title: Copper bioaccumulation by the freshwater snail Lymnaea peregra: a toxicological marker of environmental and human health?
abstract: Snails (Lymnaea peregra) were exposed to both low and high concentrations of copper(as copper nitrate) undercontrolled conditions and then were sacrificed and dissected; various tissues/organs were removed and subsequently analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine both the copper concentration and the nature of localization. At low concentrations, bioaccumulation was evident in various tissues/organs; a dose response occurred in tissues derived from both the head and foot. At high concentrations, the copper concentrations of the liver-like body and kidney became massively enhanced. There was some variability in the ranking of tissues/organs with regard to copper bioaccumulation--this was predominantly linked to the copper concentration to which the snails were exposed. Mechanisms of copper bioaccumulation are reviewed and comparisons with other organisms made.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Centre, School of Science, The Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham NG11 8NS, United Kingdom. brian.pyatt@ntu.ac.uk
authors.forename: F Brian
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Pyatt
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.forename: Andrea J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pyatt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D003300:Copper / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper