Crude oil is enriched in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many PAH analogs have proved to potentially damage DNA. DNA damage can be assessed using various biomarkers to find out the degree of genotoxicity of pollutants following in vitro exposure. In this research the comet assay and micronucleus (MN) test were used to detect DNA damages and cytogenetic changes following crude oil expos...

The freshwater mussel Anodonta cygnea is commonly used as a model organism for biomineralization studies, its peculiar morphofunctional properties also make it an excellent environmental biomonitor. The first detailed on the calcareous concretions from gill and mantle tissue, as well as fluids of the freshwater bivalve A. cygnea, supported by histological, scanning, spectrometry, and spectrosco...

In a long-lived molluscan host, trematode adaptations that minimize the risk of parasite-induced host mortality may evolve because the residual reproductive value of a parasite would not be limited by a short life-span of the host. Two features of the host exploitation (site selection and timing of the reproductive period) were examined for the bucephalid trematodes Rhipidocotyle fennica and R....

Suspension-feeding bivalves are considered efficient toxin vectors with a relative insensitivity to toxicants compared to other aquatic organisms. This fact highlights the potential role of detoxification enzymes, such as glutathione transferases (GSTs), in this bivalve resistance. Nevertheless, the GST system has not been extensively described in these organisms. In the present study, cytosolic...