The toxicological effect of xenobiotic substances, Sodium Metabisulphite (SMS) and Potassium metabisulphite (KMS) against medically important Biomphalaria alexandrina snails were unknown. Thus, the present study was performed to test the effect of these food preservatives on some biological and biochemical activities of B. alexandrina as a novel and biological model. Exposure of snails to LC10 and LC25 of SMS during infection with Schistosoma mansoni lead to a statistically significant increase in cercarial production, as well, snails' egg production was increased by exposure of snails to the low concentration(LC10) of the two tested compounds (LC10) compared to control unexposed snails. The egg production of snails exposed to LC25 of KMS completely inhibited. The results revealed that in both concentrations of SMS an increase in the levels of the transaminase AST in the hemolymph, while ALT did not show significant variations from control snails. Alkaline phosphatase was significantly increased in the snail tissues, while ACP was significantly increased in the hemolymph of treated snails. The level of total protein was decreased in tissues of snails after treatment with tested chemicals, while albumine not affected in hemolymph. In conclusion Snails considered as a possible test model to assess the medically suitable tests and the results strongly indicate that SMS and KMS were toxic for B. alexabdrina snails, and this snail could be used for biomonitoring the environmental impact.
