Inter-Research
Marine Ecology Progress Series

ABSTRACT: 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.

KEY WORDS: Cytochrome P450 system · Antioxidant enzymes · Biomonitoring · Mullus barbatus

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Published in MEPS Vol. 235 (2002) on June 19
Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599. Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 2002