Uptake of benzo[a]pyrene by gonadal tissue of flatfish (family Pleuronectidae) and its effects on subsequent egg development.
Accumulation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) by sexually mature flatfish gonad, its transfer to developing gametes, and its subsequent effects on developing embryos were studied. Thin-layer chromatography revealed both unmetabolized BaP and polar metabolites in the ovary, wolffian ducts, oocytes, and semen of English sole 24 h after ip injection with 200 microCi [3H]BaP. Concentrations of BaP and its metabolites were 3-11 times higher in oocytes and semen than in gonadal tissue. Fertilized eggs from flathead sole that had been fed 4.0 mg BaP 5 h before spawning demonstrated a significantly lower (p less than 0.001) hatching success (11.9%) than eggs from control fish (56.6%). Morphological abnormalities were found in only 1.6% of control embryos but in 5.6% of embryos from treated females.
D000818:Animals; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; D001580:Benzopyrenes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D004531:Eggs; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006066:Gonads / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D001580:Benzopyrenes; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene