TY - JOUR
T1 - Aroclor 1248 exposure leads to immunomodulation, decreased disease resistance and endocrine disruption in the brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus
AU - Iwanowicz, Luke R.
AU - Blazer, Vicki S.
AU - McCormick, Stephen D.
AU - VanVeld, Peter A.
AU - Ottinger, Christopher A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the Pamlico Aquaculture Field Lab staff for collecting and holding brown bullheads for our stock population. Thanks to Blake Martin for his assistance with fish care and system maintenance. We very much appreciate the generosity of Dr. Norman Miller (University of Mississippi Medical Center) and his donation of hybridomas. We are thankful to by Dr. Charles Rice (Clemson University, Clemson, SC) for providing the C10-7 mAb and Dr. John Stegeman (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA) for sharing his 1-12-3 mAb. Many thanks to Barb Rutatan (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) for performing much of the CYP1A analyses, and Amy Regish USGS, Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory) for running the thyroid hormone analyses. We thank Dr. Gregory Wiens and Dr. Gregory Weber (USDA, National Center for Cool and Coldwater Aquaculture) for permitting us to use their laboratory space and equipment for the flow cytometry and steroid hormone RIAs, respectively. Many thanks to Drs. Christine Densmore, Darren Lerner, and Charlie Rice for providing a critical review of the draft manuscript. This research was partially funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Priority Ecosystems (Chesapeake Bay Study) and Fisheries Programs of the U.S. Geological Survey. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
PY - 2009/6/4
Y1 - 2009/6/4
N2 - The brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus is a species of the family Ictaluridae commonly used as a sentinel of environmental contamination. While these fish have been utilized for this purpose in areas contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), few controlled, laboratory-based studies have been designed to document the effects of PCB mixtures in this species. Here, brown bullhead were exposed to the PCB mixture, Aroclor 1248, via intraperitoneal injection and the effects on immune function, plasma hormones and disease resistance were evaluated. Exposure to this mixture led to a decrease in bactericidal activity and circulating antibodies to Edwardsiella ictaluri present from a previous exposure to this pathogen. A subsequent E. ictaluri disease challenge led to significantly higher mortality in A1248 treated fish compared to vehicle-control fish. The mitogenic response to the T-cell mitogen, phytohemaglutinin-P, was increased compared to vehicle-control fish. The steroid hormone, cortisol, and the thyroid hormone, T3, were also significantly lower in A1248 exposed fish. In summary, we have validated a number of functional immune assays for application in brown bullhead immunotoxicity studies. Additionally, we have demonstrated that the PCB mixture (A1248) modulates both immune function and endocrine physiology in brown bullhead. Such data may compliment the interpretation of data yielded from applied field studies conducted in PCB contaminated aquatic ecosystems.
AB - The brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus is a species of the family Ictaluridae commonly used as a sentinel of environmental contamination. While these fish have been utilized for this purpose in areas contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), few controlled, laboratory-based studies have been designed to document the effects of PCB mixtures in this species. Here, brown bullhead were exposed to the PCB mixture, Aroclor 1248, via intraperitoneal injection and the effects on immune function, plasma hormones and disease resistance were evaluated. Exposure to this mixture led to a decrease in bactericidal activity and circulating antibodies to Edwardsiella ictaluri present from a previous exposure to this pathogen. A subsequent E. ictaluri disease challenge led to significantly higher mortality in A1248 treated fish compared to vehicle-control fish. The mitogenic response to the T-cell mitogen, phytohemaglutinin-P, was increased compared to vehicle-control fish. The steroid hormone, cortisol, and the thyroid hormone, T3, were also significantly lower in A1248 exposed fish. In summary, we have validated a number of functional immune assays for application in brown bullhead immunotoxicity studies. Additionally, we have demonstrated that the PCB mixture (A1248) modulates both immune function and endocrine physiology in brown bullhead. Such data may compliment the interpretation of data yielded from applied field studies conducted in PCB contaminated aquatic ecosystems.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.03.008
DO - 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.03.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 19406486
AN - SCOPUS:67349213904
SN - 0166-445X
VL - 93
SP - 70
EP - 82
JO - Aquatic Toxicology
JF - Aquatic Toxicology
IS - 1
ER -