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Mitochondrial membrane potential is a suitable candidate for assessing pollution toxicity in fish
Ekambaram Padmini1, Munuswamy Usha Rani
1Department of Biochemistry, Bharathi Women's College, Chennai-108, Tamilnadu, India. dstpadmini@rediffmail.com
The Science of the Total Environment
|July 12, 2011
Summary
Mugil cephalus hepatocytes exposed to estuary pollution showed altered ATP/ADP ratios and mitochondrial membrane potential. These stress biomarkers offer sensitive detection of contaminant exposure in fish biomonitoring.
Area of Science:
- Environmental toxicology
- Fish ecotoxicology
- Biomarker research
Background:
- Estuarine fish face significant stress from pollutants, leading to oxidant-antioxidant imbalances.
- Traditional biomarkers may not fully capture the impact of contaminant exposure on fish health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate (ATP/ADP) ratio, mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψm), and protein expression as biomarkers in Mugil cephalus hepatocytes.
- To assess the sensitivity of these parameters in detecting oxidant stress from polluted estuarine environments.
Main Methods:
- Hepatocytes from fish in contaminated (Ennore) and uncontaminated (Kovalam) estuaries were analyzed.
- ATP/ADP ratio measured via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
- Mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψm) assessed using JC-1 dye.
- Total protein expression patterns determined through protein profiling.
Main Results:
- Microscopy confirmed cytological and ultrastructural alterations in hepatocytes from the contaminated estuary.
- Significantly altered ATP/ADP ratio (p<0.05) and disturbed ∆ψm (p<0.05) observed in test fish.
- Enhanced induction of low and high molecular weight proteins detected in test fish hepatocytes.
Conclusions:
- ATP/ADP ratio, ∆ψm, and protein expression patterns are sensitive biomarkers for contaminant exposure in estuarine fish.
- Mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψm) shows promise as a novel, specific biomarker for rapid risk assessment.
- These biomarkers enhance biomonitoring programs for pollutant stress in aquatic ecosystems.
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