Publication details
Valutazione ecotossicologica di inquinamento da cadmio: comparazione delle risposte su Bombyx mori e su Galleria mellonella.
| Title in English | Ecotoxicological assessment of pollution by cadmium: comparison of responses on Bombyx mori and Galleria mellonella. |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The ecotoxicological assessment is one of the current topics for discussion and deepening in the scientific world in anticipation of a more accurate determination of the limits of environmental sustainability. To date, studies have been conducted in this regard mainly on earthworms, crustaceans, mussels and snails, while only a few insect species have been used for this purpose. This paper aims to provide preliminary results of the assay applied to the determination of metallothioneins Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Silkworms and wax moths have been used as models because of easy manipulation and management in the laboratory. The survey aims to compare the responses of a biomarker of exposure (metallothioneins), relief of a heavy metal (cadmium), having the intent to extend this experience to other biomarkers, other insect species and under natural conditions. The silkworm and the wax moth have been subjected to an artificial diet specific to allow their regular larval development. The diet was contaminated with cadmium acetate to have two different concentrations of cadmium: 10 and 100 ug . g-1. For each treatment and control were set up three replicates. Six IV instar larvae of B. mori and six V instar larvae of G. mellonella were exposed to the contaminated diet for 5 and 6 days respectively, to 29 +- 1 C and 60 +- 5% RH. After exposure, the larvae have been started in the determination of metallothioneins. The larvae of B. mori were viable until the end of the test and the content of metallothioneins was significantly higher in the treatments with 10 ug . g-1 of Cd (14.4 +- 8.5 nmol / mL) and 100 ug . g-1Cd (19.4 +- 0.5 nmol / mL) compared with control (2.3 +- 0.2 nmol / mL); the larvae of G. mellonella were viable until the end of the test too and the content of metallothioneins was significantly higher in the treatments with 10 ug . g-1 of Cd (19.9 +- 1.8 nmol / mL) and 100 ug . g-1 Cd (20.4 +- 2.4 nmol / mL) compared with control (12.1 +- 1.7 nmol / mL). Therefore, the sensitivity to Cd by the populations of two insect species tested was similar. A significant change in the content of metallothioneins was observed in both treatments than the control while the effect of dose-dependency between the two treatments was not statistically significant. |