生物标志物在水环境研究中的应用

生物标志物是指示污染物危害效应的生物信号．可分为两类，一类指示生物体对有害物质的暴露；另一类指示污染物的毒性效应．与其它手段相比，生物标志物具有专一性、预警性和广泛适用性．本文介绍了指示水环境污染的主要几类生物标志物．生物转化酶和金属硫蛋白能有效地表征水体中的有机物和重金属对生物的影响．DNA加合物将有机污染与遗传物质变异相关联，因此成为生态毒理学研究的新热点．文中还讨论了生物标志物的缺陷和不足，并展望了该领域的应用前景．

Application of biomarkers in aquatic environmental research

As the biological responses that indicate deleterious effects of pollutants in the environment, biomarkers can be classified into two types, indicating the exposure of organisms to the contaminants and the toxic effects of the pollutants.Compared to other monitoring techniques, biomarkers possess the advantages of specificity, early warning and extensive applicability. Currently applied biomarkers in aquatic environments are introduced in this paper. Both biotransformation enzymes and metallothioneins are able to indicate the effects of organic pollutants and heavy metals on aquatic organisms.DNA adducts can serve as indicators for the relationship between organic pollution and genetic mutation. The disadvantages of biomarkers are also discussed and the future prospects are evaluated as well.