title: Environmental contaminants and biochemical responses in flatfish from the Hvaler Archipelago in Norway.
abstract: The levels of several environmental contaminants, including selected polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), organochlorines (DDT/DDE, hexachlorobenzene), 15 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDF/PCDD), and heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Pb, and As) were analyzed in muscle and liver of three different flatfish species (dab, Limanda limanda; flounder, Platichthys flesus; plaice, Pleuronectes platessa) caught by gill netting at different sites in the Hvaler Archipelago. Indices of biochemical effects in liver S9-fractions were studied by measuring cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase and UDP-glucuronyl transferase activities, and by immunoquantitating cytochrome P450 1A1 using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Only low levels of PCDD/PCDF, Cd, and Pb were observed, whereas PCB levels were significantly elevated in fish from the inner sites of the Archipelago compared to a reference site. The contaminant gradient toward the Glomma estuary was correlated with increased cytochrome P450 1A1 activity, measured as 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), and with immunoquantitated P450 1A1. In contrast, fish from the site at Idefjorden, although containing elevated contaminant levels, did not show elevated EROD activity, but apparently elevated P450 1A1 protein. These findings may reflect different pollution histories of the sites, and indicate the applicability of biochemical effect indices (i.e., EROD and P450 1A1 immunoquantitation) to monitoring studies. The integrated chemical-biochemical approach employed in this study can obviously be expanded to give fruitful information about cause-effect relationships in other contaminant situations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goksøyr
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Husøy
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klungsøyr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilhelmsen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maage
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Brevik
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Celander
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pesonen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000032:analysis; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000032:analysis; D005412:Flatfishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D009664:Norway; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1