Fasting modifies Aroclor 1254 impact on plasma cortisol, glucose and lactate responses to a handling disturbance in Arctic charr

• Published in: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology 2002-06, Vol.132 (2), p.235-245
• Main Authors: Jørgensen, E.H., Vijayan, M.M., Aluru, N., Maule, A.G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Arctic charr; Aroclor 1254; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body Weight - drug effects; Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine) - toxicity; Cortisol; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fasting - blood; Food deprivation; Glucose; Hydrocortisone - blood; Lactate; Lactic Acid - blood; Nutritional Status; Stress; Stress, Physiological - blood; Stress, Physiological - physiopathology; Time Factors; Trout - blood
• ISSN: 1532-0456; 1878-1659
• DOI: 10.1016/S1532-0456(02)00069-8

Integrated effects of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and nutritional status on responses to handling disturbance were investigated in the Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus). The fish were orally contaminated with Aroclor 1254 and held either with or without food for 5 months before they were subjected to a 10-min handling disturbance. Food-deprived fish were given 0, 1, 10 or 100 mg PCB kg −1 and the fed fish 0 or 100 mg PCB kg −1. Plasma cortisol, glucose and lactate levels were measured at 0 (pre-handling), 1, 3, 6 and 23 h after the handling disturbance. Food-deprived control fish had elevated plasma cortisol levels compared with fed fish before handling. These basal cortisol levels were suppressed by PCB in food-deprived fish, and elevated by PCB in fed fish. The immediate cortisol and glucose responses to handling disturbance were suppressed by PCB in a dose-dependent way in food-deprived fish. Although these responses were also lowered by PCB in the fed fish, the effect was much less pronounced than in food-deprived fish. There were only minor effects on plasma lactate responses. Our findings suggest that the stress responses of the Arctic charr are compromised by PCB and that the long-term fasting, typical of high-latitude fish, makes these species particularly sensitive to organochlorines such as PCB.