Estres producido por sedimentos contaminados con niquel en una granja de trucha arcoiris, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Pisces: Salmonidae) / Stress produced by contaminated sediments with nickel in a rainbow trout ponds Oncorhynchus mykiss (Pisces: Salmonidae)

Previous studies indicated the presence of high concentrations of nickel in the "El truchón" ponds (in México), so it was necessary to find a possible correlation between sediment physicochemical properties of this water body and the damage that could be produced on the rainbow trout which culture is done in a rustic reservoir. The study was initiated with the determination of the physicochemical properties of the trout farm sediments, which are; granular composition, total nitrogen percentage, organic matter content, pH, redox potential, cationic interchange capacity, and Ni concentration. LC50 of Ni at 96 h was determined on Onchorynchus mykiss in the system water-sediment from the trout farm at equilibrium time. In the same system the sublethal toxicity of Ni was evaluated by the determination of metallotioneine (MT) levels, o-demethylase activity (OD) and protein concentration. The results showed a significant increment in the three-biochemical parameters. A linear relation was observed between Ni concentration and MT, OD and protein concentration, so these damage biomarkers are recommended in order to evaluate Ni toxicity. Probably these effects were due to the physicochemical characteristics of the sediments, which may give a high capacity to store metal in it. According to the obtained results it was suggested not to use rustic ponds in the fish culture, and use concrete ponds to avoid the accumulation of toxic compounds or make periodic sediments remotion

Efecto tóxico del DDT, clordano y agua de la presa Ignacio Ramírez (México), sobre Daphnia magna (Crustacea: Daphnidae) / Toxic effect of DDT, chlordane and water from the Ignacio Ramírez dam (Mexico), on Daphnia magna (Crustacea: Daphnidae)

Actualmente en México son empleados los plaguicidas diclorodifeniltricloroetano (DDT) y clordano (CLO) para combatir la malaria y termitas. De 1990 a 1996 un total de 27 ton de DDT y 508 de CLO, en forma de productos técnicos, fueron importados. El objetivo de este estudio fue establecer una metodología para determinar el impacto ambiental que pueden producir estos compuestos sobre un embalse. El efecto tóxico del DDT y CLO fue evaluado sobre la actividad de la o-demetilasa (OD) y del acetilcolinesterasa (AchA) del cladócero Daphnia magna al exponerla a diferentes concentraciones de los insecticidas disueltos en el agua de tres sitios de la presa Ignacio Ramírez (PIR). El efecto del agua contaminada con los insecticidas sobre la actividad de la AChA y OD, así como la CL50, fueron utilizadas como indicadores de exposición para determinar los lugares más contaminadas de la PIR. Las características fisicoquímicas del agua así como la biodiversidad de los sitios en estudio de la presa fueron considerados. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la estación cercana a la compuerta exhibe un potencial de toxicidad, ya que las actividades enzimáticas fueron modificadas. Se sugiere utilizar las actividades de AchA y OD del cladócero para evaluar la toxicidad de un cuerpo de agua contaminado por insecticidas organoclorados.

Enzyme polymorphism on the metabolic-demethylation of dextromethorphan in a Southamerican population

The polymorphic oxidative metabolism of debrisoquine and sparteine were discovered in the seventies by Mahgoub and Eichelbaum. Since then, many other therapeutic substances were added and one of these drugs is dextromethorphan. The object of this investigation was to ascertain the distribution of the oxidative phenotype of dextromethorphan in the Uruguayan population. The drug and its metabolite, dextrorphan, were quantified in the urine of 165 healthy volunteers by a modificacion of an HPLC method by Chen et al. The metabolic ratio was calculated and frequency distribution histograms were drawn. By inspection of the histogram two antimodes can be assigned which determine three sub-populations: on one side the fast extensive metabolizers (n = 30, 18.2 per cent), in the middle the extensive metabolizers (n = 123, 74.5 per cent) and on the other extreme of the histogram the slow metabolizers (n = 12, 7.3 per cent). No other studies have confirmed thus far this trimodal distribution. This research will be continued by genotyping the populations studied in order to confirm these findings and to elucidate the underlying genetic mechanisms of the polymorphism.