Biomarker responses in eelpouts from four coastal areas in Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

To increase our understanding of possible chemical impacts on coastal fish populations in the Baltic Sea, Kattegat and Skagerrak, the viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) was used as sentinel species in two major sampling campaigns (spring and autumn) in 16 different coastal sites. Condition factor (CF), liver somatic index (LSI), gonad somatic index (GSI) were measured and the activity of the hepatic enzymes ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione reductase GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT) and muscular activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were assessed. PAH metabolites in bile were also analyzed.

A gene to organism approach--assessing the impact of environmental pollution in eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) females and larvae.

A broad biomarker approach was applied to study the effects of marine pollution along the Swedish west coast using the teleost eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) as the sentinel species. Measurements were performed on different biological levels, from the molecular to the organismal, including measurements of messenger RNA (mRNA), proteins, cellular and tissue changes, and reproductive success. Results revealed that eelpout captured in Stenungsund had significantly higher hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity, high levels of both cytochrome P4501A and diablo homolog mRNA, and high prevalence of dead larvae and nuclear damage in erythrocytes.

Hepatic transcriptome profiling indicates differential mRNA expression of apoptosis and immune related genes in eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) caught at Göteborg harbor, Sweden.

The physiology and reproductive performance of eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) have been monitored along the Swedish coast for more than three decades. In this study, transcriptomic profiling was applied for the first time as an exploratory tool to search for new potential candidate biomarkers and to investigate possible stress responses in fish collected from a chronically polluted area. An oligonucleotide microarray with more than 15,000 sequences was used to assess differentially expressed hepatic mRNA levels in female eelpout collected from the contaminated area at Göteborg harbor compared to fish from a national reference site, Fjällbacka.

Does waterborne citalopram affect the aggressive and sexual behaviour of rainbow trout and guppy?

Citalopram is one of several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly found in treated sewage effluents. Accordingly, there are concerns about possible adverse effects of SSRIs on aquatic organisms, particularly behavioural effects similar to those associated with SSRI use in humans. Rainbow trout fry and adult male guppies were therefore exposed to waterborne citalopram, ranging from environmentally relevant to high concentrations (1, 10, 100 μg/L) for 3-7 days.

Oxidative stress, evident in antioxidant defences and damage products, in rainbow trout caged outside a sewage treatment plant.

Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are common sources of a wide variety of chemicals entering into the aquatic environment. We have investigated the effects of STP effluent on oxidative stress parameters in rainbow trout via measurements of several enzymatic antioxidants as well as the molecular antioxidant glutathione (GSH). In addition, we have measured levels of oxidative damage, i.