CONTENT - International Society of Zoological Sciences

ICZ2008 – Abstracts S19
Evaluation of the biological activity of alkaloids of Pergularia
tomentosa (Asclepiadaceae) on Vth instar nymphs of Locusta
migratoria: an histopathological approach
Fatma Acheuk 1 , Bahia Doumandji - Mitiche 2 , Karima Ait kaci 1 and
Fethia Fazouane 1
1
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of
Boumerdes, Algeria.
2
Department of agricultural and forest zoology, National
Agronomic Institute, El-Harrach, Algeria
The desert locust Schistocerca gregaria and the migratory locust
Locusta migratoria occupy a particular place among insect pests.
They constitute a quasi-permanent threat for cultures and pastures,
and the current methods of control use liquid insecticides whose
active components belong to different chemical families. These
preparations are at the same time effective on locusts but also
harmful for other animal species of the biotope, in connection with
their accumulation in the treated ecosystems.
The use of extracts of plants found in the biotope of these locusts
and displaying an insecticidal effect may offer an alternative in the
field of anti-locust fight. In the present study, we studied the
toxicological impact of a crude mixture of alkaloids extracted from
the sheets and stems of Pergularia tomentosa on the histology of
the digestive tract of fifth instar nymphs of the migratory locust.
Our results showed that the insecticidal effect of this treatment
resulted in a disruption of the epithelium of mesenteron and gastric
cæca, together with a slight disorganization of the musculature.
These histopathological effects are accompanied by diarrhoea and
a reduction of food intake.
Hepatic endogenous defense potential of propolis after
mercury intoxication
Monika Bhadauria 1 , Sangeeta Shukla 1 , Ramesh Mathur 1 , Om
Prakash Agrawal 2 , Sadhana Shrivastava 1 , Sonia Johri 3 , Deepmala
Joshi 1 , Varsha Singh 1 , Deepak Mittal 1 and Satendra Kumar Nirala 1
1
Reproductive Biology and Toxicology Laboratory,
2
Insect
Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Studies in Zoology, Jiwaji
University, Gwalior-474011, India ; 3 Boston College for
Professional Studies, Gwalior, India
Exposure to mercuric chloride (HgCl2; 5 mg/kg body weight; i.p.)
induced oxidative stress in mice and substantially increased the
LPO and GSSG level along with corresponding decrease in the
GSH and various antioxidant enzymes in liver and also increased
the activities of liver marker enzymes in serum. Therapy with
propolis extract; a resinous wax-like beehive product (200 mg/kg
orally, after mercury administration) for 3 days inhibited LPO and
formation of GSSG level along with increase in liver GSH level.
Release of serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, lactate
dehydrogenase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase were significantly
restored after propolis treatment. The activities of antioxidants
enzymes i.e., superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-Stransferase
and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were also
concomitantly restored towards normal level after propolis
administrations. The observations clearly demonstrated that
propolis treatment augments the antioxidants defense against
mercury induced toxicity and provides evidence that it has
therapeutic potential as hepatoprotective agent.
S19 - Animals ecotoxicology
- 73 -
Solving the problem of predation: further insights as to how
barnacles survive as sessile organisms
John St J. S. Buckeridge and Jessica Reeves
Earth & Oceanic Systems Research Centre, RMIT University,
Melbourne, Australia
During a routine chemical analysis of the stalked ibliform barnacle
Chaetolepas calcitergum Buckeridge and Newman 2006, a peak
conforming to more than 15% bromine was detected. Although the
bromine ions occur in seawater (up to 65ppm), this level of
accumulation, in the soft tissue of the barnacle, is extraordinary.
Organic concentration of bromine compounds is known in a
number of invertebrates, such as algae and sponges, but this is
the first record of elevated bromine in barnacles. It is proposed that
the high accumulation of bromine compound(s) is most likely a
defense mechanism. The paper concludes with a review of the
mechanisms deployed by barnacles to repel predators.
Combining ecophysiology and ecotoxicology: field studies
and experimental approach using the blue mussel Mytilus
edulis
François Leboulenger, Julie Letendre, Fabrice Durand, Jean-
Michel Danger and Frank Le Foll
Laboratoire d’Ecotoxicologie – Milieux Aquatiques, EA 3222,
IFRMP 23,Université du Havre, France
The coastal zone is characterized by a high variability of abiotic
parameters linked to the tidal cycle and by the presence of diverse
chemical compounds in the water. These particular conditions
represent a multiple stress that resident organisms have to deal
with. Interactive effects of physiological and toxicological stresses
were investigated in the blue mussel (M. edulis) by studying a
series of biomarkers such as the activities of antioxidant enzymes
and MXR protein, and DNA strand breaks, in gills and digestive
gland of mussels sampled at high shore (HS) and low shore (LS)
in a reference site (Yport, France) and a contaminated site (Le
Havre harbour, France) during the tidal cycle. The results indicate
that patterns of activities of antioxidant enzymes are affected by
environmental contamination as well as by ecophysiological
stresses imposed by tidal conditions, and that the combination of
the two parameters can induce a specific response of these
activities.
Biomarker measurements and differential analysis of
transcriptomes and proteomes were performed in gills of control or
exposed mussels which were maintained for 2 weeks in an original
experimental design where the animals could be either
permanently immersed or submitted to a regular immersionemersion
alternation. For each exposure or maintenance
conditions, a specific pattern of messenger and protein expression
level was recorded, showing that the expression of many
functional categories of genes are affected by stress.
New data on the typology and activities of hemocytes in M. edulis
will be presented.