Biochemical parameters in skin and muscle of Pelophylax kl. esculentus frogs: Influence of a cyanobacterial bloom in situ

Abstract

There is little information in scientific literature as to how conditions created by a microcystin (MC) producing cyanobacterial bloom affect the oxidant/antioxidant, biotransformation and neurotoxicity parameters in adult frogs in situ. We investigated biochemical parameters in the skin and muscle of Pelophylax kl. esculentus from Lake Ludaš (Serbia) by comparing frogs that live on the northern bloom side (BS) of the lake with those that inhabit the southern no-bloom side (NBS). A higher protein carbonylation level and lower antioxidant defense system capability in the skin of frogs living in conditions of the cyanobacterial bloom were observed. Inhibition of glutathione-dependent machinery was the major mechanism responsible for the induction of cyanobacterial bloom-mediated oxidative stress in frog skin. On the other hand, the detected higher ability of muscle to overcome bloom prooxidant toxicity was linked to a higher efficiency of the biotransformation system through glutathione-S-transferase activity and/or was the consequence of indirect exposure of the tissue to the bloom. Our results have also revealed that the cyanobacterial bloom conditions induced the cholinergic neurotransmitter system in both tissues. This study provides a better understanding of the ecotoxicological impact of the MC producing cyanobacterial bloom on frogs in situ. However, further investigations of the complex mechanism involved in cyanobacterial bloom toxicity in real environmental conditions are required.