Measuring lysosomal stability as an effective tool for marine coastal environmental monitoring

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2004

Authors

Castro, M (Author) Other; Santos, MM (Author) REIT; Monteiro, NM (Author) Other; Vieira, N (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Marine Environmental Research

Vol. 58

Pages: 741-745

ISSN: 0141-1136

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 29 Citations

Scopus - 33 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-991

DOI: 10.1016/j.marvenres.2004.03.088

Abstract (EN): The use of lysosomal stability in the mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, as a potential biomarker of environmental contamination has been evaluated along the Portuguese coast. To this end, the neutral red retention (NRR) time was measured in mussel haemocytes gathered from nine different locations reflecting different degrees of anthropogenic contamination. Mussels collected in the vicinity of industrial and urban areas showed the lowest lysosomal stability. Additionally, no significant seasonal variability (winter-spring/summer) for NRR time was observed. In order to further support the usefulness of this method as an integrated tool for monitoring marine coastal environments, we compared the levels of xenobiotics in mussel tissues with the obtained NRR values. The results highlighted a consistent pattern, with the lowest lysosomal stability intimately correlated with the higher contaminant concentrations. In summary, this integrated approach further demonstrated that the NRR assay can provide useful and objective indications of the real health status of organisms subjected to different stress agents, being a valid option for environmental monitoring.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5