Transcriptional and cellular effects of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in experimentally exposed mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis.

The aim of the present investigation was to provide new insights on accumulation and possibleadverse effects of various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in mussels, Mytilus gallo-provincialis, exposed to an environmentally realistic concentration (0.5 g/L) of individual compounds,Acetaminophen (AMP), Diclofenac (DIC), Ibuprofen (IBU), Ketoprofen (KET) or Nimesulide (NIM). Themeasurement of drugs in mussel tissues was integrated with both functional alterations at cellular leveland transcriptomic responses. Results indicated the capability of mussels to accumulate DIC and NIM,while AMP, IBU and KET were always below detection limit. A large panel of ecotoxicological biomark-ers revealed the early onset of alterations induced by tested NSAIDs on immunological responses, lipidmetabolism and DNA integrity. The gene transcription analysis through DNA microarrays, supported cel-lular biomarker results, with clear modulation of a large number of genes involved in the arachidonicacid and lipid metabolism, immune responses, cell cycle and DNA repair. The overall results indicatedan ecotoxicological concern for pharmaceuticals in M. galloprovincialis, with transcriptional responsesappearing as sensitive exposure biomarkers at low levels of exposure: such changes, however, are notalways paralleled by corresponding functional effects, suggesting caution when interpreting observedeffects in terms of perturbed cellular pathways. Fascinating similarities can also be proposed in the modeof action of NSAIDs between bivalves and vertebrate species.