Marta Ferreira

University of the South Pacific | USP · School of Marine Studies

The occurrence of psychopharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems is a growing problem. Fluoxetine (FL) and its metabolite norfluoxetine (NF) are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Although they may be potentially harmful to non-target species, available knowledge on the effects of NF is sparse, relative to FL. This study aimed at contributing to...

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) are prescribed for clinical depression and detected in aquatic ecosystems. The main aim of this study was to explore and evaluate transcriptional responses of neurotransmitter genes in the brain of a marine fish species, European seabass, and to ana...

The global reliance on pharmaceuticals coupled with the lack of effective treatment methods has resulted in pseudo-persistence of pharmaceuticals within the environment. Globally, efforts to quantify and monitor pharmaceuticals within the environment have been well underway, however few studies have been made within small Pacific Islands. This stud...

Coral reefs in the tropical Pacific region are exposed to a range of anthropogenic local pressures. Climate change is exacerbating local impacts, causing unprecedented declines in coral reef habitats and bringing negative socio-economic consequences to Pacific communities who depend heavily on coral reefs for food, income and livelihoods. Continued...

Contamination derived from maritime transportation is not only linked to petroleum-based substances but also to transportation of other substances such as hazardous and noxious nature (HNS). Over the last decade, the maritime trade of HNS has been augmenting. However, levels of HNS in aquatic environment are still quite unknown. So, an integrative...

Maritime trade and transportation of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) have been increasing in European waters, augmenting the risk of accidental spills from ships or in harbours. Despite their reported toxicity and hazardousness, information on HNS levels in the aquatic environment is still lacking. Therefore, an assessment combining a chemic...

The data presented herein relates to the article entitled “Norfluoxetine and venlafaxine in zebrafish larvae: single and combined toxicity of two pharmaceutical products relevant for risk assessment” [1]. Recent studies have shown the occurrence of active metabolites of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in surface and wastewaters. Besides their...

Antidepressant metabolites are found in natural and waste waters. However, investigation of their toxic effects on aquatic animals, single or in mixture with other occurring psychoactive drugs, has been neglected. Here, effects of 80hpf exposure to norfluoxetine (0.64-400 ng/L), venlafaxine (16-10000 ng/L) or their combination (3.2 ng/L +2000 ng/L,...

Microplastics (MP) in the marine environment are widely reported. However, MP occurrence in some geographical areas such as from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is missing. The main aim of this study was to assess MP levels in the urban coastal environment of Suva, the capital of the Republic of Fiji. Microplastics were measured from surface...

Fourteen juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini; SHS) were captured between November and December 2014 in the Rewa Delta in Fiji, and assessed for intestinal microflora characterisation using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing by Illumina Miseq. The microbial population revealed a fluctuating dominance between the Enterobacteriaceae and Vib...

The data presented herein relates to the article entitled "Multibiomarker interactions to diagnose and follow-up chronic exposure of a marine crustacean to hazardous and noxious substances (HNS)" (Abreu et al., 2018). Multibiomarker approaches, including molecular, biochemical, physiological and behaviour parameters, are recognised as valuable and...

Integrated compensatory responses of physiological systems towards homeostasis are generally overlooked when it comes to analysing alterations in biochemical parameters indicative of such processes. Here an hypothesis-driven multivariate analysis accounting for interactive multibiomarker responses was used to investigate effects of long-term exposu...

In the Pacific Island region, anthropogenic-induced ocean warming is impacting coral reefs through thermal coral bleaching (Adjeroud et al., 2009; Cumming et al., 2000; Davies et al., 1997; Kleypas et al., 2015; Lovell et al., 2004; Mangubhai, 2016; Obura and Mangubhai, 2011; Rotmann, 2001) and by reducing coral calcification rates (high confidence...

Coral reefs are critical for securing food resources and generating income in Fiji. However, reef ecosystems and the people they support are currently at risk from multiple threats, such as poor land-use practices, overfishing, pollution, destruction of habitats for development, and adverse climate change effects. Understanding how socio-ecological...

Neurotransmitters pathways in fish and mammals are phylogenetically conserved. Therefore, the environmental presence of psychopharmaceuticals, such as fluoxetine (FLU), are likely to interact with fish serotonergic, dopaminergic and adrenergic systems, affecting their response and associated biological functions. Hence, the present work aimed at ev...

Nuclear receptors (NR) are involved in the regulation of several metabolic processes and it is well known that these constituents may be modulated by different chemicals classes, including pharmaceuticals that may activate or antagonize NR. In mammals, some pharmaceuticals modulate the transcription of pregnane X receptor, Pxr, peroxisome prolifera...

In the past decade the presence of psychopharmaceuticals, including fluoxetine (FLU), in the aquatic environment has been associated with the increasing trend in human consumption of these substances. Aquatic organisms are usually exposed to chronic low doses and, therefore, risk assessments should evaluate the effects of these compounds in non-tar...

The transcription and protein activity of defence mechanisms such as ABC transporters, phase I and II of cellular detoxification and antioxidant enzymes can be altered in the presence of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals impacting the overall detoxification mechanism. The present work aimed to characterise the effects of simvastatin on...

An analytical method based on a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) extraction procedure followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the analysis of psychiatric drugs in sediments. An optimized approach was applied in sample preparation by using bas...

Shipping industry and seaborne trade have rapidly increased over the last fifty years, mainly due to the continuous increasing demand for chemicals and fuels. Consequently, despite current regulations, the occurrence of accidental spills poses an important risk. Hazardous and noxious substances (HNSs) have been raising major concern among environme...

The presence of carcinogenic compounds in the aquatic environment is a recognized problem. ABC transporters are well known players in the multidrug-resistance (MDR) phenomenon in mammals associated with resistance to chemotherapy, however little is known in fish species. Thus, the aim of this study was to induce hepatic tumours and evaluate long-te...

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins were first recognized for their role in multidrug resistance (MDR) in chemotherapeutic treatments, which is a major impediment for the successful treatment of many forms of malignant tumors in humans. These proteins, highly conserved throughout vertebrate species, were later related to cellular detoxification and...

Among organic pollutants existing in coastal areas, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of great concern due to their ubiquity and carcinogenic potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seasonal patterns of PAHs in the digestive gland and arm of the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) from the Northwest Atlantic Portuguese coast. I...

Primary hepatocytes are a model for studying various effects of different xenobiotics, including detoxification strategies. In this study we have isolated and cultured European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) primary hepatocytes and assessed gene transcription and activity of CYP1A (phase I of cellular detoxification) and ABCC1 and ABCC2 (phase III)...

The protein levels and tissue distribution patterns of P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) were investigated in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after waterborne exposure to different benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) concentrations, using immunochemical approaches. The Pgp mammalian monoclonal antibody (mAb) C219 cross reacted with a ∼170kDa p...

Metals are ubiquitous in the environment and accumulate in aquatic organisms and are known for their ability to enhance the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In aquatic species, oxidative stress mechanisms have been studied by measuring antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative damages in tissues. The aim of this study was to apply and...

In fish, some ABC transporters are implicated in a multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) mechanism to deal with the presence of xenobiotics, by effluxing them, or their metabolites, from inside the cells. These efflux transporters have been considered an integral part of cellular detoxification pathways, acting in coordination with phase I and II detoxi...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of ABC transporters, CYP1A and class alpha (α) GST genes, upon water and dietary exposures to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in Oreochromis niloticus. Partial mRNA sequences of ABC transporters (ABCB1b, ABCB11, ABCC1, ABCC2 and ABCG2) were identified, and their tissue distribution patterns evaluated in liver...

3-Hydroxy-benzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BaP), a toxic compound with the ability to covalently bind with the macromolecules (proteins and DNA), is one of the major phenolic metabolites of benzo[a] pyrene (BaP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of 3-OH-BaP in the bile and plasma of Nile tilapia by HPLC with fluorescence detection, after...

BaP is one of the most studied PAH, due to its ubiquitous presence in aquatic environments and toxicity to aquatic organisms. The main goal of this study was to assess BaP effects in Nile Tilapia after waterborne and dietary exposures, through the evaluation of EROD and GST activities in liver, gills and intestine, and BaP metabolites in bile; and...

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between levels of organochlorine compounds (PCBs and DDTs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals and biomarkers of exposure (EROD and GST) and oxidative stress biomarkers, in wild and cultured European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Additionally, the fatty acid profile was determined in...

Aquatic organisms may absorb organic compounds mainly from water and by ingestion of contaminated food. The toxicity of such compounds may be intensified by the presence of certain inorganic compounds such as nitrite (NO2-). In order to evaluate the effect of phenanthrene (PHE), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, in the presence and absence of NO2-...

Metals are environmentally ubiquitous and can be found at high concentrations in seawater and subsequently in marine organisms. Metals with high redox potential can trigger oxidative stress mechanisms with damaging effects in biological tissues. In aquatic species, oxidative stress has been evaluated by assessing antioxidant enzymes activities and...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which can accumulate in the adipose fish tissues, can enter the human food chain through the consumption of fish, and cause risk to health. The use of chemical analysis, and biochemical and cellular responses is a way to detect the impact of pollutants in aquatic systems. The purpose of this study was to invest...

Tissue-specific responses against oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation were analyzed in wild adult mullet (Liza saliens) caught in the Portuguese coastal lagoon Esmoriz-Paramos. Parameters measured were catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities in liver and gill tissues and lipid peroxidation. The...

The present study aimed to obtain additional data on the effect of long-term depuration on the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers, and to clarify the role of mullets for monitoring pollution in River Douro estuary. Mullets chronically exposed to a mixture of contaminants in Douro estuary were captured in Spring of 2001, 2002 and 2003. The activi...

Most toxicological studies with PAHs investigate their impact on aquatic organisms only at very specific levels of organization, either at molecular and cellular levels via biomarkers, or at higher integral endpoints such as reproduction and behavior. The link between both has received less attention in science. The aim of this multi-response study...

Contaminated mullet (Mugil cephalus) from Douro estuary was allowed to depurate in clean water and fed with uncontaminated food. Levels of PCBs and DDTs in muscle and liver, and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity were measured at day 0, 21, 120 and 270. In specimens captured in the estuary total PCB and total DDT concentrations were 311 a...

Pollutants such polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released into the environment by urban communities and industries and the enzymes that catalyse the biotransformation of pollutants play a key role regarding the accumulation of these compounds in fish species inhabiting these areas. In this study the relationship between phase I (EROD act...

Levels of organotin body burden (expressed as tin), imposex and steroid hormones (testosterone, 17β-oestradiol, testosterone glucuronide and sulfate conjugates) were investigated in natural populations of Nassarius reticulatus in the Ria de Aveiro (northwest Portugal) between 1997 and 1999. The tributyltin (TBT) whole body burden (b.b.) of females...

Exposure of marine animals to certain pollutants can enhance reactive oxygen species (ROS) production with subsequent damage to macromolecules and alterations in oxidant defences levels. Aimed at correlating the tissue concentration of certain contaminants (PCBs, DDT) with antioxidant defence levels and oxidative damages, two fish species with diff...

In order to monitor the presence of organic pollutants in Douro estuary (NW Portugal), two sentinel fish species, grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) and flounder (Platichthys flesus), were periodically sampled from May 2001 to April 2002. At all sampling periods, several specimens of both species were allowed to depurate in clean sea water. Levels of PCB...

Adult Nassariusreticulatus were exposed for two to three months to dissolved tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), triphenyltin (TPT) and diphenyltin (DPT) chlorides and to copper sulphate (CuSO4) in order to study the effectiveness of these compounds to induce imposex (penis and vas deferens development). The dialkyltins and copper did not promote...

In vivo and in vitro the concentration of vitellogenin (VTG) inside the oocyte can alter VTG production by the liver, modulating the synthesis of 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) by the ovary. To gain a greater insight into this mechanism, the in vitro production of free and conjugated testosterone (T), E(2), and androstenedione (A) by rainbow trout oocytes...

Total RNA from RNAlater stored liver was extracted with RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen). Quantity and quality of RNA was determined by the analysis of the A260/280 ratio and further by the analysis of the rRNA bands on agarose gel. Two g of total RNA was reverse-transcribed with SuperScript III first-strand synthesis system for RT-PCR (Invitrogen), accor...

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências do Mar - Recursos Marinhos, área de especialização em Biologia Marinha, apresentada ao Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar da Universidade do Porto