Toxicity of the Herbicide Atrazine: Effects on Lipid Peroxidation and Activities of Antioxidant Enzymes in the Freshwater Fish Channa Punctatus (Bloch)

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the toxicity and effects of a commercial formulation of the herbicide atrazine (Rasayanzine) on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme system in the freshwater air breathing fish Channa punctatus. The 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h LC50 of atrazine, calculated by probit analysis, were determined to be 77.091, 64.053, 49.100, 44.412 and 42.381 mg·L−1, respectively, in a semi static system with significant difference (p < 0.05) in LC10–90 values obtained for different times of exposure. In addition to concentration and time dependent decrease in mortality rate, stress signs in the form of behavioral changes were also observed in response to the test chemical. In fish exposed for 15 days to different sublethal concentrations of the herbicide (1/4 LC50 = ∼10.600 mg·L−1, 1/8 LC50 = ∼5.300 mg·L−1 and 1/10 LC50 = ∼4.238 mg·L−1) induction of oxidative stress in the liver was evidence by increased lipid peroxidation levels. The antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) responded positively in a concentration dependent pattern, thus, suggesting the use of these antioxidants as potential biomarkers of toxicity associated with contaminations exposure in freshwater fishes

“Use of Acetylcholinesterase, Glutathiones-Transferase and Cytochrome P450 1A1 in Capoeta umbla as Biomarkers for Monitoring of Pollution in Uzuncayir Dam Lake (Tunceli, Turkey)”

Uzuncayir Dam Lake is one of the most important water bodies in Tunceli. It is pollutedby domestic wastewaters together with natural contamination and pesticides, which havehad cumulatively negative effects. This study analyzes the effects of pollution by usingthe fish species, Capoeta umbla as a sentinel species, with a biomarker approach. Theapproach comprehends a general biomarker of individual fish health, the condition factorand specific biomarkers of contaminant exposure such as glutathione S-transferase (GST)and cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. The generalwater physico-chemical parameters were measured at each sampling sites during each fish-sampling period. Strong seasonal and locational variations were observed among selectedmarkers.In conclusion, the multibiomarker approach used in the present study clearly revealed dif-ferences in the fish health among reference and potentially contaminated sites. The studyshows that changes of biomarkers such as acetylcholinesterase, glutathione S-transferaseand cytochrome P450 1A1 might be useful for the assessment of environmental contamina-tion in the Uzuncayir Dam Lake (Tunceli, Turkey)

Histopathological alterations observed in the liver of Poecilia vivipara (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) as a tool for the environmental quality assessment of the Cachoeira River, BA

Histopathological alterations in liver have been widely used as a tool in studies for monitoring environmental quality. To evaluate the environmental quality in the Cachoeira river, five spots were monitored between the municipal districts of Itapé and Ilhéus, using liver histological analysis. The species chosen for analysis was Poecilia vivipara due to the fact that it is one of the most abundant in the sampling. The routine technique of inclusion and impregnation in paraffin was used, and the cuts were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E). Histopathological alterations in the liver were evaluated semi-quantitatively and based on the severity of the lesions. The results of the histopathological alteration frequency together with the average taken from the Histopathological Alteration Index from points 1 (Vila de Itapé) and 2 (Fazenda Santa Amélia) showed that in this area the environment is more threatened because of some stressor agent, possibly contaminants that seem to be acting in the environment and endangering the health of fish. The statistic results demonstrated that there were no significant differences among points 1, 2 and 4, which means they are very similar to one another, and are ecologically endangered