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Responses of molecular indicators of exposure in mesocosms: Common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) exposed to the herbicides alachlor and atrazine

2004; Wiley; Volume: 24; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1897/03-509.1

1552-8618

Lina W. Chang, Gregory P. Toth, Denise A. Gordon, David W. Graham, John R. Meier, Charles W. Knapp, Frank deNoyelles, Scott W. Campbell, David L. Lattier,

Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were treated in aquatic mesocosms with a single pulse of the herbicides atrazine or alachlor to study the bioavailability and biological activity of these herbicides using molecular indicators: Liver vitellogenin gene expression in male fish for estrogenic activity, liver cytochrome P4501A1 gene expression, and DNA damage in blood cells using the single-cell gel electrophoresis method. Both alachlor and atrazine showed dose-related increases in DNA strand breaks at environmentally relevant concentrations (<100 ppb). Gene expression indicators showed that neither herbicide had estrogenic activity in the carp, whereas atrazine at concentrations as low as 7 ppb induced cytochrome P4501A1. These results support the study of molecular indicators for exposure in surrogate ecosystems to gauge relevant environmental changes following herbicide treatments.