Heavy metals produce toxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis in the marine teleost fish SAF-1 cell line.

The use of cell lines to test the toxicity of aquatic pollutants is a valuable alternative to fish bioassays. In this study, fibroblast SAF-1 cells from the marine gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) were exposed for 24 h to the heavy metals Cd, Hg, MeHg (Methylmercury), As or Pb and the resulting cytotoxicity was assessed. Neutral red (NR), MTT-tetrazolio (MTT), crystal violet (CV) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) viability tests showed that SAF-1 cells exposed to the above heavy metals produced a dose-dependent reduction in the number of viable cells. Methylmercury showed the highest toxicity (EC50 = 0.01 mM) followed by As, Cd, Hg and Pb. NR was the most sensitive method followed by MTT, CV and LDH. SAF-1 cells incubated with each of the heavy metals also exhibited an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis cell death. Moreover, the corresponding gene expression profiles pointed to the induction of the metallothionein protective system, cellular and oxidative stress and apoptosis after heavy metal exposure for 24 h. This report describes and compares tools for evaluating the potential effects of marine contamination using the SAF-1 cell line.