Field application of lysosomal destabilisation indices in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis:: biomonitoring and transplantation in the Lagoon of Venice (north-east Italy)

A field study was carried out in the Lagoon of Venice (north-cast Italy) with the aim of evaluating the potential use of lysosomal destabilisation as a biomarker of anthropogenic stress in the autochthonous mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Two different approaches,were adopted in biomonitoring six sites in the Lagoon, evaluating indigenous populations of mussels and organisms transplanted from a reference site and checked at several points in time. Lysosomal membrane stability was investigated by means of two tests: neutral red retention assay (NRRA) for evaluating haemocyte lysosomes and lysosomal latency test (LLT) for digestive cell lysosomes. Results indicate that the lysosomal response measured in haemocytes according to NRRA is a more valuable biomarker of anthropogenic stress in the framework both of passive and active biomonitoring in marine coastal environments. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.