PARENT SESSION

2C - Biomarkers
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Tuesday, 29 April 2003
Chair: Hansen, P.D.¹, ¹
Co-chair: Vindimian, E.², ²

(TUP/82) Propanil-induced disturbances in muscular eel metabolism.

Fernandez-Vega, Cristina¹, Sancho, Encarnacion², Ferrando, Maria-Dolores¹, Andreu-Moliner, Enrique¹, ¹ University of Valencia, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain² Autonomous University, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain

ABSTRACT- Propanil is one of the major herbicides employed on rice farming around the world being widely used in the Albufera Natural Park (Valencia, Spain). This area is a protected wetland with a traditional rice culture of inundation. Propanil application can produce adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem. Populations of European eel, Anguilla anguilla, commonly inhabit this protected ecosystem. As result of the presence of sublethal pollutant concentrations in the aquatic medium, some biochemical parameters in animals can be altered. Alterations in the physiology, biochemistry or even behaviour of fish are being investigated as potential diagnostic tools for assessing environmental effects of the contaminants. The lethal toxicity (LC50) of propanil in the European eel (A. anguilla) was previously determinated resulting in 31.55 ppm at 96 hours exposure. In order to investigate sublethal effects of propanil on fish physiology, two sublethal concentrations (1/10 and 1/50 LC50-96h) were selected. Eels from Albufera Lake were exposed in two separated experiments to 3.16 ppm and 0.63 ppm of propanil for 96 hours in a continuous flow-through system. At 0, 2, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours animals were randomly removed and anesthethized with MS222. Skeletal muscle samples were dissected and used for determination of glucose, lactate, total proteins and cholesterol levels. Propanil induced a increase in both glucose and lactate levels (p<0.05) compared with levels at 0 hours and maintained throughout the toxicant exposure. Mobilization of total proteins and cholesterol were observed during the herbicide exposure (p<0.05). The observed effects induced in A. anguilla metabolism by the propanil exposure are discussed in relation to a stress syndrome, as an indicative status of the physiological adaptability of the fish to compensate pesticide stress.

Key words: metabolites, muscular, propanil, toxicity