LAUSR

ABSTRACT Mediterranean mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis is among the most widely used bioindicators, and anthracene (AN) is one of the most commonly found hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. M. galloprovincialis were exposed to nominal concentrations of 0.05, 0.15 and 0.4 μg/L AN. Chemical analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography revealed the uptake of AN in the whole soft body and digestive gland at different amounts. After a short exposure (2, 4 and 8 days), the results revealed that AN induced malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in digestive gland. Our findings demonstrated also that AN reduced the filtration rates in a concentration-dependent manner. Increase in lipid peroxidation (MDA content) in digestive gland (p < .05) can possibly indicate that AN can cross the membrane barrier, leading to cellular membrane alteration. Decrease in GSH content following the concentration and exposure time support MDA content result. AN exposure significantly reduced AChE activity as a more sensitive biomarker in digestive gland in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. This review provides a framework for the understanding of toxicological effects of AN under an environmental point of view. It provides also original data on the distribution of AN in M. galloprovincialis, where digestive gland constitutes a valuable organ for investigating AN biotransformation and toxicity.