The use of a biomarker to assess the effect of xenobiotic exposure on the freshwater invertebrate Gammarus pulex.

Contamination of freshwaters is of concern because of its effect on ecosystem health. The effect of contamination can be assessed at all levels of biological organisation, from the ecosystem level to the molecular level. At the biochemical level, enzymes that are involved in the detoxification of organic chemical contaminants are useful as markers of contaminant exposure as they are often one of the first systems to respond to chemical exposure. Furthermore, changes in the activity of these enzymes may be indicative of effects at higher levels of biological organisation. In this study, the use of the detoxification enzyme glutathione stransferase (E. C. 2.5.1.18) (GST) in the freshwater invertebrate Gammarus pulex (Crustacea: Amphipoda), as a biomarker of organic xenobiotic exposure and effects was assessed. Toxicant induced changes in GST activity were related to changes in energy status and physiological energetics. A GST assay was developed that allowed the rapid analysis of GST activity in up to ninety individual animal samples simultaneously. Optimum sample handling and assay conditions were determined for the assay of GST in G. pulex, and extrinsic factors (e. g. environmental temperature, feeding and holding conditions) and intrinsic factors (e. g. body size), affecting variability of GST activity in G. pulex were assessed The effect of exposure to the organic xenobiotics lindane( an organochlorinein insecticide) and alcohol ethoxylate( a non-ionic surfactand detergent)on GST activity in G.pulex was described. The magnitude and duration of the response of GST activity to exposure to both chemicals was assessed under laboratory conditions and with alcohol ethoxylateu, sing outdoor artificial streams. The use of GST as a marker of pesticide exposure in field populations of G. pulex that were subject to pesticide contamination was studied in comparison with animals from non-contaminated, reference sites. The differences in GST activity between animals from a contaminated site and clean site were investigated by short-term and long-term exposure to lindane in the laboratory. Changes in energy status and physiological energetics were investigated in G. pulex on exposure to lindane by measuring glycogen concentration and scope for growth. Measuring these parameters on short-term and long-term exposure to lindane allowed the sensitivity of these responses to be related to the GST response and allowed the energetic cost of exposure to be assessed. It was concluded that increase in GST activity may providea rapid and sensitive biomarker of xenobiotic exposure in the short-term and in populations subject to pesticide contamination. The affect on GST activity may be indicative of effects at higher levels of biological organisations, such as scope for growth and glycogen concentration However, GST activity is affected by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors and should therefore be used only asp art of a comparative study. Because of the transient nature of the GST response in situ assessments should be based on 24-hour exposure periods