Responses of carp hepatopancreatic 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase and glutathione-dependent enzymes to organic pollutants - A field study

Modulations of hepatopancreatic activities of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and glutathione-dependent enzymes were investigated in carp collected in five ponds with different levels of contamination. The CYP1A-dependent 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity was markedly induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in the sediment at a total concentration of 0.9 mg/kg. Even a low organic contamination increased some of the glutathione-dependent enzymatic activities, namely cytosolic glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, ethacrynic acid and 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane, and microsomal glutathione S-transferase. These parameters should be considered as potential tools for the biomonitoring of exposure to chemicals and/or impacts of exposure. An example of a multivariate cluster and discriminant analysis of the obtained analytical and biochemical data proved to be very effective tools for the characterization of the level of contamination.