Hemocytic lysosome response in the snail Helix aspersa after exposure to the fungicide copper oxychloride

This study investigated the use of lysosomal responses of hemocytes of the common garden snail, Helix aspersa, as biomarker of stress due to exposure to the fungicide copper oxychloride. The neutral red retention (NRR) time a ssay was employed for this purpose. Two groups of snails were exposed to 80 mug g(-1) and 240 mug g(-1) copper oxychloride in their food, respectively , for a period of 6 weeks. They were compared with a control group to which no copper oxychloride was added. The two groups exposed to the fungicide e xhibited significantly higher (p < 0.001) whole body copper concentrations (200.85 +/- 53.5 and 272.24 +/- 67.15 IJ <mu>g g-(1) dry mass, respectively ), and significantly shorter (p < 0.001) NRR times (10.22 +/- 3.53 and 2.67 +/- 2.83 min, respectively), after 6 weeks, compared to the control group (67.85 +/- 31.08 <mu>g g(-1) dry mass and 24.44 +/- 8.35 min). In both expo sure groups NRR times became progressively shorter as body copper concentra tions increased over time. Thus, both exposure concentration and exposure t ime of copper oxychloride were shown to be important factors influencing ly sosomal responses (and therefore NRR times) of H. aspersa hemocytes. It was concluded that these responses in this species, as measured by the NRR tim e assay, could be considered a useful cellular biomarker of stress resultin g from exposure to copper oxychloride.