Ecogenotoxicity assessment with land snails: A mini-review

Area of Science:

• Environmental Toxicology
• Ecotoxicology
• Genotoxicology

Background:

• Soil pollution is a growing environmental and sanitary concern.
• Genotoxic compounds in soil can lead to health issues and disrupt populations.
• Assessing genotoxicity is crucial for understanding environmental risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current knowledge on the genotoxicology of land snails.
• To evaluate land snails as bioindicators for assessing soil genotoxic potential.
• To highlight the role of snails in ecotoxicological assessments.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies using classical genotoxic biomarkers (DNA breakage, micronuclei, etc.).
• Analysis of research employing land snails as bioindicators.
• Examination of studies involving various contaminants (nanoparticles, metals, pesticides, PAHs) and snail species.
• Inclusion of in vitro, in vivo, in situ, and ex situ experimental designs.

Main Results:

• Land snails exhibit promising potential for mapping soil genotoxic potential.
• Studies utilized diverse contaminants and snail species to assess genotoxic effects.
• Biomarkers revealed genotoxic impacts across different experimental settings.
• Land snails effectively indicate pollution and associated environmental risks.

Conclusions:

• Land snails are effective bioindicators for assessing soil genotoxicity.
• Their role in the trophic chain and contaminant bioavailability makes them valuable for ecotoxicological assessment.
• Land snail-based assessments provide insights into environmental risks and potential human exposure.