Assessment of biochemical components and enzyme activities in the estuarine crab Scylla tranquebarica from naphthalene contaminated habitants

Abstract

To document the impact of naphthalene, a comparative toxicological research was performed in the estuarine crab Scylla tranquebarica habitant of Ennore creek (polluted site) and Kovalam creek (pristine site) for a period of 6 months. The biochemical constituents, such as protein, carbohydrate, lipid and enzyme activities like acid and alkaline phosphatase, aspartate and alanine transaminase were analysed in hepatopancreas, heamolymph and ovary of the female crabs collected from the two creeks. The results revealed that there was a significant measurable difference in these parameters in the tissues of crabs sampled from the polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) polluted site (Ennore creek) when compared with the reference site (Kovalam creek). In addition naphthalene was detected in gill, hepatopancrease, heamolymph and ovary of the crabs sampled from the polluted creek. The results indicate that the indicators selected for toxic impact in S. tranquebarica may be related to the uptake of naphthalene in the tissues examined and support the feasibility of employing these types of analyses as biochemical biomarkers for PAH contaminant-exposed organisms.

TBT Effects on the Development of Intersex (Ovotestis) in Female Fresh Water PrawnMacrobrachium rosenbergii

“…In consonance, the reduction of Vg and Vt contents due to the blocking of protein synthesis or protein denaturation or interruption in the amino acid synthesis ascribable to naphthalene toxicity was documented by Vijayavel and Balasubramanian [55]. The depletion may also be due to the rapid utilization of protein by the cells under stress condition and also indicates that the protein might undergo proteolysis which results in the production of free amino acids and is used for energy production during stress condition [56]. The alterations in the GSI can be used as a hazard criterion for assessing the reproductive fitness or competence in all forms of oviparous animals [58].…”

“…The reduction in vitellogenin content influenced by naphthalene stress may be attributed to the utilization of amino acids in various catabolic reactions. The amino acids through transamination and deamination actions might have supplied indispensable ketoacids to act as precursors for the maintenance of carbohydrate metabolism to meet the energy requirements during pollutant exposure [56]. The increase in amino acid content of the hepatopancreas, hemolymph, and ovary of Scylla serrata reared in naphthalene medium might be due to proteolysis process to meet the energy demand of crabs under naphthalene stress and is consistent with decreased protein content in the ovaries of TBT treated prawns [57].…”

Behavioural shift of estuarine mudcrab as biomarker of arsenic exposure in Sundarbans estuary of West Bengal

“…These toxins are carried through water and silt and increase ecological crisis (Sarkar et al, 2002 and. Arsenic, a toxic metalloid of the environment, bears the potentiality to affect the normal physiology of crustaceans (Vijayavel et al, 2006). Contaminated mudflats are the natural habitat of mud crab including S. serrata, an important inhabitant of this ecosystem (Naskar and Ghosh, 1989;Chaudhuri and Choudhury, 1994 and;Ali et al, 2004).…”

Nutritional composition of three estuarine bivalve mussels,Perna viridis,Donax cuneatusandMeretrix meretrix

“…E) located 35 km south of Chennai, India and runs parallel to the seacoast. Water quality assessment carried out by our previous research indicates that pollutants such as metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons were below the detectable limits (Vijayavel et al 2006a), and hence the Kovalam backwaters was selected as the pristine site for collecting the specimens.…”