Date of Submission

5-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Environmental Science

Department

Biology and Environmental Sciences

Advisor

John Kelly

Committee Member

Steve McCormick

Committee Member

Roman Zajac

MeSH

Prednisolone--toxicity, Salmo salar--growth & development

LCSH

Adrenocortical hormones, Atlantic salmon

Abstract

The smolting process that many anadromous salmonids undergo prior to migration is largely mediated by release of the corticosteroid cortisol, which serves to alter osmoregulatory physiology and prepare the fish to move from freshwater into seawater. The synthetic corticosteroid prednisolone mimics the effects of cortisol and is widely used as a potent antiinflammatory medication. Prednisolone has been detected in measurable concentrations of some freshwater systems. It is possible that environmental concentrations of prednisolone may negatively impact salmonids, by altering parr physiology or interfering with secondary measures of performances associated with smoltification.

Forty-eight Atlantic salmon parr of similar length (10.1 cm fork length, SD = 0.5) were split into four groups of 12 fish and individually PIT tagged. Treatments consisted of implantation of hormones dissolved in vegetable oil: a) 2.5 μg/g prednisolone, b) 25 μg/g prednisolone, c) 25 μg/g cortisol, or d) vegetable oil (control). Fish were held for 22 days in two mixed group holding tanks, at ambient temperatures and natural day length, and fed ad libitum. Individuals were sacrificed, measured (length/weight), and gill filaments, plasma, and liver samples were collected. Concentrations of plasma chloride, glucose and cortisol, gill NKA activity, hematocrit, and overall growth rate were determined. Suppression of growth was observed with 25 μg/g prednisolone and 25 μg/g cortisol. Increase in Igfbp-1a1 mRNA expression was observed in the 25 μg/g prednisolone treatment. Plasma chloride was significantly higher in the 25 μg/g prednisolone treatment compared to the control. Results indicated that exposure of Atlantic salmon parr to prednisolone had a significant effect on growth and osmoregulation, suggesting that this hormone may act as an endocrine disrupting chemical in the aquatic environment.

Comments

Access to the full text of this paper is restricted to readers at the University of New Haven.

Download

Off campus users: To download campus access theses or dissertations, log in to proxy server.

Share

COinS