Effects of cypermethrin on antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation of Lake Van fish (Alburnus tarichi).

Lake Van fish is the only vertebrate species that lives in extreme condition (salinity of 2.2%, alkalinity of 151.2 meq/kg, and pH of 9.8) of largest soda lake of the world. This fish is an important source of protein for the people living in Van and surrounding provinces. . Cypermethrin (CYP) is used extensively against insects in agricultural, livestock, and domestic applications in Lake Van basin. CYP has toxic effects highly on non-target organisms as aquatic animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of commercial formulas of CYP (0.05 µg/L) on Van Lake fish (Alburnus tarichi) for 24, 48, 72, 96 h under semi-static conditions using oxidative damage biomarkers. In this study, antioxidant defense system enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and lipid peroxidation (LPO) product malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined in the liver, kidney, gills, and brain tissues. According to the results of this study, the decrease in SOD (at 48, 72, and 96 h) and CAT and GPx (at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h) enzyme activities were significant with exposure to CYP (p < 0.05). In addition, the increase in MDA levels, which is the indicator of LPO, was found to be significant (p < 0.05). However, in the 24 h period exposed to CYP, a significant increase in SOD activity was determined in kidney and brain compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, sublethal concentrate application of CYP is thought to cause oxidative stress and disrupt the oxidant, antioxidant balance of Lake Van fish.

Development of osmoregulatory tissues in the Lake van fish (Alburnus tarichi) during larval development.

Lake Van is one of the largest alkaline lakes worldwide and Lake Van Fish (Alburnus tarichi Güldenstädt, 1814) is the only vertebrate species inhabiting it. Lake Van Fish is an anadromous species that migrates to the streams (salinity 0.02%, pH 8.42) flowing into Lake Van (salinity 0.22%, pH 9.8) during the spawning period (April-July). Following spawning, fish return to Lake Van while larvae remain in fresh water. This study examined the development of osmoregulatory organs and the distribution of ionocytes in Lake Van Fish larvae adapting to the highly alkaline water characterizing the lake. Ionocytes were marked immunohistochemically and observed in whole mounts with immunofluorescence staining using the Na+/K+ ATPase antibody. Ionocytes were first identified in the yolk sac membrane and skin, and then in the gills, digestive tract, and kidneys of larvae. The number of ionocytes on yolk sac membrane and skin decreased during larval development, indicating ionocytes on these tissues have a role in larvae osmoregulation. Larvae hatched from eggs in stream waters die when transferred to Lake Van water but survived in lake water diluted with deionized water. Thus, larvae need to go through certain alterations at the cellular and organ levels in order to adapt to the conditions of Lake Van water, indicating they do not enter this lake immediately after hatching.

Purification of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase enzymes from the gill tissue of Lake Van fish and analyzing the effects of some chalcone derivatives on enzyme activities.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and glutathione reductase (GR) are metabolically quite important enzymes. Within this study, these two enzymes were purified for the first time from the gills of Lake Van fish. In the purifying process, ammonium sulfate precipitation and 2',5'-ADP Sepharose 4B affinity column chromatography techniques for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, temperature degradation and 2',5'-ADP Sepharose 4B affinity column chromatography for glutathione reductase enzyme were used. The control of the enzyme purity and determination of molecular weight were done with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. K(M) and V(max) values were determined with Lineweaver-Burk plot. Besides, the effects of some chalcone derivatives on the purified enzymes were analyzed. For the ones showing inhibition effect, % activity-[I] figures were drawn and IC50 values were determined. K(i) value was calculated by using Cheng-Prusoff equation.

Anatomical and histological investigation of the pineal gland in the lake van fish (Alburnus tarichi (Güldenstädt, 1814)).

The pineal gland and melatonin secreted from the gland regulate the biological clock and adaptation to seasonal changes, glucose balance, nutrition and locomotor activities. In this study, the pineal gland of the Lake Van fish was examined anatomically and histologically. The melatonin level secreted from the pineal gland was determined in fish plasma sampled from both lakes and streams during reproduction migration. The pineal gland in the Lake Van fish, as in other teleost fish, is located in the head, under the translucent pineal window, which does not contain many pigment cells. The gland consists of pineal vesicle and pineal stalk parts on the dorsal sac in the Lake Van fish. It was determined that the pineal gland showed good vascularity. The presence of pinealocytes and different types of cells in the pineal organ was determined histologically. Pinealocytes were intensely localized in the lumen of the pineal vesicle. The plasma melatonin level increased in fish passing from lake to stream for reproductive migration.

Impacts of some metal ions on glutathione s-transferase in the liver of Chalcalburnus tarichi: an endemic species of Lake Van.

Glutathione-S-transferase (GSTs) is a multifunctional enzyme that provides homeostasis by catalyzing the first step of the formation of mercapturic acid, the end product in detoxification metabolism. They can prevent reactive electrophilic compounds from harming the body by covalently binding the same type of compounds to each other. In this study, we determined the in vitro inhibitory effects of metal ions such as Cu2+, Cd2+, Ag+, and Co2+ on GST enzyme activity. For this aim, GST was purified from C. tarichi Pallas liver with 37.36% yield and 29.304 EU/mg specific activity using the chromatographic method. The Vmax values of liver GST were determined for CDNB and GSH to be 1.245 and 0.562 EU/mL, respectively, and the Km values were found 0.89 and 0.06 mM, respectively, using the Lineweaver-Burk plot. The effects of the metal ions at different concentrations on in vitro GST activity were studied. The IC50 values were determined for Cu+2, Cd+2, Ag+, and Co+2 as 0.163, 0.235, 0.00021, and 0.446 mM, respectively. The Ki constants were determined as 0.049 ± 0.009, 0.117 ± 0.031, 0.002 ± 0.0007, and 0.893 ± 0.3 mM, respectively. Ag+ showed the best inhibitory effect among the studied metal ions. Cd2+, Cu2+ and Co2+ showed a competitive inhibition mechanism, while Ag+ was noncompetitive.

Histology of corpuscles of Stannius in Lake Van fish (Alburnus tarichi Güldenstädt, 1814) (Cyprinidae).

In the present study, the location, histology and number of corpuscles of Stannius (Sc), which are endocrine glands associated with the kidneys of teleost fish, were investigated for the first time in Lake Van fish (Alburnus tarichi), an anadromous and endemic inhabiting Turkey's Lake Van Basin. The Sc, which were ovoid or spheroid and white or cream in colour, were found to vary in number between three and five among the examined fish. The glands were located in the caudal part of the kidney, and either partially or completely embedded, and found to be present on both the ventral and dorsal surface of either side of the caudal part of the kidney. The Sc were surrounded by a connective tissue capsule that penetrated and divided the gland into incomplete lobules. Two types of cells were determined in the parenchyma of the gland. Type-I cells were predominant throughout the parenchyma and larger than the second (type-II). In the type-I cells, the cytoplasm was observed as weakly or moderately eosinophilic with haematoxylin and eosin staining and weakly or moderately acidophilic with Mallory's triple staining. In the type-I cells, the cytoplasm exhibited weak to moderate periodic acid-Schiff staining and slight or uniform staining with aldehyde fuchsin. The type-II cells were round, had a darkly stained spherical nucleus and were dispersed among the type-I cells. They displayed no cytoplasmic staining with the abovementioned stains.