Journal of Environmental Biology

Cytochrome P450 1A  activity in liver and fixed wavelength fluorescence detection

of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the bile of tongue-fish  (Cynoglossus acrolepidotus, Bleeker) in relation to petroleum  hydrocarbons  in the eastern Gulf of Thailand

 

Voravit Cheevaporn*¹ and F. William H. Beamish²

*voravit@buu.ac.th

¹Department of Aquatic Science, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Chonburi-20131, Thailand

²Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Chonburi-20131, Thailand

(Received: June 15, 2006 ; Revised received: September 20, 2006 ; Accepted: October 20, 2006)

Abstract: This investigation was conducted in an area of oil spill along the east coast of Thailand to examine the relations among cytochrome P450 1A activity in liver and  PAHs in the bile of the tonguefish and petroleum hydrocarbons in the sediments. PAH sediment concentrations in the reference and oil spill areas were 5.03 + 0.42 and 0.21 + 0.043  mg^-1 dry weight  respectively. Cytochrome activity in fish liver from oil spill area was 45.40 + 3.50 pmoles/min/mg protein, almost threefold higher than that from the reference sites. Flourescense detection in bile metabolites at the oil spill area, 69.8 + 9.9 flourescense unit  was significantly higher than that at the reference sites, 22.9 + 5.5 and 22.2 + 3.5 fluorescence unit. A strong correlation was found among cytochrome P450 1A activity in liver, PAH of bile metabolites and petroleum hydrocarbons. Both cytochrome and bile metabolites activity decreased seaward varying to the distance from the oil polluted area. We concluded that both detections in tonguefish can be regarded as a complementary biomarkers for the  exposure of PAHs in tropical marine environments.

Key words:   Cytochrome P 450 1A, Fixed wavelength fluorescence, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, Tongue-fish

Copyright © 2007 Triveni Enterprises. All rights reserved. No part of the Journal can be reproduced in any form without prior permission. Responsibility regarding the authenticity of the data, and the acceptability of the conclusions enforced or derived, rest completely with the author(s).