Freshwaters are vulnerable ecosystems owing to several anthropogenic impacts, including chemical pollution. Among existing model organisms, the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris is widely used for toxicological tests, with the aim of detecting either toxicity or teratogenicity of different dissolved chemicals. Given the widespread range of applications and developed assays, the aim of this review was to show and discuss the actual use of this model for ecotoxicological assessments in freshwaters as an ‘early warning system’. To achieve this goal, a thorough review was conducted by consulting several search engines for peer-reviewed international articles. Among all resulting articles from literature search, those focusing on H. vulgaris assay applied to environmental pollution were first selected (n=19). Then, only articles that specifically tested freshwater samples collected directly in the field were considered (n=4). The literature search highlighted that Hydra assays are suitable monitoring tools for freshwater ecotoxicity assessment. In addition, H. vulgaris allows testing diverse biomarkers (e.g. molecular, histological, morphological and behavioural) and exploring innovative research fields. So as to be able to assess the impact of emerging contaminants on both habitat and human health, the Hydra assays are demonstrating that they have an increasing potential that must be exploited.

中文翻译：

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Hydra vulgaris 测定作为淡水生态毒理学环境评估工具：综述

由于包括化学污染在内的多种人为影响，淡水是脆弱的生态系统。在现有的模式生物中，刺胞动物 Hydra vulgaris 被广泛用于毒理学测试，目的是检测不同溶解化学物质的毒性或致畸性。鉴于广泛的应用和已开发的检测方法，本次审查的目的是展示和讨论该模型作为“早期预警系统”在淡水生态毒理学评估中的实际用途。为实现这一目标，通过咨询多个搜索引擎以获取同行评审的国际文章，进行了彻底的审查。在所有文献检索的结果文章中，首先选择了那些关注应用于环境污染的普通型 H. vulgaris 检测的文章（n=19）。然后，仅考虑专门测试直接在现场收集的淡水样品的文章 (n=4)。文献检索强调，Hydra 检测是淡水生态毒性评估的合适监测工具。此外，H. vulgaris 允许测试多种生物标志物（例如分子、组织学、形态学和行为学）并探索创新研究领域。为了能够评估新出现的污染物对栖息地和人类健康的影响，Hydra 分析表明它们具有越来越大的潜力，必须加以利用。组织学、形态学和行为学）并探索创新研究领域。为了能够评估新出现的污染物对栖息地和人类健康的影响，Hydra 分析表明它们具有越来越大的潜力，必须加以利用。组织学、形态学和行为学）并探索创新研究领域。为了能够评估新出现的污染物对栖息地和人类健康的影响，Hydra 分析表明它们具有越来越大的潜力，必须加以利用。