engleski

Sensitivity of acetylcholinesterase from the tissues of commercially important bivalve species warty venus Venus verrucosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Noah’s Ark shell Arca noae (Linnaeus, 1758) to organophosphorous pesticides

Marine environment is subjected to the input of wide range of chemical compounds. Among them, organophosphorous pesticides (OP’s) that are commonly applied in agriculture could represent a considerable threat to cultivated and wildlife populations of marine non-target organisms in the near-shore coastal areas. These compounds selectively inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a serine hydrolase essential for transmission of nerve signals. Kinetic properties of AChE and its sensitivity to OP’s have been investigated in the gills and adductor tissues of two commercially important bivalve species: warty venus Venus verrucosa and Noah’s ark Arca noae that are widely distributed and harvested for human consumption along the eastern Adriatic coast. Specific inhibitors eserine and BW284C51 significantly affected AChE activity in the gills and adductor of both species, revealing the similarity to vertebrate enzyme. The highest ratio Vmax/Km indicating the enzyme catalytic efficiency was found for V. verrucosa adductor and A. noae gills (0, 024 ml min -1 mg prot-1). The lowest AChE activity was detected in the gills of V. verrucosa (≤2 nmol/min/mg prot). A. noae adductor had the highest AChE activity (≥10 nmol/min/mg prot). The exposure of both bivalve species to OP resulted in a dose - dependent inhibition of AChE. The potential for use of V. verrucosa and A. noae as indicators of exposure to neurotoxic compounds in marine environment, in particular within the areas not inhabited by other common bioindicator species such as mussels, is discussed.

organophosphorous pesticides; bivalves; cholinesterase

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