Project BioToks

About project

Anthropogenic or natural pollutants can accumulate in the marine ecosystem. The sea can be polluted with biotoxins, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and other contaminants. Pollution is much more pronounced due to human activities, affecting human health, economic activities, and the ecosystem itself. Biotoxins are most commonly produced by certain phytoplankton species, which reproduce rapidly under favorable environmental conditions and introduce a large amount of biotoxins to the ecosystem. These biotoxins accumulate to the greatest extent in filter feeding organisms, such as mussels. Due to way they feed, wide distribution, and sessile lifestyle, mussels are a suitable indicator organism for monitoring the state of the environment. Poisoning in humans occurs after the consumption of contaminated shellfish and results in poisoning with symptoms ranging from mild to fatal. Many biotoxin analogues are known, and the development of new advanced analytical techniques contributes to the continuous discovery of new analogues. The marine ecosystem can be polluted by metals and PAHs, the presence of which can be tracked in an indicator organism such as a mussel. Recent studies have linked exposure to PAHs to various adverse effects on marine organisms and humans. Extracts of collected mussels from natural and cultured populations will be analyzed for known contaminants, and untargeted analysis will be performed using high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect possible new analogues and unknown toxins. The same technique will be used to prepare a digital record of all components in the sample through the use of SWATH analysis, allowing a retrospective search for possible future compounds of interest. Monitoring the status of toxic compounds in the sea contributes significantly to the conservation of marine resources, on which a whole range of economic activities are based.

Principal Investigator:

dr. sc. Ivana Ujević Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split

Principal Investigator

Associates:

dr.sc. Romana Roje Busatto Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split

Researcher

Nikša Nazlić Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split

Researcher

dr.sc. Jelena Lušić Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split

Researcher

dr. sc Stjepan Orhanović University of Split, The Faculty of Science

Researcher

Antonija Bulić Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split

Researcher

Ivana Pezelj University of Split, The Faculty of Science

Researcher

Roman Garber Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split

Researcher