title: Persistence of micronuclei in the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, after treatment with mitomycin C.
abstract: The frequency of micronuclei induced by mitomycin C (MMC) in cells of the gill tissue of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk., was determined over a long period (up to 40-52 days) following treatment. Two doses of MMC (0.5 X 10(-7) and 10(-7) M) were tested at 13 degrees C and 23 degrees C, temperatures representative of the winter and summer thermic conditions of the Mediterranean Sea. In all cases, the frequency of micronuclei was significantly increased by MMC and declined after treatment until it reached a plateau level, significantly higher than the control value. This persisted for a very long time. The frequency of micronuclei induced by a second treatment with MMC performed on the 28th day, did not differ significantly from that produced by the first treatment at the same dose. Temperature did not influence the pattern of the described phenomena to a significant extent. The reason for the persistence of an increased frequency of micronuclei is discussed, and a system is proposed for evaluating the genotoxicity of water pollutants present long before sampling.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity; D005880:Gills; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000633:toxicity*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008937:Mitomycins; D016685:Mitomycin