University of Padua

Gianfranco Santovito (2025) FROM GENES TO ORGANS: PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SQUALIUS CEPHALUS TO CHRONIC PFAS POLLUTION

Santovito, Gianfranco (2025) Gianfranco Santovito (2025) FROM GENES TO ORGANS: PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SQUALIUS CEPHALUS TO CHRONIC PFAS POLLUTION. [Data Collection]

Collection description

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread anthropogenic contaminants known to the scientific community for their persistence and toxicity. Our research aims to evaluate the effect of chronic environmental exposure to PFAS on the antioxidant system of Squalius cephalus. In particular, to better understand how various components of the antioxidant system act together to counteract the adverse effects of PFAS, in the present study we evaluate the gene expression and enzymatic activity of two selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidases (namely GPx-1 and GPx-4) and the catalase, in the two major organs involved in the accumulation and detoxification from pollutants, including PFAS, i.e. liver and caudal kidney. Fish were sampled from four sites in the Veneto region with different concentrations of total dissolved PFAS. To better assess the acclimatisation to the environment, the morphological characteristics of the fish were also examined, as well as the development of organs, through the calculation of some somatic indices. Lipid accumulation was demonstrated histologically in both the liver and caudal kidney, which likely occurs to attenuate the high reactivity of PFAS toward protein content in these organs. The results demonstrate how S. cephalus can survive chronic PFAS exposure through cellular and systemic physiological responses.

DOI: 10.25430/researchdata.cab.unipd.it.00001627
Keywords: PFAS, chronic stress, freshwater fish, catalase, glutathione peroxidases
Subjects: Life Sciences > Physiology, Pathophysiology and Endocrinology: Organ physiology, pathophysiology, endocrinology, metabolism, ageing, tumorigenesis, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndromes > Comparative physiology and pathophysiology
Department: Departments > Dipartimento di Biologia (DiBio)
Depositing User: Gianfranco Santovito
Date Deposited: 20 Aug 2025 10:47
Last Modified: 20 Aug 2025 10:47
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Santovito, Gianfrancogianfranco.santovito@unipd.itorcid.org/0000-0001-8260-7006
Type of data: Other
Research funder: European Union (Next Generation EU) in the context of the Italian PNRR Programme 2021-2027
Research project title: RETURN
Grant number: PE0000005
Collection period:
FromTo
20242025
Resource language: English
Metadata language: English
Publisher: Research Data Unipd
Date: 19 August 2025
Copyright holders: The Author
URI: https://researchdata.cab.unipd.it/id/eprint/1627

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