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(70-04) Profiles of detoxifying enzymatic activity in earthworms from zinc, lead and cadmium polluted areas near Olkusz (Poland). Laszczyca, Piotr*,1, Augustyniak, Maria1, Babczynska, Agnieszka1, Bednarska, Katarzyna1, Kafel, Alina1, Migula, Pawel1, Wilczek, Grażyna1, Witas, Ilona1, 1 Dept. Animal Physiology and Ecotoxicology; University of Silesia, Bankowa 9, Katowice, Silesia, Poland ABSTRACT- The aim of the study was to determine whether there are the signs of tolerance of soil fauna for selection pressure produced by heavy metal contamination in the industrial area. Earthworms Allobophora calliginosa, Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia foetida were collected during spring and summer in 2000 and 2001 from meadow sites situated between 2 to 50 km from Bukowno-Olkusz zinc-lead ore mines and smelters. Heavy metal content in the soil nearby smelters reaches 10,500 mg/kg (d.w.) for Zn, 2600 mg/kg for Pb and 81,9 mg/kg for Cd. The sites differ in relation to the species structure of the earthworm population, with A. calliginosa domination. Activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX; EC 1.11.1.9) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or cumene hydroperoxide (CuOOH), glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2), glutathione S-transferase (GST; EC 2.5.1.18) and catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6) was assayed in the postmitochondrial supernatant obtained from whole body homogenates of the animals. The smallest earthworm species, E. foetida, expressed the highest GPX(H2O2) and GPX(CuOOH) activity, while activity of GR appeared to be similar in the tested species. CAT activity seems to be the highest in L. terrestris. Seasonal and annular variations of the enzyme activity were reflected by much higher GPX activity in the late summer 2001 in comparison with spring and summer of year 2000. This may reflect a heavy drought in the spring and summer of year 2000. The activity of both GPX izoenzymes in A. calliginosa and L. terrestris increased along with the increasing distance from the smelters and reached maximum at the site III and site IV (5 and 10 km from the smelters, respectively) and then it decreased in the animals from the site V (50 km from the smelters). These may be an effect of antagonism among enzyme inducing and enzyme inhibiting action of smelter-emitted xenobiotics. Key words: heavy metal pollution, earthworms, detoxifying enzymes |
