BIOMARKERS AS A TOOL TO MONITOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS / BIOMARCADORES COMO FERRAMENTA PARA MONITORAR O IMPACTO AMBIENTAL NOS ECOSSISTEMAS AQUÁTICOS

The assessment of aquatic contaminants through biomarkers is an efficient approach in studies of environmental risk and impact since it detects the effects of living beings exposed to the polluted environment early. In this sense, this study aims to demonstrate the use of metallothionein, acetylcholinesterase, micronuclei, comet assay, and cytochrome P450 biomarkers, correlating them to the xenobiotic process in the aquatic environment and how they signal changes in this environment. This is a bibliographic review, which was carried out searches in the VHL databases: Lilacs, Medline, and Google Scholar, from 2006 to 2020. Metallothioneins is a biomarker that assesses the process of detoxification and homeostasis of metal ions. Acetylcholinesterase is used to assess the neurotoxic effects caused by xenobiotics. Exposure to genotoxic compounds is verified by the micronucleus tests and comet assay, being this an evaluation at the cellular level, where the first analyzes nuclear abnormalities or deformation in the morphology of the nucleus, and the other verifies breaks in the DNA structure. Cytochrome P450 plays a central role in oxidative metabolism and detoxification of natural and xenobiotic substances present in pesticides and fertilizers. It is known that aquatic contamination is a threat to the conservation and management of these ecosystems, making it necessary to use specific and sensitive biomarkers that are capable of detecting the damage early. Therefore, biomarkers correspond to an effective tool for this purpose, as it enables the production of reliable data, favoring the implementation of adequate measures for the prevention, either-or recovery of aquatic ecosystems.