Effects of a mixture of glyphosate, 17α-ethynylestradiol and amyl salicylate on cellular and biochemical parameters of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

In this study the effects of a mixture of glyphosate (herbicide), 17a-ethinylestradiol (synthetic estrogen) and amyl salicylate (fragrance) to the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were evaluated. Mussels were exposed for 7 days to two realistic concentrations of the mixture (10 and 100 ng/L) and the effects on total haemocyte counts, haemocyte diameter and volume, haemocyte proliferation, haemolymph lactate dehydrogenase activity and haemocyte lysate lysozyme activity were measured. In addition, superoxide dismutase, catalase, acetylcholinesterase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione reductase activities were measured in gills and digestive gland. The survival-in-air test was also performed. Results demonstrated that the mixture affected both cellular and biochemical biomarkers, but not tolerance to aerial exposure of M. galloprovincialis. The negative effects recorded in this study suggested that more efforts should be done to assess the ecotoxicological risks posed by contaminant mixture to aquatic invertebrates.