Cadmium detoxification processes in the digestive gland of cephalopods in relation to accumulated cadmium concentrations

• Published in: Marine Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Bustamante, Paco, Cosson, Richard, P., Gallien, Isabelle, Caurant, Florence, Miramand, Pierre
• Other Authors: Centre de Recherche sur les Ecosystèmes Littoraux Anthropisés (CRELA), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Biologie Marine, Université de Nantes (UN)-ISOMer
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2002
• Subjects: cephalopods; cadmium; metallothionein; detoxification; [SDV.TOX.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Toxicology/Ecotoxicology; Faroe Islands
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00186609; https://hal.science/hal-00186609/document; https://hal.science/hal-00186609/file/Bustamante_et_al._2002.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0141-1136(01)00108-8

International audience The high concentrations of cadmium recorded in the digestive gland of cephalopods from various temperate and subpolar waters suggest that these molluscs have developed efficient cadmium detoxification mechanisms. The subcellular distribution of cadmium in the digestive gland cells was investigated in seven cephalopod species from the Bay of Biscay (France) and the Faroe Islands. In most species, cadmium was mainly found in the cytosolic fraction of the digestive gland cells, reaching up to 86% of the total cadmium for the squid Loligo vulgaris from the Bay of Biscay. But species with the highest total level of cadmium showed a higher percentage of cadmium associated to insoluble compounds. The quantification of metallothioneins (MTs) by the polarographic method was performed in order to evaluate the involvement of these proteins in the detoxification of the high amounts of bioaccumulated cadmium. Metallothionein levels in cephalopods ranged form 742 ± 270 to 3478 ± 1572 µg/g wwt. No relationship could be established between total cadmium, cytosolic cadmium and MT levels suggesting the occurrence of other Cd-binding ligands. Although these proteins have not been characterised, as cadmium in the digestive gland of cephalopods is mainly associated with soluble ligands, a high potential transfer to predators can be predicted.