Teresa Neuparth

University of Porto | UP · Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR)

Microalgae-based water treatments for the removal of different types of pollution have been gaining considerable attention during the last few decades. However, information about microalgae potential in the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and the ecotoxicological outcomes is still limited. Therefore, in this work, we a...

Introduction: When it comes to disease modeling, countless models are available for Lysosomal Storage Diseases (LSD). Historically, two major approaches are well-established: in vitro assessments are performed in patient fibroblasts, while in vivo pre-clinical studies are performed in mouse models. Still, both platforms have a series of drawbacks....

With the growing interest to exploit mineral resources in the deep-sea, there is the need to establish guidelines and frameworks to support hazard and risk assessment schemes. The present study used a subtidal species of filter-feeding bivalve, the clam Spisula solida, as a proxy to better understand the impacts of sediment plumes in marine organis...

Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) are contaminants of emerging environmental concern considering their continuous increasing use and subsequent release in the environment. While recent field studies provided PGE levels in seawater, scarce knowledge still exists regarding PGE contamination in marine organisms, especially for rhodium (Rh). Water, macroa...

This work investigated, during one year, the occurrence and fate of 52 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in transnational river basins and coastal areas of the North of Portugal and Galicia (NW Spain) and the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging on these environments. The different CECs investigated included pharmaceuticals, person...

A membrane ozone contactor, operated under continuous mode, was applied to promote the tertiary treatment of urban wastewater (UWW), targeting the removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), bacterial disinfection, and toxicity reduction. This system relies on the homogeneous radial distribution of ozone (O3) in the reaction zone by "titrat...

Industrial deep-sea mining will release plumes containing metals that may disperse over long distances; however, there is no general understanding of metal effects on marine ecosystems. Thus, we conducted a systematic review in search of models of metal effects on aquatic biota with the future perspective to support Environmental Risk Assessment (E...

Although most deep-sea areas are remote in comparison to coastal zones, a growing body of literature indicates that many sensitive ecosystems could be under increased stress from anthropogenic sources. Among the multiple potential stressors, microplastics (MPs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs/PCPs) and the imminent start of comme...

The antidiabetic drug Metformin (MET), one of the most prevalent pharmaceuticals in the environment, is currently detected in surface waters in the range of ng/L to low μg/L. As current knowledge regarding the long-term effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of MET in nontarget organisms is limited, the present study aimed at investigat...

Contaminants of emerging concern have been increasingly associated with the modulation of the epigenome, leading to potentially inherited and persistent impacts on apical endpoints. Here, we address the performance of the OECD Test No. 236 FET (fish embryo acute toxicity) in the identification of chemicals able to modulate the epigenome. Using zebr...

Metformin (MET), an anti-diabetic pharmaceutical of large-scale consumption, is increasingly detected in surface waters. However, current knowledge on the long-term effects of MET on non-target organisms is limited. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of MET in the model freshwater teleost Danio rerio, following a full life-cycle exp...

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are compounds of diverse origins that have not been deeply studied in the past which are now accruing growing environmental interest. The NOR-Water project aimed to identify the main CECs and their sources in the water environment of Northern Portugal–Galicia (located in northwest Spain) transnational region....

Metformin (MET) is an anti-diabetic pharmaceutical with a large-scale consumption, which is increasingly detected in surface waters. However, current knowledge on the generational effects of MET exposure in the metabolism of non-target organisms is limited. The present study aimed at investigating the effects of MET in the model freshwater teleost...

The primary focus of environmental toxicological studies is to address the direct effects of chemicals on exposed organisms (parental generation – F0), mostly overlooking effects on subsequent non-exposed generations (F1 and F2 – intergenerational and F3 transgenerational, respectively). Here, we addressed the effects of Simvastatin (SIM), one of t...

Due to non-linear interactions, the effects of contaminant mixtures on aquatic ecosystems are difficult to assess, especially under temperature rise that will likely exacerbate the complexity of the responses. Yet, under the current climatic crisis, assessing the effects of water contaminants and temperature is paramount to understanding the biolog...

Hazard assessment strategies are often supported by extrapolation of damage probabilities, regarding chemical action and species susceptibilities. Yet, growing evidence suggests that an adequate sampling of physiological responses across a representative taxonomic scope is of paramount importance. This is particularly relevant for Nuclear Receptors...

This work presents a ceramic tubular membrane coated with a continuous graphene-TiO2 nanocomposite thin-film for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) removal from synthetic and real matrices in single-pass flow-through operation. Microfiltration ceramic membranes were coated in situ with graphene (G)-TiO2-P25 nano-composite using two different m...

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential toxic effects of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) (40–48 μm) on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in controlled laboratory conditions. The exposure was carried out for 14 days with three environmentally relevant PE-MPs concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 and a high co...

The adverse effects of certain environmental chemicals have been recently associated with the modulation of the epigenome. Although changes in the epigenetic signature have yet to be integrated into hazard and risk assessment, they are interesting candidates to link environmental exposures and altered phenotypes, since these changes may be passed a...

The deep-sea is the biggest ecosystem in the world and despite the extreme conditions that characterize it, is highly biodiverse and complex. Deep-sea mining has been foreseen as a potential and concerning new stressor, and among the deep-sea mining associated stressors, sediment plumes, likely to be released into the water column as a side effect...

The hypothesis that exposure to certain environmental chemicals during early life stages may disrupt reproduction across multiple non-exposed generations has significant implications for understanding disease etiology and adverse outcomes. We demonstrate here reproductive multi and transgenerational effects, at environmentally relevant levels, of o...

The use of transcriptomics data brings new insights and works as a powerful tool to explore the molecular mode of action (MoA) of transgenerational inheritance effects of contaminants of emerging concern. Therefore, in this dataset, we present the transcriptomic data of the transgenerational effects of environmentally relevant simvastatin levels, o...

The adverse effects of certain environmental chemicals have been recently associated with epigenome modulation. Although the changes in the epigenetic signature are still not integrated into hazard and risk assessment, they are interesting candidates for linking environmental exposures to altered phenotypes given that these changes may be passed ac...

Simvastatin (SIM), a hypocholesterolaemic drug belonging to the statins group, is a widely prescribed pharmaceutical for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Several studies showed that lipophilic statins, as SIM, cross the blood-brain barrier and interfere with the energy metabolism of the central nervous system in humans and mammalian models. I...

The foreseen rise on maritime transportation of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) increases the likelihood of accidents, leading to a higher risk of chemical spillage that can have severe ecological impacts. Considering the lack of information on HNS spills, the response to these events is less well established than those involving oil. Moreov...

In this work, zebrafish embryo bioassays were performed to assess the efficiency of microalgae in the removal of acetaminophen from water. Chlorella sorokiniana (CS), Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and Scenedesmus obliquus (SO) were the strains used for water treatment. Toxic effects on zebrafish embryo caused by effluents from microalgae treatment were c...

The increasing use of Sertraline (SER) as antidepressant and its consequent presence in the aquatic environment is raising concern about the chronic effects of this pharmaceutical to aquatic organisms. As the current concentrations of SER in surface waters are typically in the low ng/L range, acute toxicity is unlikely to occur. However, prolonged...

We aimed to show how the predicted pH decrease in the ocean would alter the toxicity, bioconcentration and dietary transfer of trace metal copper on seagrass ecosystems, on a short-term basis. Seagrass Zostera noltei was exposed to two pH levels (8.36 and 8.03) and three copper levels (nominal concentrations, <3, 30 and 300 μg Cu L ⁻¹ ) in a factor...

The deep-sea is the biggest ecosystem in the world and is characterized by extreme conditions such as high pressure, low temperatures and absence or limited light. Despite the scarce studies due to inaccessibility, these ecosystems are considered highly biodiverse. The deep-sea is subjected to anthropogenic stressors with deep-sea mining being a li...

An innovative photoreactor, FluHelik, was used to promote the degradation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) by a photochemical UVC/H 2 O 2 process. First, the system was optimized for the oxidation of a model antibiotic, oxytetracycline (OTC), using both ultrapure water (UPW) and a real urban wastewater (UWW) (collected after secondary tre...

Although chemicals are usually present in the environment in complex mixtures, ecotoxicological risk assessments often rely on data from single exposures to contaminants. The present study aimed at examining the effects of two ubiquitous endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), 17α-ethynilestradiol (EE2) and tributyltin (TBT), single and combined, in...

This work deals with a preliminary study aimed at evaluating the efficiency of three different microalgae strains, namely Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus in the bioremediation of diclofenac contaminated water. For this purpose, microalgae were cultured in bubbling column photobioreactors (PBRs) under batch operati...

The growing economic interest in the exploitation of mineral resources on deep-ocean beds, including those in the vicinity of sensitive-rich habitats such as hydrothermal vents, raise a mounting concern about the damage that such actions might originate to these poorly-know ecosystems, which represent millions of years of evolution and adaptations...

Simvastatin (SIM), a hypocholesterolaemic compound, is among the most prescribed pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular disease prevention worldwide. Several studies have shown that acute exposure to SIM causes multiple adverse effects in aquatic organisms. However, uncertainties still remain regarding the chronic effects of SIM in aquatic ecosystems....

Simvastatin (SIM), a hypocholesterolaemic compound, is among the most prescribed pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular disease prevention worldwide. Several studies have shown that acute exposure to SIM is able to produce multiple adverse effects in aquatic organisms. However, uncertainties still remain regarding the chronic effects of SIM in aquatic...

Given the lack of knowledge regarding climate change-chemical exposure interactions, it is vital to evaluate how these two drivers jointly impact aquatic species. Thus, for the first time, we aimed at investigating the combined effects of increased temperature, pCO2 and the synthetic progestin levonorgestrel on survival, growth, consumption rate an...

Methyl farnesoate (MF) is an arthropod hormone that plays a key role in the physiology of several arthropods’ classes being implicated in biological processes such as molting and reproduction. The development of an analytical technique to quantify the levels of this compound in biological tissues can be of major importance for the field of aquacult...

This study investigated to what extent a single exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation can induce genotoxic damage in irradiated adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) and its non-irradiated F1 progeny. Four groups of adult zebrafish were irradiated with a single dose of X-rays at 0 (control), 100, 500 and 1000 mGy, respectively, and couples of each gr...

Literature data and data obtained with modelling tools were compiled to derive the physicochemical behaviour of 24 priority Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS), as a proxy to improve environmental, public health and political issues in relation to HNS spills. Parameters that rule the HNS behaviour in water and those that determine their distribu...

Emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, may pose a considerable environment risk. Hypocholesterolaemic drugs such as statins are among the most prescribed human pharmaceuticals in western European countries. In vertebrates, this therapeutic class disrupts the cholesterol synthesis by inhibiting the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reduc...

Gammarus locusta L. is a great model for sexual selection studies due to its short life cycle, highly pronounced sexual dimorphism (gnathopods size), and simple maintenance conditions in laboratory[1]. To do so, it is necessary to identify the individuals and establish the genetic relationship among them, which is achieved using molecular markers....

Simvastatin (SIM), a hypocholesterolaemic drug, is among the most widely used pharmaceuticals worldwide and is therefore of emerging environmental concern. Despite the ubiquitous nature of SIM in the aquatic ecosystems, significant uncertainties exist about sublethal effects of the drug in aquatic organisms. Therefore, here we aimed at investigatin...

Despite the recent focus on hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) spills preparedness and responses, much remains to be done regarding the threat posed by HNS spills on marine biota. Among the identified priority HNS, p-xylene was selected to conduct ecotoxicological assays. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the amphipod Gamma...

Pharmaceuticals, such as simvastatin, act on specific metabolic processes, becoming potentially toxic to aquatic organisms and to human populations. In this study, the amphipod, Gammarus locusta, was chronically exposed to a broad range of sublethal concentrations of simvastatin and was subjected to a histopathological evaluation using bright-field...

The European Atlantic area has been the scene of a number of extensive shipping incidents with immediate and potential long-term impacts to marine ecosystems. The occurrence of accidental spills at sea requires an effective response that must include a well executed monitoring programme to assess the environmental contamination and damage of the af...

ARCOPOL is an ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) funded project framed in the Atlantic Area Transnational Programme that aims at improving the preparedness, response and mitigation capabilities of local and regional responders to accidental coastal pollution; specifically against oil, HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) and inert spills....

Juvenile Senegalese soles (Solea senegalensis) were exposed to estuarine sediments through 28-day laboratory and in situ (field) bioassays. The sediments, collected from three distinct sites (a reference plus two contaminated) of the Sado Estuary (W Portugal) were characterized for total organic matter, redox potential, fine fraction and for the le...

ARCOPOL is an European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded project framed in the Atlantic Area Transnational Programme that aims to improve the preparedness, response and mitigation capabilities of local and regional responders to accidental coastal pollution; specifically against oil, HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) and inert spills.

Increases in the maritime transportation of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS), alongside the need for an effective response to HNS spills have led environmental managers and the scientific community to focus attention on HNS spill preparedness and responsiveness. In the context of the ARCOPOL project, a weight-of-evidence approach was develope...

The European flounder (Platichthys flesus L.) is used in ecotoxicological studies to provide detailed information on the effects of pollution on individual fish. Data on population and evolutionary level effects are, however, limited. Here, the isolation and characterization of 28 novel species specific microsatellite loci are presented. The number...

We analysed the relationships between different categories of genotoxicity biomarkers using Sparus aurata as model organism and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) as a well-described genotoxicant agent. DNA damage was assessed by means of agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE), micronuclei (MN) and flow cytometry (FC) assays. MN assay was carried out in mature eryt...

On Jun 8, 2009 this sequence version replaced gi:226858722.