Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Toxicokinetics of DNA adducts and biliary fluorescent aromatic compounds in fish exposed to PAC-contaminated sediments

Conference ·
OSTI ID:372516

Exposure of fish to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) can be assessed by measuring fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) in bile or xenobiotic-DNA adducts in liver. Acute exposures in fish to model PACs or PAC contaminated sediment extracts have shown dose-responsive increases in levels of DNA adducts and biliary FACS. FAC levels have been shown to decline rapidly after exposure, whereas a substantial proportion of DNA adducts persist. However, the time and dose responses of these biomarkers with chronic exposure to sediment-associated PACs have not been examined in fish. In this study, the authors examined the effects of varying the PAC concentrations and length of exposure on levels of DNA adducts and biliary FACs in English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) exposed for up to 5 weeks to reference sediment amended with PAC-contaminated sediment from Eagle Harbor, WA. DNA adduct levels increased linearly with both PAC concentration and length of exposure, while biliary FAC concentrations were responsive to PAC levels but had attained steady-state concentrations after 2 weeks of exposure. Further, levels of DNA adducts and biliary FACs in feral fish captured from Eagle Harbor were within the ranges of levels found in the laboratory-exposed fish. Comparison of the data from field and laboratory-exposed fish strengthened the finding that hepatic DNA adducts accumulated with chronic exposure. The results showing accumulation of hepatic DNA adducts in English sole during continuous exposure to PACs is consistent with previous studies showing a relatively low rate of DNA repair in fish.

OSTI ID:
372516
Report Number(s):
CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English