Abstract
Sediments are a major issue for many scientists and authorities due to their close linkage to the aquatic food web and their potential to accumulate pollutants. In the present chapter, the method of exposure of zebrafish embryos to native sediment samples is described. Such exposure provides an ecologically highly relevant and realistic scenario which takes bioavailability into account and simulates in situ exposure conditions. The sediment contact assay is followed by bioassays with different biological endpoints. Namely, the measurement of biotransformation enzyme activities (7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity, carboxylesterase activity, and glutathione S-transferase activity), as well as oxidative stress (catalase activity) and neurotoxic (acetylcholinesterase activity) enzymatic biomarkers, can be conducted. In addition, measurements of enzyme activities are accompanied by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to assess the expression of corresponding genes.
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