Effects of benzo[a]pyrene exposure on black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii): EROD activity, CYP1A protein, and immunohistochemical and histopathological alterations

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2022, Vol.29 (3), p.4033-4043
• Main Author: Woo, Soo Ji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal tissues; Animals; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Atrophy; Benzo(a)pyrene; Benzo(a)pyrene - toxicity; Biotransformation; Body weight; Crude oil; CYP1A protein; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Cytochrome P450; Cytochromes P450; Cytoplasm; Detoxification; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Enzymes; Epithelium; Exposure; Fish; Gills; Heavy petroleum; Histopathology; Hyperplasia; Immunohistochemistry; Ingestion; Intestine; Kidneys; Liver; Marine ecosystems; Microsomes; Microsomes, Liver; Nuclear membranes; Oil spills; Perciformes; Pollutants; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Protein folding; Proteins; Pyrene; Renal tubules; Research Article; Sebastes schlegelii; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15949-1

Cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) is the major phase I of metabolic enzyme that plays essential roles in the detoxification of drugs and biotransformation of environmental pollutants. This study investigated CYP1A enzyme induction using EROD activity, CYP1A protein levels, and immunohistochemistry, along with histopathology of the liver, gills, kidneys, and intestine from the black rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii , exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). S. schlegelii has high risks of ingestion of sediment and absorption of heavy crude oil after accidental oil spills in Korea. This study thus exposed fish to B[a]P at 2, 20, and 200 μg/g body weight. EROD activity and CYP1A protein levels in hepatic microsomes had a positive correlation with the concentration of B[a]P (2–200 μg/g); in particular, exposure to 200 μg/g of B[a]P resulted in a 4- and 6-fold increase in hepatic EROD activity and CYP1A protein level, respectively. Hyperplasia of primary lamellar epithelium and atrophy of renal tubules were observed in the gills and kidney, respectively, following exposure to B[a]P at 200 μg/g. In contrast, severe histological alteration was not seen in intestinal tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis of the distribution of cellular CYP1A in four tissues showed strong immunostaining in the cytoplasm and nuclear membranes of the liver against B[a]P at 200 μg/g. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as B[a]P, cause adverse histological changes in tissues of fish and provide evidence that PAH metabolism is inducible in fish liver, leading to increased CYP1A induction. Furthermore, the CYP1A induction in specific tissues might assist in monitoring and field assessment of marine ecosystems.