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Lysosomal mambrane stability and metallothioneins in digestive gland of mussels(Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.) as biomarkers in a field study

The lysosomal membrane destabilization and the metallothionein content in the digestive gland cells of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.), collected along the east coast of the North Adriatic (Istrian and Kvarnerine coast - Croatia), were examined over a period of four years (1996-1999). The lysosomal membrane stability, as a biomarker of general stress proved that the membrane labilization period in mussels from polluted, urban and industrial related areas, was significantly decreased (p<0.05) when compared to mussels from control, clean sea water sites. In the harbour of Rijeka, the most contaminated site, the lysosomal membrane stability was reduced more than 70% compared to the control. This method proved to be also a useful biomarker for detection of additional stress caused by short-term hypoxia that occurred once during this study inside of the polluted and periodically quite eutrophic Pula harbour. The concentration of metallothioneines in the mussels digestive gland as a specific biomarker of exposure to heavy metals, did not reveal significant deviations (p<0.05) among sites covered by this study.

biomarkers; biomonitoring; digestive gland; lysosomal membrane stability; matallothioneines; mussels; North Adriatic

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