Effects of exposure to PAHs on brain AChE in gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata L., under laboratory conditions.

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of exposure to selected PAHs (phenanthrene, pyrene, and fluorene) on brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) in short term in vivo experiments. The measured brain AChE activity was within the same range (110-200 nmol min(-1) mg prot(-1)) in all the considered treatment conditions and in the control. The only statistically significant difference in AChE activity with respect to the control group was its induction in response to the lowest tested pyrene concentration in one of two replicated studies.

Biochemical response in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) to in vivo exposure to a mix of selected PAHs.

In our previous studies we assessed the biochemical response of juvenile seabream to the exposure to three selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (phenanthrene, pyrene and fluorene) in short-term laboratory experiments. Since in the analyses conducted in the field it is much more natural to expect the presence of multiple contaminants at the same time, the objective of this study was to analyse the reaction of seabream to the exposure to a mix of the three PAHs tested previously. The proportions of the individual components in the PAH mix used in our experiments were constant and determined on the basis of the concentration addition concept.

An automated marine biomonitoring system for assessing water quality in real-time.

On-line behavioural monitoring systems are nowadays a common tool in ecotoxicological research. Although applied successfully to freshwater species, they are rarely used in the marine field. Here we present first results about the Marine On-line Biomonitor System (MOBS), a new automatic system for recording behavioural responses of marine and freshwater species.