Biochemical changes and accumulation in "pacu" fish (Metynnis argenteus) exposed to paclobutrazol

Abstract

Paclobutrazol is a plant growth regulator with fungicide properties which is widely used in Brazilian Northeast orchards. This chemical remains stable in the soil for several months and its half-life in water is longer than three weeks. Because of these characteristics, the aquatic contamination by paclobutrazol may occur, potentially harming aquatic fauna and human health. This work evaluates the bioconcentration and the activities of the enzymes: glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the Brazilian fish "pacu prata" (Metynnis argenteus) exposed to paclobutrazol for 28 days. Results showed a significant increase in the enzymatic activity of LDH and GST in liver, for concentrations equals to 3 mg L-1 (28º day exposure) and 30 mg L-1 (7º day exposure), respectively. Paclobutrazol residues in muscle reached 166 mg kg-1 at the end of the period of exposure for the measured concentration in the water equivalent to 2.7 mg L-1. The bioconcentration factor estimated for the steady state condition was 73. It was concluded that the measure of LDH and GST activities could be used as biomarkers of paclobutrazol exposure. This exposure may already be in extreme conditions to cause significant risk to humans consuming contaminated fish.