PARENT SESSION
1D Bioassays for specific hazards (estrogenic effects, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, ...)
9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Tuesday, 08 May 2001

(T/EH056) N-Acetylcysteine improves recovery after organophosphate poisoning in the European eel Anguilla anguilla.

Peña-Llopis, Samuel¹, Cañavate, Germán¹, Ferrando, María², Peña, Juan¹, ^{1 2}

ABSTRACT- Previous studies showed the importance of glutathione in the resistance to herbicides in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Furthermore, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), injected intraperitoneally, increased hepatic glutathione levels and extended survival in eels exposed to an LC₈₅ of the organophosphorous insecticide dichlorvos. This pesticide is used to control household and public health insect pests, but also, as a veterinary anthelmintic to treat a variety of parasitic worm infections in fishes, dogs and livestock; therefore, there is a risk to poison these animals if dosages are exceeded. In this study, eels from a fish farm were exposed for 96 h to 0.17 mg/L (1/5 LC50) of dichlorvos in a static-renewal system. Afterwards, eels were divided in two groups. The first one was transferred to clean water and the second group to a 0.5 mM (81.6 mg/L) NAC solution. Reduced (GSH) and oxidised (GSSG) glutathione, glutathione reductase (GR) and -glutamyl transferase (-GT) activities were determined in the liver and muscle of eels after 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96 h of recovery. In addition, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was analysed in plasma, brain and muscle. Although liver presented no striking changes, a glutathione increase was found in the muscle after 12 h of recovery in NAC solution, which was connected to an enhancement in GR and AChE activities.

Key words: glutathione, AChE, treatment, oxidative stress