Acta Vet. Brno 2009, 78: 513-524

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb200978030513

Use of Biochemical Markers for the Assessment of Organic Pollutant Contamination of the Vltava river, Czech Republic

Marcela Havelková1, Iveta Slatinská1, Zuzana Široká1, Jana Blahová1, Jan Krijt2, Tomáš Randák3, Vladimír Žlábek3, Danka Haruštiaková4, Jiří Jarkovský4, Zdeňka Svobodová1,3

1Department of Veterinary Public Health and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Czech Republic
2Institute of Pathological Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
3Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology Vodňany, University of South Bohemia České Budějovice, Vodňany, Czech Republic
4Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Received November 11, 2008
Accepted February 9, 2009

In this study, selected biochemical markers - cytochrome P450 (CYP 450), ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione (GSH) - were measured in chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) liver samples obtained from three locations on the Vltava river (Podolí, Podbaba and Vraňany) and from a control location nmicals commonly known as their inducers. These include polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene and octachlorostyrene measured in chub muscle and polyaromatic hydrocarbons measured in bear Vodňany. The levels of selected biomarkers should correlate with the concentration of cheottom sediments obtained from the same locations. The highest EROD activity (median 101.37 pmol min-1 mg-1 protein), GST activity (median 42.82 nmol min-1 mg-1 protein), and GSH concentration (median 8.01 nmol mg-1 protein) were found in fish liver from the Podbaba location. There were no significant differences in CYP P450 level or EROD activity among the different locations. In Podbaba, GST activity (P < 0.01) and GSH concentrations (P < 0.001) were significantly higher than in the control location. The results of these analyses were correlated and a significant correlation was found between biochemical markers and their inducers. The results show that the use of biochemical markers in water quality assessment is a convenient method that can supplement classical chemical monitoring.

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