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Effects of acidic water, aluminum, and manganese on testicular steroidogenesis in Astyanax altiparanae

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Abstract

Metals can influence the gonadal steroidogenesis and endocrine systems of fish, thereby affecting their reproduction. The effects of aluminum and manganese in acidic water were investigated on steroidogenesis in sexually mature male Astyanax altiparanae. Whether mature male fish recover from the effects of metals in metal-free water was also assessed. The fish were exposed to 0.5 mg L−1 of isolated or combined aluminum and manganese in acidic pH (5.5) to keep the metals bioavailable. The fish underwent 96 h of acute exposure, and samples were taken 24 and 96 h after the beginning of the experiment. The fish were then maintained in metal-free water for 96 h. Plasma levels of testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone, 17β-estradiol, and cortisol were measured. Acidic water increased the plasma concentration of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. Aluminum increased the testosterone levels after 96 h of exposure. Manganese increased the 17β-estradiol levels after 24 h of exposure and maintained at high levels until the end of the experiment. With the exception of acidic pH, which increased cortisol levels after 24 h of exposure, no changes were observed in this corticosteroid during the acute experiment. Aluminum and manganese together also altered steroid levels but without a standard variation. The fish recovered from the effects of most exposure conditions after 96 h in metal-free water. A. altiparanae could use reproductive tactics to trigger changes in testicular steroidogenesis by accelerating spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis, which may interfere with their reproductive dynamics.

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Acknowledgments

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) funded the present study (projects 2008/57687-0 and 2012/50918-1 and scholarship MS 2011/15056-6). The authors thank the fish farm of the Energy Company of São Paulo (CESP) for donating the fish, the LAMEROA staff for their help, and IB/USP for providing the logistics and facilities for the development of this project. All procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA), Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo under the protocol number 163/2012.

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  1. Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Trav. 14, 321, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil

    Bianca Mayumi Silva Kida, Raisa Pereira Abdalla & Renata Guimarães Moreira

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  1. Bianca Mayumi Silva Kida
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  2. Raisa Pereira Abdalla
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  3. Renata Guimarães Moreira
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Correspondence to Renata Guimarães Moreira.

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Kida, B.M.S., Abdalla, R.P. & Moreira, R.G. Effects of acidic water, aluminum, and manganese on testicular steroidogenesis in Astyanax altiparanae . Fish Physiol Biochem 42, 1347–1356 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-016-0222-6

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