In Vitro Effects of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins and Lytic Extracellular Compounds Produced by <i>Alexandrium</i> Strains on Hemocyte Integrity and Function in <i>Mytilus edulis</i>

• Main Authors: Virginia Angélica Bianchi, Ulf Bickmeyer, Urban Tillmann, Bernd Krock, Annegret Müller, Doris Abele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Toxins
• Subjects: neurotoxins; bioactive extracellular compounds; immune response; blue mussel
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/13/8/544

Harmful effects caused by the exposure to paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) and bioactive extracellular compounds (BECs) on bivalves are frequently difficult to attribute to one or the other compound group. We evaluate and compare the distinct effects of PSTs extracted from <i>Alexandrium catenella</i> (Alex5) cells and extracellular lytic compounds (LCs) produced by <i>A. tamarense</i> (NX-57-08) on <i>Mytilus edulis</i> hemocytes. We used a 4 h dose–response in vitro approach and analyzed how these effects correlate with those observed in a previous in vivo feeding assay. Both bioactive compounds caused moderated cell death (10–15%), being dose-dependent for PST-exposed hemocytes. PSTs stimulated phagocytic activity at low doses, with a moderate incidence in lysosomal damage (30–50%) at all tested doses. LCs caused a dose-dependent impairment of phagocytic activity (up to 80%) and damage to lysosomal membranes (up to 90%). PSTs and LCs suppressed cellular ROS production and scavenged H₂O₂ in in vitro assays. Neither PSTs nor LCs affected the mitochondrial membrane potential in hemocytes. In vitro effects of PST extracts on <i>M. edulis</i> hemocytes were consistent with our previous study on in vivo exposure to PST-producing algae, while for LCs, in vivo and in vitro results were not as consistent.