Prihvatljivost ciljanog organa (probavne žlijezde) dagnje za provođenje biomonitoringa

In coastal marine areas, the level of metallothioneins (MTs) is monitored as the specific response to trace heavy metals and is considered as a biomarker of metal exposure. Laboratory experiments with bivalves indicate that MT synthesis is induced by Cd, Cu, Hg, Ag and Zn ions. The results of our study, conducted with the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, deployed 12 months in the "hot spot" area of the Kaštela Bay, Dalmatia, Croatia, are evaluated considering the recommendation of MED POL Programme for estimating exposure of mussels to trace heavy metals by means of MTs. Our data clearly indicate that the MT level in the digestive gland of the Mediterranean mussel depends on the biotic and abiotic parameters. Beside MT level, a number of parameters, like digestive gland mass, shell mass, cytosolic metal concentration is needed in order to define if MT level in the digestive gland of mussels is indicative as a biomarker of cadmium exposure.U priobalnim morskim područjima razina metalotioneina (MT) prati se kao specifični odgovor na teške metale u tragovima te se smatra biomarkerom izloženosti metalima. Laboratorijski eksperimenti sa školjkama pokazuju da sintezu MT induciraju ioni Cd, Cu, Hg, Ag i Zn. Rezultati našeg istraživanja, koje je provedeno s dagnjama, Mytilus galloprovincialis, izloženim tijekom 12 mjeseci u području "vrućih točaka" u Kaštelanskom zaljevu, Dalmacija, Hrvatska, razmatrani su u skladu s preporukama MED POL programa za procjenu izloženosti dagnja teškim metalima u tragovima putem MT. Naši podaci jasno ukazuju da razina MT u probavnoj žlijezdi mediteranske dagnje ovisi o biotičkim i abiotičkim parametrima. Osim razine MT, potrebni su brojni parametri, poput mase probavne žlijezde, mase ljušture te koncentracije metala u citosolu kako bi se moglo definirati da li razina MT u probavnoj žlijezdi dagnja upućuje na njihovu izloženost kadmiju

Metal and metallothionein level in the heat-treated cytosol of gills of transplanted mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk.

A stock of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis was transplanted over one year to four sites in a semi-enclosed bay in Croatia which is under the influence of various sources of pollution. The positive correlation of metal (Cd, Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe) and metallothionein (MT) tissue contents based on the analysis of heat-treated cytosol of gills with shell mass, as an indicator of mussel age, indicated to accumulation of metals, as well as the increase of MTs with mussel age. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that 74% of total variance of obtained results could be explained through two principal components. The first principal component was highly correlated with MT, Cd and Zn indices (metal or MT content/shell mass), and the second one with Cu, Mn, and Fe indices, as well as the gill index. High correlation of MTs with Zn and Cd is consistent with their affinity for binding to MTs