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acc), fatty acid synthase (fas), lipase (lip) and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (acd) genes involved in the lipid metabolism pathway and herein characterized for the first time, were evaluated in order to understand the molecular basis underlying the observed differences in fatty acid profiles. Our results suggest that the different fatty acid profiles of BSF V instar larvae and prepupae may be related to the modulation of the lipid metabolism-related genes expression during larval development. Our study highlights substantial differences between H. illucens V instar larvae and prepupae giving important features regarding the opportunity to modulate the preferable fatty acid profile to meet the industrial requirements.

Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Jan 14, 2018

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are widely used in various industrial applications, i.e. sem... more Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are widely used in various industrial applications, i.e. semiconductor devices, batteries, solar energy converter, gas sensor, microelectronics, heat transfer fluids, and have been recently recognized as emerging pollutants of increasing concern for human and marine environmental health. Therefore, the toxicity of CuO NPs needs to be thoroughly understood. In this study, we evaluated the potential role of oxidative stress in CuO NP toxicity by exploring the molecular response of Arbacia lixula embryos to three CuO NP concentrations (0.7, 10, 20 ppb) by investigating the transcriptional patterns of oxidative stress-related genes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) and metallothionein, here cloned and characterized for the first time. Time- and concentration-dependent changes in gene expression were detected in A. lixula embryos exposed to CuO NPs, up to pluteus stage (72 h post-fertilization, hpf), indicating that oxidative stress is one of the to...

Journal of environmental management, 2018

A chicken manure management process was carried out through co-conversion of Hermetia illucens L.... more A chicken manure management process was carried out through co-conversion of Hermetia illucens L. larvae (BSFL) with functional bacteria for producing larvae as feed stuff and organic fertilizer. Thirteen days co-conversion of 1000 kg of chicken manure inoculated with one million 6-day-old BSFL and 10 CFU Bacillus subtilis BSF-CL produced aging larvae, followed by eleven days of aerobic fermentation inoculated with the decomposing agent to maturity. 93.2 kg of fresh larvae were harvested from the B. subtilis BSF-CL-inoculated group, while the control group only harvested 80.4 kg of fresh larvae. Chicken manure reduction rate of the B. subtilis BSF-CL-inoculated group was 40.5%, while chicken manure reduction rate of the control group was 35.8%. The weight of BSFL increased by 15.9%, BSFL conversion rate increased by 12.7%, and chicken manure reduction rate increased by 13.4% compared to the control (no B. subtilis BSF-CL). The residue inoculated with decomposing agent had higher mat...

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part D, Genomics & proteomics, Jan 27, 2018

The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck 1819) is a popular shellfish commonly... more The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck 1819) is a popular shellfish commonly included in human diet and is routinely used as bioindicator in environmental monitoring programmes worldwide. Recently, metabolomics has emerged as a powerful tool both in food research and ecotoxicology for monitoring mussels' freshness and assessing the effects of environmental changes. However, there is still a paucity of data on complete metabolic baseline of mussel tissues. To mitigate this knowledge gap, similarities and differences in metabolite profile of digestive gland (DG), gills (G), and posterior adductor muscle (PAM) of aquaculture-farmed M. galloprovincialis were herein investigated by a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR)-based metabolomic approach and discussed considering their physiological role. A total of 44 metabolites were identified in mussel tissues and grouped in amino acids, energy metabolites, osmolytes, neurotransmitters, nucleotides, alkaloids, a...

Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.), Jan 18, 2017

In aquatic environments, hypoxia and oxygen-deficient areas are increasing worldwide. Transitions... more In aquatic environments, hypoxia and oxygen-deficient areas are increasing worldwide. Transitions in oxygen levels can influence the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), eventually leading to oxidative stress. The transcriptional response of oxidative stress biomarkers was evaluated by qPCR in gill tissue from Mytilus galloprovincialis experimentally subjected to 48-h air exposure followed by 48-h re-oxygenation, as compared to normoxic control mussels. Superoxide dismutases (CuZnsod and Mnsod), catalase (cat), and glutathione S-transferase (gst) were over-expressed early after 8-h air exposure and returned to normoxic levels during re-oxygenation. Moreover, the mRNAs and protein expression patterns of heat shock proteins (HSP70 and HSP90) and metallothioneins (MT-10 and MT-20) were modulated by oxygen availability with increased levels during re-oxygenation suggesting the participation of these cytoprotective mechanisms in the physiological oxidative stress response when ox...

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2017

Environmental metabolomics is a high-throughout approach that provides a snapshot of the metaboli... more Environmental metabolomics is a high-throughout approach that provides a snapshot of the metabolic status of an organism. In order to elucidate the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on aquatic invertebrates, mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were caged at the "Augusta-Melilli-Priolo" petrochemical area and Brucoli (Sicily, south Italy), chosen as the reference site. After confirming the elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mercury (Hg) in Augusta sediments in our previous work (Maisano et al., 2016a), herein an environmental metabolomics approach based on protonic nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), coupled with chemometrics, was applied on the mussel posterior adductor muscle (PAM), the main muscular system in bivalve molluscs. Amino acids, osmolytes, energy storage compounds, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, and nucleotides, were found in PAM NMR spectra. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that mussels...

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2017

Drospirenone (DRO) is a synthetic progestin derived from 17α-spironolactone with a pharmacologica... more Drospirenone (DRO) is a synthetic progestin derived from 17α-spironolactone with a pharmacological mechanism of action similar to progesterone. Despite its wide use as pharmaceutical and consequent continuous release into the aquatic environment, DRO effects have been poorly investigated on aquatic biota. In order to unravel the toxicity mechanisms of DRO, mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed for 7 days to different concentrations of DRO, namely 20ng/L (Low; L), 200ng/L (Medium; M), 2000ng/L (High; H) and 10μg/L (Super High; SH) nominal doses. Following exposure, no significant effect was observed on gonad maturation of treated and untreated mussels. The levels of progesterone (P4) and testosterone (T) were measured in mantle/gonad tissues and no significant alteration detected after exposure. However, the application of a protonic nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR)-based metabolomics approach enabled a comprehensive assessment of DRO effects in mussels. Specifically, (...

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP, 2017

The extensive use of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in many applications has raised concern... more The extensive use of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in many applications has raised concerns over their toxicity on environment and human health. Herein, the embryotoxicity of CuO NPs was assessed in the black sea urchin Arbacia lixula, an intertidal species commonly present in the Mediterranean. Fertilized eggs were exposed to 0.7, 10 and 20ppb of CuO NPs, until pluteus stage. Interferences with the normal neurotransmission pathways were observed in sea urchin embryos. In detail, evidence of cholinergic and serotoninergic systems affection was revealed by dose-dependent decreased levels of choline and N-acetyl serotonin, respectively, measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics, applied for the first time to our knowledge on sea urchin embryos. The metabolic profile also highlighted a significant CuO NP dose-dependent increase of glycine, a component of matrix proteins involved in the biomineralization process, suggesting perturbed skeletogenesis according...

Gene, Jan 6, 2017

Two full-length cDNAs of heat shock protein (HSP) genes (Hihsp70 and Hihsp90) were cloned from th... more Two full-length cDNAs of heat shock protein (HSP) genes (Hihsp70 and Hihsp90) were cloned from the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens larvae reared in a food waste bioconversion pilot plant. The Hihsp70 and Hihsp90 transcripts were 2243 and 2507bp long, contained 1923 and 2166bp open reading frames encoding proteins of 640 and 721 amino acids with a molecular mass of 69.8 and 83kDa, respectively. Comparative analysis of protein sequences revealed the presence of the conserved HSP motifs in both proteins, showing high homology to their counterparts in other insect species from six different orders. Hihsp70 and Hihsp90 transcriptional expression profiles during two key developmental stages in the bioconversion process were evaluated by quantitative real time PCR showing that both genes were modulated during larval development. HiHsp70 mRNA expression levels during the II instar larvae was higher in respect to the V instar larvae. A similar difference in mRNA expression levels, ...

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 2016

Mercury (Hg) is recognized as a dangerous contaminant due to its bioaccumulation and biomagnifica... more Mercury (Hg) is recognized as a dangerous contaminant due to its bioaccumulation and biomagnification within trophic levels, leading to serious health risks to aquatic biota. Therefore, there is an urgent need to unravel the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of Hg. To this aim, a metabolomics approach based on protonic nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), coupled with chemometrics, was performed on the gills of wild golden grey mullets L. aurata living in an Hg-polluted area in Ria de Aveiro (Portugal). Gills were selected as target organ due to their direct and continuous interaction with the surrounding environment. As a consequence of accumulated inorganic Hg and methylmercury, severe changes in the gill metabolome were observed, indicating a compromised health status of mullets. Numerous metabolites, i.e. amino acids, osmolytes, carbohydrates, and nucleotides, were identified as potential biomarkers of Hg toxicity in fish gills. Specifically, decrease of taurine and glyceroph...

Marine Environmental Research, 2017

This work was designed to evaluate the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on marin... more This work was designed to evaluate the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on marine mussels. Mytilus galloprovincialis, widely used as sentinel organisms in biomonitoring studies, were caged at the "Augusta-Melilli-Priolo" industrial site (eastern Sicily, Italy), chosen as one of the largest petrochemical areas in Europe, and Brucoli, chosen as reference site. Chemical analyses of sediments at the polluted site revealed high levels of PAHs and mercury, exceeding the national and international guideline limits. In mussels from the polluted site, severe morphological alterations were observed in gills, mainly involved in nutrient uptake and gas exchange. Changes in serotonergic and cholinergic systems, investigated through immunohistochemical, metabolomics and enzymatic approaches, were highlighted in gills, as well as onset of hypoxic adaptive responses with up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor transcript. Overall, the application of a multi-biomarker panel results effective in assessing the biological effects of petrochemical contamination on the health of aquatic organisms.

Italian Journal of Zoology, 2011

Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France), 1993

The presence and distribution of eleven different types of immunoreactive endocrine cells and nin... more The presence and distribution of eleven different types of immunoreactive endocrine cells and nine types of immunoreactive nerve elements were immunohistochemically identified in the gut and pancreas of the italian cave salamander, Hydromantes ambrosii. The majority of gastrointestinal endocrine cells were of open-type, often presenting basal cytoplasmic processes. Gastrin- and substance P-immunoreactive cells in the fundus and bombesin-immunoreactive cells in the intestinal portion were instead of closed type. Immunoreactive nerve fibres were particularly numerous in the muscular layers and blood vessel wall; bombesin- and substance P-immunoreactive nerve fibres were also abundant beneath gastro-intestinal epithelium. Besides substance P-, caerulein- and cholecystokinin-immunoreactive nerve fibres, all the other immunopositive nerve fibres seemed to be of intrinsic types. By the use of four different gastrin/cholecystokinin antisera three variously distributed subpopulations of end...