A protocol for identifying suitable biomarkers to assess fish health: A systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundBiomarkers have been used extensively to provide the connection between external levels of contaminant exposure, internal levels of tissue contamination, and early adverse effects in organisms.ObjectivesTo present a three-step protocol for identifying suitable biomarkers to assess fish health in coastal and marine ecosystems, using Gladstone Harbour (Australia) as a case study.MethodsPrior to applying our protocol, clear working definitions for biomarkers were developed to ensure consistency with the global literature on fish health assessment. First, contaminants of concern were identified based on the presence of point and diffuse sources of pollution and available monitoring data for the ecosystem of interest. Second, suitable fish species were identified using fisheries dependent and independent data, and prioritised based on potential pathways of exposure to the contaminants of concern. Finally, a systematic and critical literature review was conducted on the use of biomarkers to assess the health of fish exposed to the contaminants of concern.Results/DiscussionWe present clear working definitions for bioaccumulation markers, biomarkers of exposure, biomarkers of effect and biomarkers of susceptibility. Based on emission and concentration information, seven metals were identified as contaminants of concern for Gladstone Harbour. Twenty out of 232 fish species were abundant enough to be potentially suitable for biomarker studies; five of these were prioritised based on potential pathways of exposure and susceptibility to metals. The literature search on biomarkers yielded 5,035 articles, of which 151met the inclusion criteria. Based on our review, the most suitable biomarkers include bioaccumulation markers, biomarkers of exposure (CYP1A, EROD, SOD, LPOX, HSP, MT, DNA strand breaks, micronuclei, apoptosis), and biomarkers of effect (histopathology, TAG:ST).ConclusionOur protocol outlines a clear pathway to identify suitable biomarkers to assess fish health in coastal and marine ecosystems, which can be applied to biomarker studies in aquatic ecosystems around the world.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Urban Streams Using Fish Biomarkers of DNA Damage and Physiological Responses

“…Also, values of I z in T L were significantly higher (p<0.001; 2.3 times) than the value of C z (101.8±2.4 μm), and a similar outcome between C z and I z was found in T EM (51.7±2.0; 2.9 times). Numerous research on comet bioassays in polluted streams reported that the main causes of DNA damage in eukaryotic cells of aquatic organisms are closely associated with heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), agricultural chemicals (pesticides, herbicides) and genotoxicants [55][56][57][58][59].…”

“…Ecological risk assessment (ERA), based on molecular-level or biochemical biomarkers, has been highlighted in ecotoxicological and genotoxic research [1][2] dealing with the evaluations of aquatic ecosystems impacted as a result of exposure to one or more chemical stressors such as anthropogenic pollutants [3][4]. The detection approaches of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage at the level of an individual eukaryotic cell have been previously applied to various research areas such as plant sciences [5][6] and mammal toxicology studies [4].…”

“…Ecological risk assessment (ERA), based on molecular-level or biochemical biomarkers, has been highlighted in ecotoxicological and genotoxic research [1][2] dealing with the evaluations of aquatic ecosystems impacted as a result of exposure to one or more chemical stressors such as anthropogenic pollutants [3][4]. The detection approaches of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage at the level of an individual eukaryotic cell have been previously applied to various research areas such as plant sciences [5][6] and mammal toxicology studies [4]. Recently, single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), also known as the comet assay, has been widely applied in DNA damage research as a cost-effective method [7][8] as well as being a simple and sensitive dose-response technique for measuring deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strand breaks in eukaryotic cells of a species [9][10].…”

Effect of Sacha Inchi Oil (Plukenetia volubilis L.) on Genotoxicity in Mice (Mus musculus) and Subchronic Toxicity in Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

“…The values of b ranging from b = 2.6 and b = 3.4 show a general trend to increase thickness proportional to the size during growth. 29 The values of the condition factor (K) observed in goldfish showed a slight decrease throughout the treatment period ( Figure 5). This is consistent with the findings of Visser et al 30 The highest values of K were during the first three weeks and would be associated with the rapid growth of goldfish when they are young, the growth rate decreased throughout weeks.…”

Enzymes from kidney, gill and brain tissues of Astyanax bimaculatus (lambari) as biomarkers of environmental impact in the Una River basin

“…Since fish live their entire life cycle in water, their cellular enzymes are considered good biomarkers for monitoring water quality. Enzymes may be classified as biomarkers of exposure, that are defined as "markers which indicate an early biochemical response has occurred following exposure of an individual or organism to a contaminant" (Kroon et al, 2017). Frequently used biochemical markers are antioxidative enzymes such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), enzymes that are related to energy metabolism such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and enzymes related to neurotransmission such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (Kumar et al, 2017).…”