Abstract-Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and carboxylesterase (CbE) activities have been measured in gills and digestive gland of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. AChE activity was predominantly localized in gills, whereas the highest BChE and CbE specific activities were detected in digestive glands. Commonly used pesticides were examined in vitro for their ability to inhibit mussel esterases; the results obtained pointed out the highest sensitivity of mussel CbE to low concentrations of pesticides, but also the higher sensitivity of gill cholinesterases over digestive gland forms. Seasonal variation in the activity of gill esterases was determined monthly in mussels collected from the Ebro Delta, an area where pesticides and biocides are frequently used. As a general trend, elevated cholinesterase activities were detected in winter, possibly indicating little or no exposure to organophosphorous compounds, whereas the lowest cholinesterase activities were reported over the summer period. These changes were related to agricultural activities in the area and are supported by the detection of organophosphorous pesticides in the tissue of M. galloprovincialis.
Muscle concentrations of organochlorinated compounds as well as biliary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites were determined in red mullet Mullus barbatus as a sentinel species for assessing the pollution along the western Mediterranean coast. A battery of biochemical markers -biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes -were also measured in liver subcellular fractions to assess exposure to pollutants. Among them, 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, as well as 7-penthoxyresorufin O-deethylase (PROD) activity and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) content evidenced strong differences among sampling sites, and a good correlation with the amount of PCBs bioaccumulated by fish. No clear pollution-related response was observed for cytosolic glutathione S-transferase, whereas uridine-diphosphate UDP-glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT) was elevated in fish from polluted sites. Antioxidant enzymes -superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) -were used to assess oxidative stress. Among them, catalase activity was well related to PCB body burden.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution in
deep-sea environments (1500−1800 m depth) has been
assessed by measuring bile PAH metabolites in deep-sea
fish. Five species from the NW Mediterranean were
selected for the study: Coryphaenoides guentheri, Lepidion
lepidion, Mora moro, Bathypterois mediterraneus, and
Alepocephalus rostratus. Bile crude samples were directly
analyzed by HPLC-fluorescence at the excitation/emission wavelengths of benzo[a]pyrene (380/430 nm).
Differences among sampling sites were recorded, which
suggests that coastal discharges of contaminants may reach
these remote areas. Subsequently, a number of bile
samples were hydrolyzed and analyzed by gas chromatog
raphy−mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the determination
of individual PAHs. 1-Pyrenol and 2-phenylphenol were
among the most abundant compounds detected. The results
obtained confirm the long-range transport of PAHs to deep-sea environments, subsequent exposure of fish inhabiting
those remote areas, and its ability to metabolize and excrete
them through the bile. The data also describe hepatic
enzymes (cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferases)
that appear to be as catalytically efficient as those in
shallow water species.
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