Journal of Environmental Biology

Inhibition and recovery of cholinesterases in Odontophrynus americanus

tadpoles exposed to fenitrothion

 

Rafael C. Lajmanovich*, Andres M. Attademo, Paola M. Peltzer and Celina M. Junges

National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) - Faculty of Biochemistry and

Biological Sciences - FBCB-UNL, Paraje el Pozo s/n (3000), Santa Fe, Argentina

(Received: May 12, 2008; Revised received: August 09, 2008; Accepted: September 25, 2008)

 

Abstract: We determined the levels of brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and tail butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities in tadpoles of Odontophrynus americanus exposed to a commercial formulation of fenitrothion. The mean brain AChE activities in the controls tadpoles varied from 6.91 to 6.39 ?mol min^-1 mg^-1 protein, whereas tail BChE activities ranged among 0.26 to 0.17? ?mol min^-1 mg^-1 protein; the two sub-lethal concentrations of fenitrothion assayed produced AChE and BChE inhibition (p < 0.01). Brain AChE recovered a substantial level of activity with a maximum of 93.2%; after the transference of tadpoles to a free-pesticide solution, whereas tail BChE recovery showed a smaller increase (39%) in the activity at 168 hr after to transference to clear water. According with our results, we suggest that tadpole?s tail BChE presents higher sensibility than brain AChE.

Key words: Tadpoles, Cholinesterases, Fenitrothion, Recovery

 

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