Changes in neurotransmitter levels in channel catfish after exposure to benzo(a)pyrene, naphthalene, and Aroclor 1254
Several pollutants have been found to alter the levels of brain neurotransmitters. In some investigations all the neurotransmitters studied were affected (TAYLOR and DISTEFANO 1976, MCDONALD 1979, SHARMA 1973, HEINZ 1980), while in other studies only some of the neurotransmitters were affected (HRDINA 1973, SHARMA 1976, FINGERMAN and RUSSELL 1980). In general, when norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) were affected, their levels decreased while in studies where 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was affected there was no consistency in the direction of change. In some species 5-HT was elevated and in others it was depressed. The effects of chemicals on neurotransmitters are probably species and dose-related, making correlations difficult among studies using different species of animals and different dose rates. In addition, the effects on animal physiology by chemical pollutants in the environment are further complicated by the fact that in nature animals are rarely exposed to a single pollutant. Consequently, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of a single exposure to the common environmental contaminants benzo(a)pyrene (BP), naphthalene (N), and the PCB Aroclor 1254, not only alone but also in combination, on the neurotransmitters 5-HT, NE and DA in the brain of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), a species that has not been studied previously in this regard.
Aroclors; Benzopyrenes; Environmental Pollutants; Naphthalenes; Neurotransmitter Agents; Chlorodiphenyl (54% Chlorine); 11097-69-1; Benzo(a)pyrene; 3417WMA06D; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; DFC2HB4I0K; Index Medicus; Animals; Environmental Pollutants -- toxicity; Brain Chemistry -- drug effects; Neurotransmitter Agents -- analysis; Naphthalenes -- toxicity; Aroclors -- toxicity; Benzopyrenes -- toxicity; Polychlorinated Biphenyls -- toxicity; Fishes -- metabolism