Biomarkers of Aryl-hydrocarbon Receptor Activity in Gulf Killifish (Fundulus grandis) From Northern Gulf of Mexico Marshes Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2017 Jul;73(1):63-75. doi: 10.1007/s00244-017-0417-6. Epub 2017 Jul 10.

Abstract

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, shorelines throughout the Barataria Basin of the northern Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana were heavily oiled for months with Macondo-252 oil, potentially impacting estuarine species. The Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) has been identified as a sentinel species for the study of site-specific effects of crude oil contamination on biological function. In November and December 2010, 4-5 months after the Macondo well was plugged and new oil was no longer spilling into the Gulf waters, Gulf killifish were collected across the Barataria Basin from 14 sites with varying degrees of oiling. Fish collected from oiled sites exhibited biological indications of exposure to oil, including increase in cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) mRNA transcript and protein abundances in liver tissues. Immunohistochemistry revealed increases in gill, head kidney, and intestinal CYP1A protein at heavily oiled sites. Intestinal CYP1A protein was a sensitive indicator of exposure, indicating that intestinal tissue plays a key role in biotransformation of AHR ligands and that ingestion is a probable route of exposure, warranting additional consideration in future studies.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Environmental Monitoring*
  • Fundulidae / metabolism*
  • Gulf of Mexico
  • Petroleum / toxicity*
  • Petroleum Pollution*
  • Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / metabolism*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / toxicity*
  • Wetlands

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Petroleum
  • Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical