title: Effects of the oxidant potassium permanganate on the expression of gill metallothionein mRNA and its relationship to sublethal whole animal endpoints in channel catfish.
abstract: Potassium permanganate is an oxidant heavily used in fish culture. The effects of this compound were examined utilizing molecular (Metallothionein) and whole animal endpoints following an 8-week exposure to nominal concentrations of 0.5 (daily) and 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L (on alternate days) of potassium permanganate (PM). In order to measure MT, a complementary DNA clone of metallothionein (MT) was cloned and sequenced from the liver of channel catfish treated with a single injection of cadmium chloride (10 mg/kg). The cDNA was obtained by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), using 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique. No significant correlation was observed with gill MT expression or sublethal endpoints indicative of toxicity (weight, length, condition index [CI], or liver somatic index [LSI). MT mRNA expression in gill was significantly reduced only after 8 weeks in the 2.0 mg/L treatment. Decreases in CI were observed in males at all time points after 4 weeks, at the 2.0 mg/L treatment concentration, with a NOEC of 1 mg/L. Reductions in LSI that were not dose dependent were also observed in both males and females throughout the 8-week study and no consistent reduction in weight gain or length was observed. These data demonstrate that minimal changes in sublethal effects occur in fish following 0.5-2.0 mg/L PM treatment after 4 weeks, but recovery from adverse effects is observed by 8 weeks, suggesting that acute (typically less than 1 week) treatment of channel catfish with PM would not significantly affect fish health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Environmental and Community Health Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Mississippi, University 38677, USA. schlenk@olemiss.edu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schlenk
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Colley
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Alfy
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism; D005880:Gills / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D007059:Ictaluridae / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016877:Oxidants / Q000633:toxicity*; D011196:Potassium Permanganate / Q000633:toxicity*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D016877:Oxidants; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011196:Potassium Permanganate; D008668:Metallothionein