Vitellogenin induction and other biochemical responses in carp, Cyprinus carpio, after experimental injection with 17 alpha-ethynylestradiol.

Prespawning, adult male and female carp, Cyprinus carpio, were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of 500 microg/kg of 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2). Blood samples were taken and vitellogenin levels were recorded previous to the injection and 8 days afterward. Western blot analysis of plasma VTG showed a marked response in both males (90-fold) and females (67-fold) after EE2 injection. Also, a significant inhibition of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system, namely, 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, as well as immunodetected CYP1A protein was observed in the EE2-injected fish. Other cytochrome P450 isozymes, such as CYP3A or NADH cyt (b5) reductase, did not indicate any particular trend; whereas NADPH cyt (P450) reductase was significantly induced in EE2-injected animals. Total cytochrome P450, glutathion S-transferase (GST), and total glutathion peroxidase (GPX) fluctuated in a similar manner, but differences among treated and nontreated animals were not statistically significant. UDP glucuronyl transferase (UDPGT), similar to the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Se-GPX, progressively decreased in carrier and injected animals in comparison to the controls, although this trend did not reach statistical significance either.