Acute and chronic effects of copper and cadmium on oxidative stress biomarkers in Gambusia holbrooki

Abstract

In this study, the chronic effect of the insecticides carbofuran and deltamethrin on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were examined in the brain of tench. Both pesticides were evaluated in two separate experiments, and animals were exposed in a continuous flow-system to three different concentrations of carbofuran (0, 10 and 100 μg/L) and deltamethrin (0, 0.0039 and 0.039 μg/L) for 60 days. After that period, animals were kept into pesticide-free water for other 30 days. In all cases, animals were sampled every 10 days all along the experience. AChE activity was significantly inhibited in fish exposed to 100 μg/L of carbofuran, during the first 30 days of exposition, returning to basal levels after this initial period. With respect to deltamethrin exposure, AChE activity was not significantly affected. When considering MDA levels, significant changes could only be detected during the recovery period for both pesticides, with a maximum of induction at 70 and 80 days, respectively associated to the highest dose of carbofuran and deltamethrin. Similarly, GSH levels varied all along the experience, with a maximum of significant increase at day 80 of exposition to the highest dose of both pesticides. This study shows that changes in AChE brain activity in tench can be used as a biomarker of early pesticide exposition in environmental monitoring programs, whereas MDA and GSH levels could be more associated to long-term expositions. The above results confirm and broaden former observations, suggesting that more investigations are needed before these biochemical parameters can be used as biomarkers.