Comparative toxicity of diflubenzuron and p-chloroaniline in phosphatases and antioxidant enzymes of non-target organisms

• Grant number: 11/04788-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2011
• End date: February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Hiroshi Aoyama
• Grantee: Darlene Denise Dantzger
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing business activities in Brazil, depending not only on the huge potential in terms of species diversity, as well as infrastructure and variety of aquatic ecosystems available for exploration and growth. One of the downsides of this increase is the appearance of parasites and predators that attack the fish causing high mortality rates. The use of agricultural products has been the main way to combat these parasites in aquaculture, and the Diflubenzuron (DFB) is the most used. This compound inhibits the synthesis of chitin, a component of the exoskeleton of the parasites, and has low toxicity to fish. But in the aquatic environment, the DFB can be toxic to non-target species and, when degraded, generating p-chloroaniline (PCA), a metabolite potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic to humans. The overall objective of this study is to examine and compare the acute toxic effects and biochemical analysis of DFB and its metabolites PCA in microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia similis microcrustacean and fish Oreochromis niloticus, representatives of aquatic food chain, in order to establish a permissible dose in water bodies. For this, the organisms are exposed to different doses of DFB and PCA to calculate the concentration that inhibits 50% of these (EC50). In vivo studies will be performed by determining the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and phosphatases organisms previously exposed to test products at concentrations previously determined by acute toxicity tests. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

DANTZGER, Darlene Denise. Analysis of the toxicity of diflubenzuron and p-chloroaniline in biochemical indicators of non-target aquatic organims. 2013. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.