Effects of a complex mixture of chemical contaminants on hepatic glutathione, L‐cysteine and γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase in english sole (Pleuronectes vetulus)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effects of chemical contaminants on concentrations of hepatic glutathione (GSH), cysteine (L‐Cys), and the activity of γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ‐GCS) were assessed in English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) in the laboratory and in fish from the Duwamish Waterway, a contaminated urban site in Puget Sound, Washington. In the laboratory studies, fish from a nonurban (reference) site were exposed to an organic‐solvent extract of sediment from the Duwamish Waterway. Hepatic GSH concentrations significantly increased at 3 d after exposure to the extract at 1,000 g sediment extracted/kg fish. At this time point, hepatic GSH showed a dose‐dependent increase at dosages ranging from 300 to 1,600 g sediment extracted/kg fish, whereas fish exposed to a reference sediment extract showed no increase. Moreover, the increases in GSH in fish exposed to the contaminated sediment extract were not accompanied by changes in either L‐Cys concentrations or γ‐GCS activity. Similarly, fish sampled directly from the Duwamish Waterway showed increased GSH concentrations but showed no significant differences in L‐Cys levels or γ‐GCS activity compared to fish from a reference site. These results substantiate that hepatic GSH in fish is responsive to chemical contaminant exposure and further support its use as a biomarker in environmental monitoring studies. The findings also indicate that L‐Cys availability and induction of γ‐GCS were not major factors in the increase of hepatic GSH in contaminant‐exposed English sole.

This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit: