Cytochrome P4501A induction in rainbow trout gills and liver following exposure to waterborne indigo, benzo[a]pyrene and 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl.

We have developed a gill-filament based ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) assay to be used as a tool to monitor cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) induction in caged fish. The present study aimed to compare temporal patterns of EROD induction in gills and liver of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed in the laboratory to readily metabolized and persistent CYP1A inducers, i.e. indigo, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB#126). Branchial and hepatic EROD activities were examined in fish exposed for 6, 12, or 24h and in fish exposed for 24h and then held in clean water for 2 or 14 days. Furthermore, branchial CYP1A protein expression was localized by immunohistochemistry. All compounds strongly induced branchial EROD activity within 6h. The highest EROD inductions observed for indigo, BaP, and PCB#126 were roughly similar in gills (52-, 76-, and 74-fold), but differed considerably in liver (11-, 78-, and 200-fold). In indigo- and BaP-exposed fish, both hepatic and branchial EROD activities decreased rapidly in clean water. In PCB#126-exposed fish, decreased branchial and increased hepatic EROD activities were observed following transfer to clean water. The substances gave rise to immunostaining for CYP1A at different cellular sites. All inducers increased the CYP1A-immunostaining in the gill filament secondary lamellae, but PCB#126 also induced a pronounced CYP1A immunoreactivity in cells near the basal membrane of the epithelium of the primary lamellae. The observation that the low BaP and indigo concentrations induced EROD activity markedly in the gills but only slightly or not at all in the liver, supports the contention that readily metabolized AhR agonists may escape detection when hepatic EROD activity is used for environmental monitoring. The results show that gill filament EROD activity is a sensitive biomarker both for persistent and readily metabolized AhR agonists in polluted water.