Publicação

Molecular and cellular alterations caused by environmental genotoxicants on the regenerative ability of marine species

Ver documento

Detalhes bibliográficos
Resumo:In recent years, regenerative medicine has emerged as a rapidly advancing field within biomedicine, aiming to develop innovative treatments to overcome the limitations of conventional surgical and therapeutic approaches. While humans possess limited regenerative capacities, other species have the ability to regenerate their whole body, like planarians and sea anemones. Several internal and external factors influence the regeneration process, including chemical stressors, such as carcinogenic com- pounds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants that represent a threat to both environment and human health, with benzo[α]pyrene, being a well-known carcinogenic model of this group. The main objective of this thesis was to evaluate whether pollution can have a significant impact on the regeneration process, and to translate this knowledge into new perspectives for humans health. Upon exposure to 100ng/L of B[α]P, planarians (Leptoplana tremellaris) exhibited high mortality, how- ever, a greater regeneration success in the head fragment regenerating the tail was observed. In sea anemones (Actinia equina) exposed to two concentrations of B[α]P (10 and 100 ng/L of B[α]P), exhib- ited histopathological alterations. Metabolic activation B[α]P led to a slight increase in the activity of biochemical stress markers (GST, SOD) in the group exposed to the higher concentration. The exposure to B[α]P resulted in DNA damage, which in turn activated a P53 response, consequently leading to cell death. Evidences of DNA damage and cell death were observed through comet assay and histopatho- logical analysis of the tentacles. The present work showed that pollutants that interfere with cell cycle and differentiation can hinder regeneration. However, the relatively high sensitivity to B[α]P, reduced genomic resources and knowledge gaps in the physiology of marine invertebrates must the addressed.
Autores principais:Abreu, Mariana Guerreiro
Assunto:Carcinogenic compound Regeneration Benzo[α]pyrene Actinia equina Leptoplana tremellaris DNA damage
Ano:2025
País:Portugal
Tipo de documento:dissertação de mestrado
Tipo de acesso:acesso aberto
Instituição associada:Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Idioma:inglês
Origem:Repositório Institucional da UNL
Descrição
Resumo:In recent years, regenerative medicine has emerged as a rapidly advancing field within biomedicine, aiming to develop innovative treatments to overcome the limitations of conventional surgical and therapeutic approaches. While humans possess limited regenerative capacities, other species have the ability to regenerate their whole body, like planarians and sea anemones. Several internal and external factors influence the regeneration process, including chemical stressors, such as carcinogenic com- pounds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants that represent a threat to both environment and human health, with benzo[α]pyrene, being a well-known carcinogenic model of this group. The main objective of this thesis was to evaluate whether pollution can have a significant impact on the regeneration process, and to translate this knowledge into new perspectives for humans health. Upon exposure to 100ng/L of B[α]P, planarians (Leptoplana tremellaris) exhibited high mortality, how- ever, a greater regeneration success in the head fragment regenerating the tail was observed. In sea anemones (Actinia equina) exposed to two concentrations of B[α]P (10 and 100 ng/L of B[α]P), exhib- ited histopathological alterations. Metabolic activation B[α]P led to a slight increase in the activity of biochemical stress markers (GST, SOD) in the group exposed to the higher concentration. The exposure to B[α]P resulted in DNA damage, which in turn activated a P53 response, consequently leading to cell death. Evidences of DNA damage and cell death were observed through comet assay and histopatho- logical analysis of the tentacles. The present work showed that pollutants that interfere with cell cycle and differentiation can hinder regeneration. However, the relatively high sensitivity to B[α]P, reduced genomic resources and knowledge gaps in the physiology of marine invertebrates must the addressed.