Neurotoxicity of organophosphate pesticides could reduce the ability of fish to escape predation under low doses of exposure.

ABSTRACT: Biomarkers are frequently used in ecotoxicology as they allow to study toxicant effects happening at low concentrations of exposure. However, most sublethal studies only evaluate cellular biomarkers which lack evident ecological relevance. We used a multibiomarker approach to estimate the toxic effects of ethoprophos, an organophosphate insecticide commonly used in banana plantations, on the tropical fish Astyanax aeneus (Characidae). We measured biomarkers at sub-individual (cellular) and individual (metabolism, behavior) levels and examined relationships among these responses. A sublethal exposure to ethoprophos caused a significant (54%) reduction of brain Cholinesterase (ChE) activity, reflecting the pesticide's high neurotoxicity. However, other biomarkers like oxidative stress, biotr

SUBMITTER: Sandoval-Herrera N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6642105 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature