Interrenal metallothionein and cortisol secretion in relation to Cd, Cu, and Zn exposure in yellow perch, Perca flavescens, from Abitibi lakes

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1692-1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
J -S Laflamme ◽  
Y Couillard ◽  
P GC Campbell ◽  
A Hontela

The concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Cd in the interrenal tissue and liver of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, sampled in six lakes in the mining region of Abitibi (Quebec) revealed a gradient of contamination: reference lakes, intermediate-contaminated lakes, and highly contaminated lakes. Interrenal and hepatic metallothionein concentrations followed a similar gradient, and there was a strong relationship between metallothionein and total metal (Zn + Cu + Cd) content in the liver and Cu + Cd content in the interrenals. Following a standardized confinement stress test, plasma cortisol and glucose were significantly higher in fish from reference lakes compared with the two most contaminated lakes. No differences in plasma chloride were observed. The secretory response of the interrenal tissue to in vitro stimulation by adrenocorticotropic hormone and dibutyryl cyclic AMP was significantly lower in fish from a contaminated lake compared with fish from a reference lake. Condition factor was significantly lower in yellow perch from the most contaminated lakes. This study demonstrated that a chronic field exposure to base metals increases hepatic and interrenal tissue metallothionein concentrations and disrupts the physiological capacity of yellow perch to generate the normal hormonal stress response.

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick W. Goetz ◽  
Harold L. Bergman

The in vitro effects of various gonadotropin and pituitary preparations on germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) were investigated in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum). All preparations tested were effective in walleye; however, none of the preparations induced significant GVBD in yellow perch.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 982-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Gravel ◽  
P GC Campbell ◽  
A Hontela

Although it has been reported that adult yellow perch (Perca flavescens) chronically exposed to metals in the environment exhibit endocrine impairment characterized by blunted cortisol secretion, little is known about the vulnerability of early life stages. Young-of-the-year (YOY) and 1+ yellow perch were captured, subjected to a standardized stress test or adrenocorticotropic-hormone stimulation in lakes situated along a contamination gradient of Cd, Cu, and Zn in the mining region of Abitibi, Quebec. For the first time, whole-body cortisol concentrations were measured. The 1+ fish with elevated whole-body Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations had an impaired capacity to respond to an acute stress challenge. Although YOY perch had similar whole-body Cd concentrations to 1+ perch, no effects on physiological status were detected in relation to body burdens of metals. Metal contamination did not affect whole-body thyroid-hormone concentrations, condition factor, or hepatosomatic index in 1+ or YOY perch. These results indicate that effects of Cd, Cu, and Zn on the functional integrity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-interrenal axis in yellow perch are detectable after only 1 year of environmental exposure.


1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (12) ◽  
pp. 2752-2758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie C Brodeur ◽  
Graham Sherwood ◽  
Joseph B Rasmussen ◽  
Alice Hontela

The characteristic elevation of plasma cortisol levels in response to an acute stress of capture was impaired in both male and female yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from lakes contaminated by heavy metals. The impairment of the cortisol stress response was observed in fish 4 + years and older whereas the capacity to elevate plasma cortisol levels of fish younger than 4 + was not significantly different at contaminated and reference sites. The responsiveness to ACTH of the interrenal tissue of 4 + yellow perch was evalutated in vitro to determine whether the impairment of the cortisol stress response is caused by a dysfunction of the interrenal tissue or if the dysfunction is located elsewhere in the hypothalamo-pituitary-interrenal axis controlling the secretion of cortisol. The amount of cortisol secreted by the interrenal tissue of yellow perch from a contaminated site in response to a 10-min stimulation with 10-7 M ACTH was significantly lower compared with fish from the reference site. These results indicate that the impairment of the cortisol stress response observed in fish from polluted sites is caused, at least in part, by a dysfunction of the interrenal tissue.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (11) ◽  
pp. 1605-1613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumya Niyogi ◽  
Gregory G Pyle ◽  
Chris M Wood

Zinc is an essential micronutrient for freshwater fish but can be toxic to them at elevated concentrations. Therefore, the regulation of zinc uptake is important in maintaining homeostasis when fish are chronically exposed to elevated zinc in nature. This study examined the kinetics of in vivo branchial and in vitro intestinal zinc uptake in wild yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from metal-contaminated and reference lakes in northern Ontario. The results showed that the branchial zinc uptake involves high-affinity transport sites, whereas the intestinal zinc uptake involves low-affinity transport sites. Interestingly, significant alterations in the branchial zinc uptake (reduced affinity, increased maximum transport rate) but no apparent changes in the intestinal zinc uptake characteristics were observed in the metal-impacted yellow perch population relative to the reference population. Subsequently, no differences in zinc concentrations of gill, liver, and whole body were recorded between reference and metal-impacted yellow perch populations. Overall, our study indicated that the gill, not the gut, likely plays a critical role in maintaining the zinc homeostasis in wild fish under chronic exposure.


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