Body size-related differences in the inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase activity in juvenile Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus) by chlorpyrifos and carbosulfan

Abstract

Influence of body size on inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus by chlorpyrifos and carbosulfan was investigated concerning its potential use in the biomonitoring of anticholinesterase pesticides in tropical water bodies. Three size groups of fish (fry: 3–4 cm, fingerlings: 6–8 cm, sub-adults: 10–12 cm in total length) were exposed to a series of concentrations of chlorpyrifos (0.5–12 μg L −1) or carbosulfan (1–10 μg L −1), and concentration–response for inhibition and recovery of the AChE enzyme was evaluated in comparison to the controls at different time points, 2, 6, 10, and 14 d. The AChE activities of the control fish followed the order of decreasing activity, fry>fingerlings>sub-adults. AChE activities of the fry were nearly 2-fold higher than that of the sub-adults. Following 48 h of pesticide exposure, the AChE activity of the three size groups of fish decreased significantly in comparison to the respective controls in a concentration-dependent manner. The activity was greatly inhibited in the fry (39–85%) compared to sub-adults (18–47%) exposed to the most of the similar concentrations of the pesticides. Median effective in vivo inhibition concentrations (48 h IC 50) of chlorpyrifos for fry, fingerlings, and sub-adult stages were 0.53, 0.75, and 3.86 μg L −1, respectively, whereas the corresponding values for carbosulfan were 3.37, 7.02, and 8.72 μg L −1. When fish were maintained in the initial pesticide medium for 14 days, AChE activity restored gradually depending on the initial pesticide exposure concentration and the size group of the fish. Results indicate that brain AChE of Nile tilapia is a promising biomarker for assessment of anticholinesterase pesticide contaminations in water. However, body size of Nile tilapia should be taken into account when using this biomarker in biomonitoring programmes.