Oxidative stress responses in different organs of Jenynsia multidentata exposed to Endosulfan.

BALLESTEROS, M.L; WUNDERLIN, D.A; BISTONI, M.A

Montevideo, Uruguay

Congreso; VIII Congreso SETAC LA; 2007

Sociedad de Toxicología y Química Ambiental (SETAC-LA)

We evaluate detoxication and antioxidant responses in different organs of Jenynsia multidentata experimentally exposed to sublethal concentrations of endosulfan. The main goal was to determine the most affected organ considering that different organs react in a variety of ways or with different intensity upon exposure to a pollutant.Females of J. multidentata were exposed to 0.014, 0.072, 0.288 and 1.4 µg·L-1 of endosulfan for 24 h, measuring the activity of Glutathione-s-transferase (GST), Glutathione reductase (GR), Glutatione peroxidase (GPx)  and Catalase (CAT) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in brain, gills, liver intestine and muscle of both exposed fish and controls.GST activity was inhibited in gills, liver and muscle of exposed fish but induced in brain. GR and GPx activities were increased in brain and gills at 0.014 and 0.288 µg·L-1, respectively. GPx activity was inhibited in liver and muscle at all studied concentrations. CAT activity was inhibited in the liver at the highest concentration. Exposure to 1.4 µg·L-1endosulfan caused an increase of LPO levels in liver. LPO was increased in brain at almost all concentrations tested. Our results suggest that exposure to sublethal concentration of endosulfan caused important changes in biotransformation and antioxidant systems of fish. We find that the brain was the most sensitive organ to oxidative damage, which is in good agreement with reports pointing out brain as the target organ for endosulfan toxicity. The enzymatic response in brain of J. multidentata could be used as a good biomarker for pollution of the aquatic environment with endosulfan or similar xenobiotics.