Filippi Silvia, Meschini Roberta, Spognardi Sara, Papetti Patrizia, Angeletti Dario
Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Tuscia University, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
Department of Business Studies, University of Roma Tre, Via Ostiense, 159, 00154, Rome, Italy.
Ecotoxicology. 2018 Mar;27(2):234-243. doi: 10.1007/s10646-018-1906-8. Epub 2018 Feb 5.
Coal plants can be a major source of mutagenic pollutants. In this study we used the common land snail Helix aspersa, to detect the mutagenic effect of pollution from a coal plant in central Italy applying the micronucleus test (MN) on snail's haemocytes and evaluating trace elements concentration (As Cd, Pb, Hg, and Zn) in soil and snails. Snails from a biological farm were exposed for 13 days in five locations at different distances from the plant. Wild snails collected in the same locations were also analysed. MN frequency in exposed snails was significantly higher in four locations within 10 km from to the plant, with respect to the control and the farthest location. Comparing the MN frequency between farmed and wild snails, a significantly higher frequency emerged for the exposed snails in all locations except the farthest, likely indicating adaptation or selection of the wild organisms due to chronic exposure to pollutants. In natural snails significantly higher MN frequencies with near the plant emerged as well. Trace elements analysis showed significant correlations between MN frequencies and both Zn and As concentrations in soil, for both exposed and wild snails, and Zn and Pb concentrations in exposed snails. Our results were consistent with those previously obtained when evaluating primary DNA damage in natural snails from the same area and show that the snails near the plant were affected by a permanent cytogenetic damage. Moreover, they confirm the suitability of snails for biomonitoring the presence of pollutants with mutagenic effect.
煤电厂可能是诱变污染物的主要来源。在本研究中，我们使用常见的陆地蜗牛（即褐云玛瑙螺），通过对蜗牛血细胞进行微核试验（MN），并评估土壤和蜗牛体内的微量元素浓度（砷、镉、铅、汞和锌），来检测意大利中部一家煤电厂污染的诱变效应。来自生物养殖场的蜗牛在距电厂不同距离的五个地点暴露13天。同时也对在相同地点采集的野生蜗牛进行了分析。与对照组和最远地点相比，在距电厂10公里范围内的四个地点，暴露组蜗牛的微核频率显著更高。比较养殖蜗牛和野生蜗牛的微核频率，除最远地点外，所有地点的暴露组蜗牛微核频率均显著更高，这可能表明野生生物由于长期接触污染物而产生了适应性或选择性。在靠近电厂的天然蜗牛中也出现了显著更高的微核频率。微量元素分析表明，对于暴露组和野生蜗牛，微核频率与土壤中的锌和砷浓度之间存在显著相关性，对于暴露组蜗牛，微核频率与锌和铅浓度之间也存在显著相关性。我们的结果与之前在评估同一地区天然蜗牛的原发性DNA损伤时获得的结果一致，表明靠近电厂的蜗牛受到了永久性细胞遗传学损伤。此外，它们证实了蜗牛适用于生物监测具有诱变效应污染物的存在。
