ABSTRACT

We investigated potential biomarkers of heavy metal and pesticide contamination in estuarine biotopes and heavy metal pollution in terrestrial environment using annelids as sentinel organims.

We showed that the whole body acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of the nereidid Nereis diversicolor could be used as biomarker of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides pollution in estuarine ecosystems. We also obtained the induction of stress proteins among which metalloproteins in response to a cadmium exposure.

We found that the whole body AChE and glutathione-S-transferase activities of the earthworm Eisenia fetida are not the targets of heavy metals so they can not be used as specific biomarkers. On the contrary, we obtained the induction of a metallothionein in this species after a cadmium exposure.