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My research carrier is based on detecting and solving environmental problems related to surface water quality. I obtained my Ph.D. degree in 2011 at the Technical University of Catalonia. My work was focused on the development of a multi-biomarker approach to identify major aquatic pollutants causing detrimental effects in the field. I participated in six national and international projects and gained experience in working with different research groups including two months conducting field expeditions in the Costa Rican National Park Palo Verde, monitoring the environmental hazards of pesticides used for pineapple production over fish populations. Following my Ph.D. studies, I spent six years with a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, where I engaged with several collaborative projects and focused on using different analytical and ecotoxicological approaches to identify emerging effects of contaminates in the different invertebrate aquatic species. Then, gained a two-year postdoc scholarship to work at the IDAEA-CSIC institute, Barcelona focused the integration of omic approaches with apical changes in an organism in response to anthropogenic stress. At present, I am interested in developing more ecological-related studies that address the organism and population consequences of animal behavior impairment due to pollution exposure.
This study assessed the effects of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor deprenyl in Daphnia magna locomotor activity. The mechanisms of action of deprenyl were also determined by studying the relationship between behaviour, MAO activity and neurotransmitter levels. Modulation of the D. magna monoamine system was accomplished by 24 h exposure to two model psychotropic pharmaceuticals with antagonistic and agonistic serotonin signalling properties: 10 mg/L of 4-chloro-DL-phenylalanine (PCPA) and 1 mg/L of deprenyl, respectively. Contrasting behavioural outcomes were observed for deprenyl and PCPA reflected in decreased basal locomotor activity and enhanced habituation for the former compound and delayed habituation for the latter one. Deprenyl exposure inhibited monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and increased the concentrations of serotonin, dopamine and the dopamine metabolite 3-methoxytyramine in whole D. magna extracts. Our findings indicate that D. magna is a sensitive and useful nonvertebrate model for assessing the effects of short-term exposure to chemicals that alter monoamine signalling changes.
Marina Bellot; Melissa Faria; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Demetrio Raldúa; Carlos Barata. Pharmacological Modulation of Behaviour, Serotonin and Dopamine Levels in Daphnia magna Exposed to the Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor Deprenyl. Toxics 2021, 9, 187 .
AMA StyleMarina Bellot, Melissa Faria, Cristian Gómez-Canela, Demetrio Raldúa, Carlos Barata. Pharmacological Modulation of Behaviour, Serotonin and Dopamine Levels in Daphnia magna Exposed to the Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor Deprenyl. Toxics. 2021; 9 (8):187.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarina Bellot; Melissa Faria; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Demetrio Raldúa; Carlos Barata. 2021. "Pharmacological Modulation of Behaviour, Serotonin and Dopamine Levels in Daphnia magna Exposed to the Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor Deprenyl." Toxics 9, no. 8: 187.
This study examines the effects of acute pharmacological modulation of the serotonergic system over zebrafish larvae’s cognitive, basic, and defense locomotor behaviors, using a medium to high throughput screening assay. Furthermore, the relationship between behavior, enzyme activity related to neurotransmitter metabolism, neurotransmitter levels, and gene expression was also determined. Modulation of larvae serotonergic system was accomplished by 24 h exposure to single and opposite pharmacodynamics co-exposure to three model psychopharmaceuticals with antagonistic and agonistic serotonin signaling properties: 2.5 mM 4-Chloro-DL-phenylalanine (PCPA) and 5 µM deprenyl and 0.5 µM fluoxetine, respectively. Similar behavioral outcome was observed for deprenyl and fluoxetine, which was reflected as hypolocomotion, decrease in larvae defensive responses, and cognitive impairment. Contrarily, PCPA induced hyperlocomotion and increase in larvae escape response. Deprenyl exposure effects were more pronounced at a lower level of organization than fluoxetine, with complete inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, dramatic increase of 5-HT and dopamine (DA) levels, and downregulation of serotonin synthesis and transporter genes. PCPA showed mainly effects over serotonin and dopamine’s main degradation metabolites. Finally, co-exposure between agonistic and antagonist serotonin signaling drugs reviled full recovery of zebrafish impaired locomotor and defense responses, 5-HT synthesis gene expression, and partial recovery of 5-HT levels. The findings of this study suggest that zebrafish larvae can be highly sensitive and a useful vertebrate model for short-term exposure to serotonin signaling changes.
Melissa Faria; Eva Prats; Marina Bellot; Cristian Gomez-Canela; Demetrio Raldúa. Pharmacological Modulation of Serotonin Levels in Zebrafish Larvae: Lessons for Identifying Environmental Neurotoxicants Targeting the Serotonergic System. Toxics 2021, 9, 118 .
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Eva Prats, Marina Bellot, Cristian Gomez-Canela, Demetrio Raldúa. Pharmacological Modulation of Serotonin Levels in Zebrafish Larvae: Lessons for Identifying Environmental Neurotoxicants Targeting the Serotonergic System. Toxics. 2021; 9 (6):118.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Eva Prats; Marina Bellot; Cristian Gomez-Canela; Demetrio Raldúa. 2021. "Pharmacological Modulation of Serotonin Levels in Zebrafish Larvae: Lessons for Identifying Environmental Neurotoxicants Targeting the Serotonergic System." Toxics 9, no. 6: 118.
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Melissa Faria; Eva Prats; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Chuan-Yu Hsu; Mark A. Arick; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Manuel Orozco; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Tamar Ziv; Shani Ben-Lulu; Arie Admon; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. Publisher Correction: Therapeutic potential of N-acetylcysteine in acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish. Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 2247 -1.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Eva Prats, Cristian Gómez-Canela, Chuan-Yu Hsu, Mark A. Arick, Juliette Bedrossiantz, Manuel Orozco, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Tamar Ziv, Shani Ben-Lulu, Arie Admon, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Demetrio Raldúa. Publisher Correction: Therapeutic potential of N-acetylcysteine in acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish. Scientific Reports. 2020; 10 (1):2247-1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Eva Prats; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Chuan-Yu Hsu; Mark A. Arick; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Manuel Orozco; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Tamar Ziv; Shani Ben-Lulu; Arie Admon; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. 2020. "Publisher Correction: Therapeutic potential of N-acetylcysteine in acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1: 2247-1.
Predation is one of the main sources of mortality for fish larvae. During evolution, they have developed different anti-predator behaviours, as the vibrational-evoked startle response and its habituation, for promoting survival to predator's strikes. Whereas these two behaviours can be altered by the exposure to some neurotoxicants, it is currently unknown if the exposure to environmentally relevant concentration (ERC) of neurotoxic pollutants could impair them. In this study thirty neurotoxic environmental pollutants from nine chemical groups, including: herbicides; carbamate, organophosphate (OP), organochlorine (OC), neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides; toxins; metal and non-metal elements, have been screened at two concentrations, including one environmental relevant concentration (ERC), for adverse effects on anti-predator behaviours by using the Vibrational Startle Response Assay on zebrafish larvae. Significant effects over anti-predator responses were equally observed in both exposure concentrations. Focusing on the ERC scenario, it was found that the startle response was the less affected behaviour, where ten pollutants from all chemical groups except for organochlorine, neonicotinoid and pyrethroids, altered this response. Interestingly, organic and inorganic pollutants showed opposite effects on this response: whereas all organic pollutants decreased the startle response, the three remaining inorganic pollutants increased it. On the other hand, more pollutants affected habituation of the startle response of the larvae, where thirteen of the pollutants from all groups, except for herbicides, altered this behaviour at ERC, generally resulting in a faster habituation except for one OP and one marine toxin, which were able to delay this response. Ultimately, only one chemical from the OP, toxin, metal and non-metal element groups altered both the startle response and its habituation at both ERC and WSC. These results emphasize the environmental risk of the current levels of some neurotoxicants present in our aquatic ecosystems, as they are high enough to impair essential anti-predator behaviours in fish larvae.
Melissa Faria; Xiaona Wu; Marlenne Luja-Mondragón; Eva Prats; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Benjamin Piña; Demetrio Raldúa. Screening anti-predator behaviour in fish larvae exposed to environmental pollutants. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 714, 136759 .
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Xiaona Wu, Marlenne Luja-Mondragón, Eva Prats, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Benjamin Piña, Demetrio Raldúa. Screening anti-predator behaviour in fish larvae exposed to environmental pollutants. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 714 ():136759.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Xiaona Wu; Marlenne Luja-Mondragón; Eva Prats; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Benjamin Piña; Demetrio Raldúa. 2020. "Screening anti-predator behaviour in fish larvae exposed to environmental pollutants." Science of The Total Environment 714, no. : 136759.
Two essential key events in acrylamide (ACR) acute neurotoxicity are the formation of adducts with nucleophilic sulfhydryl groups on cysteine residues of selected proteins in the synaptic terminals and the depletion of the glutathione (GSx) stores in neural tissue. The use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been recently proposed as a potential antidote against ACR neurotoxicity, as this chemical is not only a well-known precursor of the reduced form of glutathione (GSH), but also is an scavenger of soft electrophiles such as ACR. In this study, the suitability of 0.3 and 0.75 mM NAC to protect against the neurotoxic effect of 0.75 mM ACR has been testedin vivoin adult zebrafish. NAC provided only a mild to negligible protection against the changes induced by ACR in the motor function, behavior, transcriptome and proteome. The permeability of NAC to cross blood-brain barrier (BBB) was assessed, as well as the ACR-scavenging activity and the gamma-glutamyl-cysteine ligase (γ-GCL) and acylase I activities. The results show that ACR not only depletes GSx levels but also inhibits it synthesis from NAC/cysteine, having a dramatic effect over the glutathione system. Moreover, results indicate a very low NAC uptake to the brain, probably by a combination of low BBB permeability and high deacylation of NAC during the intestinal absorption. These results strongly suggest that the use of NAC is not indicated in ACR acute neurotoxicity treatment.
Melissa Faria; Eva Prats; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Chuan-Yu Hsu; Mark A. Arick; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Manuel Orozco; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Tamar Ziv; Shani Ben-Lulu; Arie Admon; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. Therapeutic potential of N-acetylcysteine in acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 1 -11.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Eva Prats, Cristian Gómez-Canela, Chuan-Yu Hsu, Mark A. Arick, Juliette Bedrossiantz, Manuel Orozco, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Tamar Ziv, Shani Ben-Lulu, Arie Admon, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Demetrio Raldúa. Therapeutic potential of N-acetylcysteine in acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish. Scientific Reports. 2019; 9 (1):1-11.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Eva Prats; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Chuan-Yu Hsu; Mark A. Arick; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Manuel Orozco; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Tamar Ziv; Shani Ben-Lulu; Arie Admon; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. 2019. "Therapeutic potential of N-acetylcysteine in acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish." Scientific Reports 9, no. 1: 1-11.
Occupational, accidental, or suicidal exposure to acrylamide (ACR) may result in a neurotoxic syndrome. Development of animal models of acrylamide neurotoxicity is necessary for increasing our mechanistic understanding of this syndrome and developing more effective therapies. A new model for acute ACR neurotoxicity has been recently developed in adult zebrafish. Whereas the results of the initial characterization were really promising, a further characterization is needed for testing the construct validity of the model. In this study, the presence of gait abnormalities has been investigated by using ZebraGait, software specifically designed to analyze the kinematics of fish swimming in a water tunnel. The results of the kinematic analyses demonstrated that the model exhibits mild-to-moderate gait abnormalities. Moreover, the model exhibited negative scototaxis, a result confirming a phenotype of anxiety comorbid with depression phenotype. Interestingly, depletion of the reduced glutathione levels was found in the brain without a concomitant increase in oxidative stress. Finally, hypolocomotion and positive geotaxis exhibited by this model were fully recovered 5 days after transferring the fish to clean fish-water. All this data support the validity of the ACR acute neurotoxicity model developed in adult zebrafish.
Melissa Faria; Arnau Valls; Eva Prats; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Manuel Orozco; Josep M. Porta; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. Further characterization of the zebrafish model of acrylamide acute neurotoxicity: gait abnormalities and oxidative stress. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 7075 .
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Arnau Valls, Eva Prats, Juliette Bedrossiantz, Manuel Orozco, Josep M. Porta, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Demetrio Raldúa. Further characterization of the zebrafish model of acrylamide acute neurotoxicity: gait abnormalities and oxidative stress. Scientific Reports. 2019; 9 (1):7075.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Arnau Valls; Eva Prats; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Manuel Orozco; Josep M. Porta; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. 2019. "Further characterization of the zebrafish model of acrylamide acute neurotoxicity: gait abnormalities and oxidative stress." Scientific Reports 9, no. 1: 7075.
The escape response evoked by vibrational stimuli and its habituation, essential behaviors for fish larvae survival, can be altered by neurotoxic environmental pollutants commonly found in our aquatic ecosystems. In this study we have analyzed the suitability of the Vibrational Startle Response Assay (VSRA) to obtain mechanistic information about the mode of action (MoA) of the chemicals impairing the escape response and its habituation. As a proof of concept, the pathophysiological mechanisms behind the action of two common neurotoxic pesticides, chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO) and imidacloprid, over their effects on arousal and habituation of the escape response were studied by using pharmacological antagonists of the nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, mecamylamine (MCA) and scopolamine, respectively. Furthermore, potential changes in the neurotransmitter profile were analyzed. Results revealed that whereas the effect of CPO on arousal was mainly mediated by the activation of nAChRs, its effect on habituation was mainly mediated by mAChRs. On the other hand, imidacloprid only affected larvae arousal which was found to be mediated by a cholinergic independent mechanism. No association between behavioral effects on arousal or habituation in affected larvae was found with their corresponding neurotransmitter profile. These results confirm the suitability of VSRA to provide mechanistic information about the potential MoA of neuroactive compounds.
Melissa Faria; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Eva Prats; Xavier Rovira Garcia; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Benjamin Piña; Demetrio Raldúa. Deciphering the mode of action of pollutants impairing the fish larvae escape response with the vibrational startle response assay. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 672, 121 -128.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Juliette Bedrossiantz, Eva Prats, Xavier Rovira Garcia, Cristian Gómez-Canela, Benjamin Piña, Demetrio Raldúa. Deciphering the mode of action of pollutants impairing the fish larvae escape response with the vibrational startle response assay. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 672 ():121-128.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Eva Prats; Xavier Rovira Garcia; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Benjamin Piña; Demetrio Raldúa. 2019. "Deciphering the mode of action of pollutants impairing the fish larvae escape response with the vibrational startle response assay." Science of The Total Environment 672, no. : 121-128.
The present paper describes the vibrational startle response assay (VSRA), a new robust, simple and automated in vivo medium- to high-throughput procedure for assessment of the escape response and its habituation in zebrafish larvae. Such behaviors enable fish larvae to escape from predator strikes in aquatic ecosystems. The assay is based on measuring the distance moved by each larva during the startle response evoked by repetitive vibrational stimuli. The iterative reduction observed in the response to a series of tapping stimulus in VSRA met the main criteria of habituation. Subsequently, the analysis of concordance using a battery of neuroactive compounds modulating different neurotransmitter systems demonstrated that the results of VSRA are highly predictive of the effects on other vertebrates. Finally, as a proof of concept, VSRA was used to test two relevant environmental pollutants at different concentrations. The results demonstrated that VSRA is suitable for concentration-response analysis of environmental pollutants, opening the possibility to determine the potency and the associated hazard of impaired escape response for the different compounds. Therefore, we suggest that VSRA could be a valuable tool for screening of chemical compounds capable of compromising predator avoidance behavior.
Melissa Faria; Eva Prats; Karen Adriana Novoa-Luna; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. Development of a vibrational startle response assay for screening environmental pollutants and drugs impairing predator avoidance. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 650, 87 -96.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Eva Prats, Karen Adriana Novoa-Luna, Juliette Bedrossiantz, Cristian Gómez-Canela, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Demetrio Raldúa. Development of a vibrational startle response assay for screening environmental pollutants and drugs impairing predator avoidance. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 650 ():87-96.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Eva Prats; Karen Adriana Novoa-Luna; Juliette Bedrossiantz; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. 2018. "Development of a vibrational startle response assay for screening environmental pollutants and drugs impairing predator avoidance." Science of The Total Environment 650, no. : 87-96.
The Ebro Delta (NE Spain), formed by two bays, northern and southern hemidelta, is an area mainly devoted to rice farming. As a result shellfish species inhabiting or cultured in nearby bays may become increasingly threatened by exposure to pollutants associated to agriculture. The latest product applied in the rice fields is a plant based molluscicide called saponin, used to control populations of the giant apple snail (GAS). Saponins are known to also affect other organisms, hence research of its toxicity towards non target species is needed. In this study, mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to three concentrations of suspended solid pellets containing saponin extracts from the plant species Camellia sinensis. Effects across a large set of biochemical markers were investigated in the digestive gland and gill tissue of exposed mussels to saponin for 1 and 7 days. In addition, crude saponin was extracted from solid pellets to confirm its correct concentration. Results obtained from this study, showed that the concentration of crude saponin in dry pellets was of 5.5%. Lethal levels of saponin were 3.2 fold higher than the maximal predicted field concentration, and activated respiratory metabolism and expression of transmembrane protein transporters. Mussels, exposed to sub lethal concentrations of saponin showed increase of antioxidant defenses.
Melissa Faria; Amadeu M.V.M. Soares; Nuno Caiola; Carlos Barata. Effects of Camellia sinensis crude saponin on survival and biochemical markers of oxidative stress and multixenobiotic resistance of the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 625, 1467 -1475.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares, Nuno Caiola, Carlos Barata. Effects of Camellia sinensis crude saponin on survival and biochemical markers of oxidative stress and multixenobiotic resistance of the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 625 ():1467-1475.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Amadeu M.V.M. Soares; Nuno Caiola; Carlos Barata. 2018. "Effects of Camellia sinensis crude saponin on survival and biochemical markers of oxidative stress and multixenobiotic resistance of the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis." Science of The Total Environment 625, no. : 1467-1475.
Acute exposure to acrylamide (ACR), a type-2 alkene, may lead to a ataxia, skeletal muscles weakness and numbness of the extremities in human and laboratory animals. In the present manuscript, ACR acute neurotoxicity has been characterized in adult zebrafish, a vertebrate model increasingly used in human neuropharmacology and toxicology research. At behavioral level, ACR-treated animals exhibited “depression-like” phenotype comorbid with anxiety behavior. At transcriptional level, ACR induced down-regulation of regeneration-associated genes and up-regulation of oligodendrocytes and reactive astrocytes markers, altering also the expression of genes involved in the presynaptic vesicle cycling. ACR induced also significant changes in zebrafish brain proteome and formed adducts with selected cysteine residues of specific proteins, some of them essential for the presynaptic function. Finally, the metabolomics analysis shows a depletion in the monoamine neurotransmitters, consistent with the comorbid depression and anxiety disorder, in the brain of the exposed fish.
Melissa Faria; Tamar Ziv; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Shani Ben-Lulu; Eva Prats; Karen Adriana Novoa-Luna; Arie Admon; Benjamin Piña; Romà Tauler; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. Acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish. Scientific Reports 2018, 8, 1 -14.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Tamar Ziv, Cristian Gómez-Canela, Shani Ben-Lulu, Eva Prats, Karen Adriana Novoa-Luna, Arie Admon, Benjamin Piña, Romà Tauler, Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván, Demetrio Raldúa. Acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish. Scientific Reports. 2018; 8 (1):1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Tamar Ziv; Cristian Gómez-Canela; Shani Ben-Lulu; Eva Prats; Karen Adriana Novoa-Luna; Arie Admon; Benjamin Piña; Romà Tauler; Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván; Demetrio Raldúa. 2018. "Acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish." Scientific Reports 8, no. 1: 1-14.
Acute organophosphorus (OP) intoxication is a worldwide clinical and public health problem. In addition to cholinergic crisis, neurodegeneration and brain damage are hallmarks of the severe form of this toxidrome. Recently, we generated a chemical model of severe acute OP intoxication in zebrafish that is characterized by altered head morphology and brain degeneration. The pathophysiological pathways resulting in brain toxicity in this model are similar to those described in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive power of this zebrafish model by testing the effect of a panel of drugs that provide protection in mammalian models. The selected drugs included “standard therapy” drugs (atropine and pralidoxime), reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (huperzine A, galantamine, physostigmine and pyridostigmine), N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists (MK-801 and memantine), dual-function NMDA receptor and acetylcholine receptor antagonists (caramiphen and benactyzine) and anti-inflammatory drugs (dexamethasone and ibuprofen). The effects of these drugs on zebrafish survival and the prevalence of abnormal head morphology in the larvae exposed to 4 µM chlorpyrifos oxon [1 × median lethal concentration (LC50)] were determined. Moreover, the neuroprotective effects of pralidoxime, memantine, caramiphen and dexamethasone at the gross morphological level were confirmed by histopathological and transcriptional analyses. Our results demonstrated that the zebrafish model for severe acute OP intoxication has a high predictive value and can be used to identify new compounds that provide neuroprotection against severe acute OP intoxication.
Melissa Faria; Eva Prats; Francesc Padrós; Amadeu Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. Zebrafish is a predictive model for identifying compounds that protect against brain toxicity in severe acute organophosphorus intoxication. Archives of Toxicology 2016, 91, 1891 -1901.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Eva Prats, Francesc Padrós, Amadeu Soares, Demetrio Raldúa. Zebrafish is a predictive model for identifying compounds that protect against brain toxicity in severe acute organophosphorus intoxication. Archives of Toxicology. 2016; 91 (4):1891-1901.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Eva Prats; Francesc Padrós; Amadeu Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. 2016. "Zebrafish is a predictive model for identifying compounds that protect against brain toxicity in severe acute organophosphorus intoxication." Archives of Toxicology 91, no. 4: 1891-1901.
Melissa Faria; Vasiliy Pavlichenko; Kathleen Burkhardt-Medicke; Amadeu Soares; Rolf Altenburger; Carlos Barata; Till Luckenbach. Corrigendum to “Use of a combined effect model approach for discriminating between ABCB1- and ABCC1-type efflux activities in native bivalve gill tissue” [Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. (2016) 56–67]. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2016, 303, 110 .
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Vasiliy Pavlichenko, Kathleen Burkhardt-Medicke, Amadeu Soares, Rolf Altenburger, Carlos Barata, Till Luckenbach. Corrigendum to “Use of a combined effect model approach for discriminating between ABCB1- and ABCC1-type efflux activities in native bivalve gill tissue” [Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. (2016) 56–67]. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 2016; 303 ():110.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Vasiliy Pavlichenko; Kathleen Burkhardt-Medicke; Amadeu Soares; Rolf Altenburger; Carlos Barata; Till Luckenbach. 2016. "Corrigendum to “Use of a combined effect model approach for discriminating between ABCB1- and ABCC1-type efflux activities in native bivalve gill tissue” [Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. (2016) 56–67]." Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 303, no. : 110.
The rivers and streams of the world are becoming saltier due to human activities. In spite of the potential damage that salt pollution can cause on freshwater ecosystems, this is an issue that is currently poorly managed. Here we explored intraspecific differences in the sensitivity of freshwater fauna to two major ions (Cl− and SO42 −) using the net-spinning caddisfly Hydropsyche exocellata Dufour 1841 (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae) as a model organism. We exposed H. exocellata to saline solutions (reaching a conductivity of 2.5 mS cm− 1) with Cl−:SO42 − ratios similar to those occurring in effluents coming from the meat, mining and paper industries, which release dissolved salts to rivers and streams in Spain. We used two different populations, coming from low and high conductivity streams. To assess toxicity, we measured sub-lethal endpoints: locomotion, symmetry of the food-capturing nets and oxidative stress biomarkers. According to biomarkers and net building, the population historically exposed to lower conductivities (B10) showed higher levels of stress than the population historically exposed to higher conductivities (L102). However, the differences between populations were not strong. For example, net symmetry was lower in the B10 than in the L102 only 48 h after treatment was applied, and biomarkers showed a variety of responses, with no discernable pattern. Also, treatment effects were rather weak, i.e. only some endpoints, and in most cases only in the B10 population, showed a significant response to treatment. The lack of consistent differences between populations and treatments could be related to the high salt tolerance of H. exocellata, since both populations were collected from streams with relatively high conductivities. The sub-lethal effects tested in this study can offer an interesting and promising tool to monitor freshwater salinization by combining physiological and behavioural bioindicators.
Miquel Sala; Melissa Faria; Ignacio Sarasúa; Carlos Barata; Núria Bonada; Sandra Brucet; Laia Llenas; Sergio Ponsa; Narcís Prat; Amadeu Soares; Miguel Cañedo-Arguelles. Chloride and sulphate toxicity to Hydropsyche exocellata (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae): Exploring intraspecific variation and sub-lethal endpoints. Science of The Total Environment 2016, 566-567, 1032 -1041.
AMA StyleMiquel Sala, Melissa Faria, Ignacio Sarasúa, Carlos Barata, Núria Bonada, Sandra Brucet, Laia Llenas, Sergio Ponsa, Narcís Prat, Amadeu Soares, Miguel Cañedo-Arguelles. Chloride and sulphate toxicity to Hydropsyche exocellata (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae): Exploring intraspecific variation and sub-lethal endpoints. Science of The Total Environment. 2016; 566-567 ():1032-1041.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMiquel Sala; Melissa Faria; Ignacio Sarasúa; Carlos Barata; Núria Bonada; Sandra Brucet; Laia Llenas; Sergio Ponsa; Narcís Prat; Amadeu Soares; Miguel Cañedo-Arguelles. 2016. "Chloride and sulphate toxicity to Hydropsyche exocellata (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae): Exploring intraspecific variation and sub-lethal endpoints." Science of The Total Environment 566-567, no. : 1032-1041.
Zebrafish models for mild, moderate, and severe acute organophosphorus poisoning were previously developed by exposing zebrafish larvae to chlopyrifos-oxon. The phenotype of these models was characterized at several levels of biological organization. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction were found to be involved in the development of the more severe phenotype. Here we used targeted gene expression to understand the dose-responsiveness of those two pathways and their involvement on generating the different zebrafish models. As the severe phenotype is irreversible after only 3 h of exposure, we also analyzed the response of the oxidative stress pathway at 3 and 24 h. Some of the genes related to oxidative stress were already differentially expressed at 3 h. There was an increase in differentially expressed genes related to both oxidative stress and mitochondrial function from the more mild to the more severe phenotype, suggesting the involvement of these mechanisms in increasing phenotype severity. Temporal data suggest that peroxynitrite leading to lipid peroxidation might be involved in phenotype transition and irreversibility.
Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Lynn Escalon; Eva Prats; Melissa Faria; Amadeu Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. Targeted Gene Expression in Zebrafish Exposed to Chlorpyrifos-Oxon Confirms Phenotype-Specific Mechanisms Leading to Adverse Outcomes. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 2016, 96, 707 -713.
AMA StyleNatàlia Garcia-Reyero, Lynn Escalon, Eva Prats, Melissa Faria, Amadeu Soares, Demetrio Raldúa. Targeted Gene Expression in Zebrafish Exposed to Chlorpyrifos-Oxon Confirms Phenotype-Specific Mechanisms Leading to Adverse Outcomes. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 2016; 96 (6):707-713.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNatàlia Garcia-Reyero; Lynn Escalon; Eva Prats; Melissa Faria; Amadeu Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. 2016. "Targeted Gene Expression in Zebrafish Exposed to Chlorpyrifos-Oxon Confirms Phenotype-Specific Mechanisms Leading to Adverse Outcomes." Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 96, no. 6: 707-713.
Highlights•Sequences and function of ABC efflux transporters in bivalve gills were explored.•Full length Dreissena polymorpha abcb1 and abcc1 cDNA sequences were identified.•A mixture effect design with inhibitors was applied in transporter activity assays.•ABCB1- and ABCC-type efflux activities were distinguished in native gill tissue.•Inhibitory action of environmental chemicals targeted ABCB1-type efflux activity. AbstractAquatic organisms, such as bivalves, employ ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters for efflux of potentially toxic chemicals. Anthropogenic water contaminants can, as chemosensitizers, disrupt efflux transporter function enabling other, putatively toxic compounds to enter the organism. Applying rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR we identified complete cDNAs encoding ABCB1- and ABCC1-type transporter homologs from zebra mussel providing the molecular basis for expression of both transporter types in zebra mussel gills. Further, efflux activities of both transporter types in gills were indicated with dye accumulation assays where efflux of the dye calcein-am was sensitive to both ABCB1- (reversin 205, verapamil) and ABCC1- (MK571) type specific inhibitors. The assumption that different inhibitors targeted different efflux pump types was confirmed when comparing measured effects of binary inhibitor compound mixtures in dye accumulation assays with predictions from mixture effect models. Effects by the MK571/reversin 205 mixture corresponded better with independent action, whereas reversin 205/verapamil joint effects were better predicted by the concentration addition model indicating different and equal targets, respectively. The binary mixture approach was further applied to identify the efflux pump type targeted by environmentally relevant chemosensitizing compounds. Pentachlorophenol and musk ketone, which were selected after a pre-screen of twelve compounds that previously had been identified as chemosensitizers, showed mixture effects that corresponded better with concentration addition when combined with reversine 205 but with independent action predictions when combined with MK571 indicating targeting of an ABCB1-type efflux pump by these compounds.
Melissa Faria; Vasiliy Pavlichenko; Kathleen Burkhardt-Medicke; Amadeu M.V.M. Soares; Rolf Altenburger; Carlos Barata; Till Luckenbach. Use of a combined effect model approach for discriminating between ABCB1- and ABCC1-type efflux activities in native bivalve gill tissue. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2016, 297, 56 -67.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Vasiliy Pavlichenko, Kathleen Burkhardt-Medicke, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares, Rolf Altenburger, Carlos Barata, Till Luckenbach. Use of a combined effect model approach for discriminating between ABCB1- and ABCC1-type efflux activities in native bivalve gill tissue. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 2016; 297 ():56-67.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Vasiliy Pavlichenko; Kathleen Burkhardt-Medicke; Amadeu M.V.M. Soares; Rolf Altenburger; Carlos Barata; Till Luckenbach. 2016. "Use of a combined effect model approach for discriminating between ABCB1- and ABCC1-type efflux activities in native bivalve gill tissue." Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 297, no. : 56-67.
Scientific Reports 5 : Article number: 15591 10.1038/srep15591 ; published online: 22 October 2015 ; updated: 07 January 2016 .
Melissa Faria; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Francesc Padrós; Patrick Babin; David Sebastián; Jérôme Cachot; Eva Prats; Mark Arick; Eduardo Rial; Anja Knoll-Gellida; Guilaine Mathieu; Florane Le Bihanic; B. Lynn Escalon; Antonio Zorzano; Amadeu Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. Correction: Corrigendum: Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning. Scientific Reports 2016, 6, 17244 .
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Francesc Padrós, Patrick Babin, David Sebastián, Jérôme Cachot, Eva Prats, Mark Arick, Eduardo Rial, Anja Knoll-Gellida, Guilaine Mathieu, Florane Le Bihanic, B. Lynn Escalon, Antonio Zorzano, Amadeu Soares, Demetrio Raldúa. Correction: Corrigendum: Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning. Scientific Reports. 2016; 6 (1):17244.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Francesc Padrós; Patrick Babin; David Sebastián; Jérôme Cachot; Eva Prats; Mark Arick; Eduardo Rial; Anja Knoll-Gellida; Guilaine Mathieu; Florane Le Bihanic; B. Lynn Escalon; Antonio Zorzano; Amadeu Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. 2016. "Correction: Corrigendum: Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning." Scientific Reports 6, no. 1: 17244.
Human activities have greatly increased the salt concentration of the world's rivers, and this might be amplified by water scarcity in the future. While the lethal effects of salinity have been documented for a wide variety of stream invertebrates, the sub-lethal effects (i.e. changes in biological condition without mortality) are not deeply understood yet. One important sub-lethal effect that has yet to be investigated is changes in predation efficiency, which could trigger cascade effects associated to the abundance of herbivorous invertebrates that control algae biomass. In this study we combined the use of biomarkers with community-level data in a stream mesocosm to evaluate the potential cascade effect of increased salinity on the trophic food web. Both predation and salt treatments had an effect on the aquatic invertebrate abundance, richness and community composition. The presence of predators had a clear cascade effect, it reduced herbivorous invertebrate abundance and richness leading to higher chlorophyll a concentrations. The salt treatment significantly reduced taxa richness, but only in the gravel bed. The predators were significantly stressed by salt addition, as shown by the different analyzed biomarkers. Concordantly, in the presence of predators, Tanytarsini registered higher abundances and chlorophyll a showed a lower concentration when salt was added. However, none of these changes was significant. Therefore, although salt addition significantly stressed Dina lineata, our results suggest that a longer exposure time is needed to fully capture cascading effects (e.g. a decrease in chlorophyll a due to a relaxation of predation on herbivorous invertebrates). We suggest that the potential cascade effects of salinization need to be evaluated when addressing the impacts of water scarcity (as caused by climate change and increasing water demand) on river ecosystems, since flow reductions will lead to higher salt concentrations.
Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles; Miquel Sala; Gabriela Peixoto; Miquel Sala Prat; Melissa Faria; Amadeu M.V.M. Soares; Carlos Barata; Ben Kefford. Can salinity trigger cascade effects on streams? A mesocosm approach. Science of The Total Environment 2016, 540, 3 -10.
AMA StyleMiguel Cañedo-Argüelles, Miquel Sala, Gabriela Peixoto, Miquel Sala Prat, Melissa Faria, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares, Carlos Barata, Ben Kefford. Can salinity trigger cascade effects on streams? A mesocosm approach. Science of The Total Environment. 2016; 540 ():3-10.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMiguel Cañedo-Argüelles; Miquel Sala; Gabriela Peixoto; Miquel Sala Prat; Melissa Faria; Amadeu M.V.M. Soares; Carlos Barata; Ben Kefford. 2016. "Can salinity trigger cascade effects on streams? A mesocosm approach." Science of The Total Environment 540, no. : 3-10.
Terrorist use of organophosphorus-based nerve agents and toxic industrial chemicals against civilian populations constitutes a real threat, as demonstrated by the terrorist attacks in Japan in the 1990 s or, even more recently, in the Syrian civil war. Thus, development of more effective countermeasures against acute organophosphorus poisoning is urgently needed. Here, we have generated and validated zebrafish models for mild, moderate and severe acute organophosphorus poisoning by exposing zebrafish larvae to different concentrations of the prototypic organophosphorus compound chlorpyrifos-oxon. Our results show that zebrafish models mimic most of the pathophysiological mechanisms behind this toxidrome in humans, including acetylcholinesterase inhibition, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation and calcium dysregulation as well as inflammatory and immune responses. The suitability of the zebrafish larvae to in vivo high-throughput screenings of small molecule libraries makes these models a valuable tool for identifying new drugs for multifunctional drug therapy against acute organophosphorus poisoning.
Melissa Faria; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Francesc Padrós; Patrick Babin; David Sebastián; Jérôme Cachot; Eva Prats; Mark Arick; Eduardo Rial; Anja Knoll-Gellida; Guilaine Mathieu; Florane Le Bihanic; B. Lynn Escalon; Antonio Zorzano; Amadeu M. V. M Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning. Scientific Reports 2015, 5, 15591 .
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Francesc Padrós, Patrick Babin, David Sebastián, Jérôme Cachot, Eva Prats, Mark Arick, Eduardo Rial, Anja Knoll-Gellida, Guilaine Mathieu, Florane Le Bihanic, B. Lynn Escalon, Antonio Zorzano, Amadeu M. V. M Soares, Demetrio Raldúa. Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning. Scientific Reports. 2015; 5 (1):15591.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Natàlia Garcia-Reyero; Francesc Padrós; Patrick Babin; David Sebastián; Jérôme Cachot; Eva Prats; Mark Arick; Eduardo Rial; Anja Knoll-Gellida; Guilaine Mathieu; Florane Le Bihanic; B. Lynn Escalon; Antonio Zorzano; Amadeu M. V. M Soares; Demetrio Raldúa. 2015. "Zebrafish Models for Human Acute Organophosphorus Poisoning." Scientific Reports 5, no. 1: 15591.
The transcriptional response of adult zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) to heavy metals (mercury, copper, and cadmium) was analyzed by quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) to study the coordinated regulation of different metal-, oxidative stress- and xenobiotic defence-related genes in gills and digestive gland. Regulatory network analyses allowed the comparison of this response between different species and taxa. Chemometric analyses allowed identifying the effects of these metals clearly separating control and treated samples of both tissues. Interactions between the different genes, either in the same or between both tissues, were analysed to identify correlations and to propose stress-related genes’ regulatory networks. These networks were finally compared with existing data from human, mouse, zebrafish, Drosophila and the roundworm to evaluate their mechanistically-known response to metals (and to stressors in general) with the correlations observed in the still poorly-known, invasive zebra mussel. Our analyses found a general conservation of regulation genes and of their interactions among the different considered species, and may serve as a guide to extrapolate regulatory data from model species to lesser-known environmentally (or medically) relevant species.
Joaquim Jaumot; Anna Navarro; Melissa Faria; Carlos Barata; Romà Tauler; Benjamín Piña. qRT-PCR evaluation of the transcriptional response of zebra mussel to heavy metals. BMC Genomics 2015, 16, 1 -16.
AMA StyleJoaquim Jaumot, Anna Navarro, Melissa Faria, Carlos Barata, Romà Tauler, Benjamín Piña. qRT-PCR evaluation of the transcriptional response of zebra mussel to heavy metals. BMC Genomics. 2015; 16 (1):1-16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoaquim Jaumot; Anna Navarro; Melissa Faria; Carlos Barata; Romà Tauler; Benjamín Piña. 2015. "qRT-PCR evaluation of the transcriptional response of zebra mussel to heavy metals." BMC Genomics 16, no. 1: 1-16.
Melissa Faria; Jose M. Navas; Amadeu Soares; Carlos Barata. Corrigendum to “Oxidative stress effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticle aggregates in zebrafish” [Sci. Total Environ. Volumes 470–471, 1 February 2014, Pages 379–389]. Science of The Total Environment 2015, 512-513, 686 -686.
AMA StyleMelissa Faria, Jose M. Navas, Amadeu Soares, Carlos Barata. Corrigendum to “Oxidative stress effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticle aggregates in zebrafish” [Sci. Total Environ. Volumes 470–471, 1 February 2014, Pages 379–389]. Science of The Total Environment. 2015; 512-513 ():686-686.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelissa Faria; Jose M. Navas; Amadeu Soares; Carlos Barata. 2015. "Corrigendum to “Oxidative stress effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticle aggregates in zebrafish” [Sci. Total Environ. Volumes 470–471, 1 February 2014, Pages 379–389]." Science of The Total Environment 512-513, no. : 686-686.