Oceanography, Graduate School of
Halogenated Natural Products; bioaccumulation; pollutants; Narragansett Bay
In recent decades, a new family of chemical compounds has begun to garner research attention—halogenated natural products, or HNPs. These chemicals are produced by algae, bacteria, worms, and sponges, and many are structurally similar to harmful manmade compounds, such as polychlorinated diphenyls (PCBs), or brominated flame retardants (PBDEs), which are known to cause cancer, reproduction issues, endocrine disruption, and death. While HNPs are produced naturally, they are still considered pollutants because of their bioaccumulative behavior and apparent toxicity.
Currently, there is limited research on their presence and effects, with a few studies from Europe and the Pacific highlighting their importance and promoting the need for further research. Additionally, recent research has suggested that HNP dynamics could be changing due to climate change and eutrophication. To date, HNPs have never been studied in Narragansett Bay; this project seeks to identify HNPs in biota from the Bay, in an initial effort to document the presence of these compounds in the Southern New England region.
Fish, mussel, and algae samples were collected from different salinity regimes throughout the Bay in the fall of 2016. Tissue samples were processed using accelerated solvent extraction, further purified using manual gel permeation chromatography and silica column chromatography, and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Initial results suggest the presence of variable groups of HNPs in Narragansett Bay and resident biota. This is valuable insight that lays a strong foundation for further research to describe the distribution and possible impacts of these pollutants within temperate Atlantic estuarine environments.
Oceanography, Graduate School of Halogenated Natural Products; bioaccumulation; pollutants; Narragansett Bay Katika miongo ya hivi karibuni, familia mpya ya misombo ya kemikali imeanza kupata utafiti wa bidhaa halogenated asili, au HNPs. "Kama kemikali zinazozalishwa na algae, bakteria, minyoo, na sifongo, nyingi zina muundo sawa na kemikali zenye madhara zinazotengenezwa na binadamu, kama vile polychlorinated diphenyls (PCBs) au bromine flame retardants (PBDEs), ambazo zinajulikana kusababisha kansa, matatizo ya uzazi, endocrine disruption, na kifo.""" Ingawa HNP hutengenezwa kwa asili, bado huonwa kuwa uchafuzi kwa sababu ya tabia yao ya kukusanya na sumu ya wazi. Kwa sasa, kuna utafiti mdogo juu ya uwepo wao na athari, na masomo machache kutoka Ulaya na Pasifiki yanaangazia umuhimu wao na kukuza hitaji la utafiti zaidi. Kwa kuongezea, utafiti wa hivi karibuni umependekeza kwamba nguvu za HNP zinaweza kubadilika kwa sababu ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na eutrophication. HNPs hazijawahi kuchunguzwa katika Ghuba ya Narragansett, mradi huu unatafuta kutambua HNPs katika biota kutoka Ghuba, katika juhudi za awali za kurekodi uwepo wa misombo hii katika eneo la Kusini la New England. Kwa mfano, samaki, samaki wa mto, na samaki wa mto walichukuliwa kutoka kwa mifumo tofauti ya chumvi katika Ghuba ya San Francisco mnamo majira ya baridi kali ya 2016. Sampuli za tishu zilitengenezwa kwa kutumia uchimbaji wa haraka wa mchanganyiko, kusafishwa zaidi kwa kutumia chromatography ya mwongozo wa gel na chromatography ya safu ya silika, na kuchambuliwa kwa kutumia chromatography ya gesi au spectrometry ya wingi. Matokeo ya awali yanaonyesha uwepo wa makundi tofauti ya HNPs katika Narragansett Bay na biota ya wakazi. Hii ni ufahamu muhimu ambao huweka msingi thabiti wa utafiti zaidi kuelezea usambazaji na athari zinazowezekana za uchafuzi huu ndani ya mazingira ya wastani ya mto wa Atlantiki.