GAMBARDELLA , Chiara

Chimaeroid fishes are the only extant Holocephali, a subclass of Chondrichthyes. We describe for the first time a well evidenced structure localized in the palate of the chimaeroid Chimaera monstrosa, here named a palatal organ (PO). Attention has been paid to the holocephalan head morphology, but there has been no mention of this particular...

The sponge Chondrosia reniformis selectively engulfs siliceous particles that, when in crystalline form, become quickly dissolved in its ectosome. The molecular mechanism, identity, and physiological significance of the cells involved in this process are not completely understood. In the present study, we applied light and electronic...

Immunofluorescence is a first-choice technique for the study of neuroanatomy and, in general, of very fine structures. A stumbling block to the application of immunofluorescence is autofluorescence in tissues. This problem has different origins, as it can be related to the structures that are being examined, the fixation protocol, and the...

Leptin is a hormone involved in food intake. It is conserved through evolution, but no studies that have focused on its presence in cartilaginous fish are available to date. Here we report the presence of leptin-like immunoreactivity in the gut of the cartilaginous fish Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus,1758) using Western Blot and...

The Amphibalanus amphitrite barnacle is a sessile marine crustacean and a major constituent of benthic as well as intertidal communities. A. amphitrite is also an important component of biofouling on artificial substrates. The role of nitric oxide (NO) was recently observed in the settlement of this species. In this work, we used...

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are increasingly used in a wide range of consumer products and such an extensive use raises questions about their safety and environmental toxicity. We investigated the potential toxicity of Ag-NPs in the marine ecosystem by analyzing the effects on several organisms belonging to different trophic levels. Algae...

Abstract Background: The presence of doses of diazinon far lower than IC50 cholinesterase activity was reported in plasma of pregnant women and newborns living in agricultural areas. Objective: In the current study, we investigated the possibility of neurotoxicity induction by exposing cultured gliotypic C6 cells to a similar range of...

The acorn barnacle Balanus amphitrite is a marine crustacean with six nauplius and one cyprid larval stages and a sessile adult, that represent one of the main constituents of sea biofouling. The cyprid is the last larval stage, specialized for settlement, and the study of its biology is interesting also in the frame of antifouling strategies....

Sharks belonging to the family Hexanchidae have six or seven gill slits, unlike all other elasmobranchs, which have five gill slits. Their olfactory organs have a round shape, which is common for holocepha- lans, but not for elasmobranchs. Thus, the shape of the olfactory organ represents a further, less striking, peculiarity of this family...

Among vertebrates, the physiologically uremic Chondrichthyes are the only class which are not presenting the ciliated olfactory receptor neurons in the olfactory neuroepithelium. The only sequenced genome for this class revealed only three olfactory receptor genes and the immunohistochemical detec- tion of G protein alpha subunit typically...

The main olfactory system has been identified in all the classes of vertebrates, while the vomeronasal system is lacking in some groups, such as birds and primates, which presumably have lost it. Chondrichthyes are one of seven vertebrate classes. The peripheral olfactory organs of these fishes are large olfactory rosettes, with a huge sensory...

The aim was to investigate the toxicity of selected metal oxide nanoparticles (MO-NPs) on the brine shrimp Artemia salina, by evaluating mortality and behavioural and biochemical responses. Larvae were exposed to tin(IV) oxide (stannic oxide (SnO2)), cerium(IV) oxide (CeO2) and iron(II, III) oxide (Fe3O4) NPs for 48 h in seawater, with MO-NP...

The objective of this study is to examine the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) that are dispersed in sea water by using an in vivo model. Because many products of nanotechnology contain NPs and are commonly used and well-established in the market, the accidental release of NPs into the air and water is quite possible. Indeed, at the...

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential toxicity of Silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) in seawater by using the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus as biological model. SiO2 NPs exposure effects were identified on the sperm of the sea urchin through a multidisciplinary approach, combining developmental biology, ecotoxicology,...

Nanoparticles (NPs) contained in commercial products are released and enter into the aquatic ecosystem, posing serious possible risks to the environment and affecting the food chain. Therefore, investigating the potential toxicity of NPs on aquatic organisms has become an important issue. This study assessed the toxicity and trophic transfer of...

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We describe the use of different life stages of the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus for the assessment of the possible risk posed by nanoparticles (NPs) in the coastal water. A first screening for the presence of NPs in sea water may be obtained by checking their presence inside tissues of organisms taken from the wild. The...

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of silver and cobalt, supplied both as ions and nanoparticles (Ag+, Co2+, AgNPs, CoNPs) through contaminated food to earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus), on their health as well as on microbial community of both soil and earthworm faeces. Earthworms and microbes were exposed to the contaminants in...

Acorn barnacles are cirripedian crustacea with a sessile adult stage, that live in a calcareous shell attached to a submersed substrate and filter food with its limbs. Barnacles show various naupliar stages and a cyprid, the final lecithotrophic stage competent for settlement. Due to their ability to adhere, barnacles are important constituents...