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Exposure to waterborne copper and high temperature induces the formation of reactive oxygen species and causes mortality in the Amazonian fish Hoplosternum littorale

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Abstract

Hoplosternum littorale is an Amazon fish that lives in urban areas surrounded by polluted igarapés, where elevated copper concentrations eventually occur. The central goal of this study was to evaluate the associated effects of high temperature and copper contamination on survival time and biochemical responses of the Amazonian fish species H. littorale. We exposed fish to two nominal dissolved copper concentrations (50 and 500 µg l−1) and combined temperatures of 28 and 34°C. Our findings showed that the combination of these variables affects the survival time of this species. The activity of the biotransformation enzymes ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase and glutathione-S-transferase showed no alterations in fish within all treatments. The increase of reactive oxygen species and the decrease in potential total antioxidant capacity promoted the imbalance in the antioxidant system. An induction in superoxide dismutase activity occurred in fish exposed to copper concentrations of 50 and 500 µg l−1 at both temperatures, suggesting liver impairments. Thus, we suggest that H. littorale is sensitive to copper, and this sensitivity is increased further with exposure to high temperatures, particularly in the survival time and reactive oxygen species formation of this fish species.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the joint grant from the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) and Amazonas State Research Foundation (FAPEAM) to ADAPTA Project (Environmental Adaptations of Aquatic Organisms) that supported this work. We thank Maria de Nazaré Paula-Silva for all support during the ADAPTA expedition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Ecophysiology and Molecular Evolution, Brazilian National Institute for Research in the Amazon, André Araújo Avenue, 2936, Petrópolis, Manaus, AM, 69067-375, Brazil

    Susana Braz-Mota, Luciana Mara Lopes Fé, Helen Sadauskas-Henrique, Vera Maria Fonseca de Almeida-Val & Adalberto Luis Val

  2. Laboratory of Applied Ichthyology, Vila Velha University, Comissário José Dantas de Melo, 21, Boa Vista, Vila Velha, ES, 29102-770, Brazil

    Frederico Augusto Cariello Delunardo

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  1. Susana Braz-Mota
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  2. Luciana Mara Lopes Fé
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  4. Helen Sadauskas-Henrique
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  5. Vera Maria Fonseca de Almeida-Val
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Correspondence to Susana Braz-Mota.

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Guest editors: Adalberto L. Val, Gudrun De Boeck & Sidinei M. Thomaz / Adaptation of Aquatic Biota of the Amazon

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Braz-Mota, S., Fé, L.M.L., Delunardo, F.A.C. et al. Exposure to waterborne copper and high temperature induces the formation of reactive oxygen species and causes mortality in the Amazonian fish Hoplosternum littorale . Hydrobiologia 789, 157–166 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2847-y

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