Heavy metals biomarkers

Any one of a series of physiological, biochemical, behavioural or metrics measurements reflecting an interaction between a living system (tissue, organ, cell, etc.) and an environmental agent, which may be chemical, physical or biological. For example, the induction of metallothionein, a heavy metal biomarker of defense, is activated in fish hepatic tissue exposed to metals such as cadmium or mercury. Volume 1(14), Volume 2(1,10). 

Bolognesi C, Landini E, Roggieri P, Fabbri R, Viarengo A. 1999. Genotoxicity biomarkers in the assessment of heavy metal effects in mussels experimental studies. Environ Mol Mutagen 33 287-292. 

EDEN Study was initiated to identify factors associated with allergies and respiratory diseases in children, using biomarker data on heavy metals in cord blood, placenta, and hair and cotinine in cord blood and hair (European Commission 2004). 

LNS/ALMEN/CST/AKUT Impact of heavy metals and molds on environmentally burdened patients Study will evaluate immunologic biomarkers and assess heavy metals in serum and/or hair samples (European Commission 2004). 

Nimptsch, J., D.A. Wunderlin, A. Dollar, and S. Pflugmacher. 2005. Antioxidant and biotransformation enzymes in Myriophyllum quitense as biomarkers of heavy metal exposure and eutrophication in Suquia River basin (Cordoba, Argentina). Chemosphere 61 147-157. 

Farombi, E.O., O.A. Adelowo, and Y.R. Ajimoko. 2007. Biomarkers of oxidative stress and heavy metal levels as indicators of environmental pollution in African cat fish (Clarias gariepinus) from Nigeria Ogun River. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 4 158-165. 

Keltjens, W.G. and Van Beusichem, M.L. (1998) Phytochelatins as biomarkers for heavy metal stress in maize (Zea mays L) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L) combined effects of copper and cadmium. Plant and Soil, 203, 119-126. 

Kohler, H.-R. and Triebskom, R. (1998) Assessment of the cytotoxic impact of heavy metals on soil invertebrates using a protocol integrating qualitative and quantitative components. Biomarkers, 3, 109-127. 

Stiirzenbaum, S.R., Kille, P. and Morgan, A.J. (1998b) Identification of new heavy-metal-responsive biomarker in the earthworm. In Advances in Earthworm Ecotoxicology, Sheppard, S.C., Bembridge, J.D., Holmstmp, M. and Posthuma, L. (eds), pp. 215-224. SETAC, Pensacola, EL. 

Biomarkers of exposure to xenobiotics causing nephrotoxicity may take one of several forms. The measurement of blood or tissue levels of drugs known to have adverse effects on the kidney, such as cyclosporine, aminoglycoside antibiotics, or lithium, is a standard practice. The awareness of the total amount of drug administered is frequently important when considering amphotericin and cisplatin nephrotoxicity. More difficulty is encountered with the determination of the body burden of a toxicant, although under certain circumstances such a value is necessary to determine the health effects of exposure to heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, and some analgesics [2]. 

While the most of metallothionein research has been carried out on mammals or vertebrates, there are only few studies focused on invertebrates. Application of invertebrates as a suitable model for detection and monitoring the metal pollution of the environment has been shown in several works [129-134]. MT was usually determined as a biomarker of contamination of aquatic environment by heavy metals. Connection between increased levels of metallothionein as a biomaiker in different fish tissues and environmental pollution has been published in many papers [73,76,93,135-142]. On the other hand, application of MT as a biomaiker of metal pollution has been shown for the other animal species too [25, 26, 102, 103, 143-152]. 

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