Cytochrome P450 Dependent Activities in Mussel and Fish from Coastal Marine Environment: Field Studies on the French Coast of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Hepatic cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activities including Benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase (BPH), biomarker of exposure to polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other organic contaminants like polychlorobiphenyls (PCB) was measured in the microsomal fraction from the fish, Serranus cabrilla (sea comber) liver, and the mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, digestive gland. Additionally, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity measurements were made on the same fish samples. The animals were collected from multiple sites on the French Mediterranean coast, exhibiting various degrees of sediment contamination by urban/industrial wastes quantified in term of PAH and PCB sediment content. Mussel BPH, fish BPH and to a lower extent fish EROD activities were tentatively correlated to sediment PAH/PCB content. The presence of low concentration (20 μM) of α-naphthoflavone (ANF) in the assay mixture increased hepatic BPH activity of sea comber. Statistical correlation of hepatic BPH with PAH level in sediment was greater with the presence of ANF. This work demonstrates the potential of mussel to be used in biomonitoring programmes for coastal pollution survey.