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Amelioration of metal-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: utility of chelating agents in the bioremediation of metals.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Harrington, JM; Boyd, WA; Smith, MV; Rice, JR; Freedman, JH; Crumbliss, AL
Published in: Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology
September 2012

The presence of toxic amounts of transition metals in the environment may originate from a range of human activities and natural processes. One method for the removal of toxic levels of metals is through chelation by small molecules. However, chelation is not synonymous with detoxification and may not affect the bioavailability of the metal. To test the bioavailability of chelated metals in vivo, the effects of several metal/chelator combinations were tested in the environmentally relevant organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The effect of metal exposure on nematode growth was used to determine the toxicity of cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc. The restoration of growth to levels observed in nonexposed nematodes was used to determine the protective effects of the polydentate chelators: acetohydroxamic acid (AHA), cyclam, cysteine, calcium EDTA, desferrioxamine B, 1,2-dimethyl,3-hydroxy,4-pyridinone, and histidine. Cadmium toxicity was removed only by EDTA; copper toxicity was removed by all of the chelators except AHA; nickel toxicity was removed by cyclam, EDTA, and histidine; and zinc toxicity was removed by only EDTA. These results demonstrate the utility of polydentate chelators in the remediation of metal-contaminated systems. They also demonstrate that although the application of a chelator to metal contaminants may be effective, binding alone cannot be used to predict the level of remediation. Remediation depends on a number of factors, including metal complex speciation in the environment.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology

DOI

EISSN

1096-0929

ISSN

1096-6080

Publication Date

September 2012

Volume

129

Issue

1

Start / End Page

49 / 56

Related Subject Headings

  • Toxicology
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Environmental Restoration and Remediation
  • Chelating Agents
  • Caenorhabditis elegans
  • Animals
  • 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
  • 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

Citation

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Harrington, J. M., Boyd, W. A., Smith, M. V., Rice, J. R., Freedman, J. H., & Crumbliss, A. L. (2012). Amelioration of metal-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: utility of chelating agents in the bioremediation of metals. Toxicological Sciences : An Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology, 129(1), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfs191
Harrington, James M., Windy A. Boyd, Marjolein V. Smith, Julie R. Rice, Jonathan H. Freedman, and Alvin L. Crumbliss. “Amelioration of metal-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: utility of chelating agents in the bioremediation of metals.Toxicological Sciences : An Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology 129, no. 1 (September 2012): 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfs191.
Harrington JM, Boyd WA, Smith MV, Rice JR, Freedman JH, Crumbliss AL. Amelioration of metal-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: utility of chelating agents in the bioremediation of metals. Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology. 2012 Sep;129(1):49–56.
Harrington, James M., et al. “Amelioration of metal-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: utility of chelating agents in the bioremediation of metals.Toxicological Sciences : An Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology, vol. 129, no. 1, Sept. 2012, pp. 49–56. Epmc, doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfs191.
Harrington JM, Boyd WA, Smith MV, Rice JR, Freedman JH, Crumbliss AL. Amelioration of metal-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: utility of chelating agents in the bioremediation of metals. Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology. 2012 Sep;129(1):49–56.
Journal cover image

Published In

Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology

DOI

EISSN

1096-0929

ISSN

1096-6080

Publication Date

September 2012

Volume

129

Issue

1

Start / End Page

49 / 56

Related Subject Headings

  • Toxicology
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Environmental Restoration and Remediation
  • Chelating Agents
  • Caenorhabditis elegans
  • Animals
  • 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
  • 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences