Rainbow trout gills are a sensitive biomarker of short-term exposure to waterborne copper.
Hepatic copper levels may not indicate short-term exposure to waterborne copper in teleosts. Significantly higher copper loads were found in the gills of rainbow trout exposed to 105 microg x L(-1) total measured copper for a period of 24 h than in control animals where no differences were recorded in hepatic copper levels. A second experiment exposing trout to 153 microg x L(-1) total measured copper also demonstrated significant differences in branchial copper levels between control and exposed animals after 3 h exposure. The ratio of the copper load in the gills to the liver, and copper/zinc ratios of the gills were also examined. After exposure to 105 microg x L(-1) for 24 h both gill/liver copper ratios and Cu/Zn ratios in exposed animals were significantly greater than in control animals. After 12 h exposure to 153 microg x L(-1) total measured copper the gill Cu/Zn ratio was significantly greater than in control animals. These data indicate the gills may be a better indicator of short-term exposure than the liver.
Daglish
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RW
School of Aquaculture, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Locked Bag 1-370, Launceston, 7250, Tasmania, Australia. rdaglish@utas.edu
Nowak
B F
BF
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005880:Gills / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
D015415:Biomarkers; D014873:Water Pollutants; D003300:Copper