Abstract

(1) Background: This study examines the toxicologic effects of gadolinium in the context of the growing number of industrial and medical applications that use gadolinium compounds. Furthermore, understanding the cellular effects on aquatic organisms is a growing concern regarding emerging pollutants, as gadolinium is found in aquatic environments and drinking water as a pollutant. (2) Methods: The microplate-based experiments were designed to assess lethal effects (LC50) and analyze the cytological mechanisms in the larval stages of Artemia. Two gadolinium-containing compounds were comparatively analyzed: gadoteric acid (GA), an ionic compound, and gadoteridol (GD), a nonionic compound. Fluorescence analysis enabled detailed imaging and observations of the dynamics of the processes. Three fluorochromes were used for labeling: acridine orange (nuclear configuration), neutral red (lysosomal inclusions), and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled (cytoskeleton). (3) Results show that the effects became evident after more than 48 h of exposure. Cytotoxicity was higher for the nonionic macrocyclic compound GD (LC50 = 60 µmol/mL ± 0.00462 compared with GA (LC50 = 170 µmol/mL ± 0.01. The altered phenotype demonstrates the interference of the tested compounds at both the nuclear level (chromatin fragmentation, pyknotic nuclei) and the cytoplasmic level (enlarged lysosomal vesicles), as well as disorganized or condensed cytoskeleton. (4) Conclusions: Both compounds have effects on larvae, affecting their overall morphology and viability in 24–72 h after exposure. Identifying effects at the nuclear and cytoplasmic levels, as well as disruptions in cytoskeletal polymerization, helps to determine the factors that influence larval survival in an environment contaminated with such rare metals and to understand the cellular mechanisms induced by gadolinium compound poisoning.

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