Journal of Environmental Biology

Alterations of biochemical indicators in hepatopancreas of the golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata, from paddy fields in Taiwan

Yuh-Wen Chiu¹, Jui-Pin Wu², Tsung-Chih Hsieh³, Shih-Hsiung Liang⁴, Chien-Min Chen⁵ and Da-Ji Huang⁵*

¹National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, 2 Houwan Road, Checheng, Pingtung-944, Taiwan

²Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Geography, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei-106, Taiwan

³Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung-80701, Taiwan

⁴Department of Biotechnology, National Kaohsiung Normal University, 62, Shenjhong Rd., Yanchao Township, Kaohsiung City-824, Taiwan

⁵Department of Environmental Resources Management, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan-71710, Taiwan

*Corresponding Author E-mail: daji@ms19.hinet.net

Publication Data

Paper received:

04 February 2013

Revised received:

06 July 2013

Accepted:

16 August 2013

Abstract

The freshwater golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata, is one of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species. The snails' wide distribution, high abundance, and sensitivity to environmental pollution make them a potential bioindicator for environmental contamination. In this study, the biochemical status of golden apple snails collected from paddy fields throughout the island of Taiwan was examined. This study found that the biochemical status of apple snails collected from paddy fields differed from that of animals bred and maintained in the laboratory. Furthermore, certain biochemical endpoints of the snails collected from the paddy fields before and after agricultural activities were also different?hemolymphatic vitellogenin protein was induced in male snail after exposure to estrogen-like chemicals, the hepatic monooxygenase (1.97?0.50 △A_650mm 30 min^-1 mg^-1 protein in control group) and glutathione S transferase (0.02?0.01 △A_340mm 30 min^-1 mg^-1 protein in control group) snails exposed to pesticides, as well as the hepatopancreatic levels of aspartate aminotransferase (450.00?59.40 U mg^-1 mg^-1 protein in control group) and alanine aminotransferase (233.27?42.09 U mg^-1 mg^-1 protein in control group) decreased the indicating that xenobiotics destroyed hepatopancreatic. The above findings reveal that apple snail could be used as a practical bioindicator to monitor anthropogenic environmental pollution.

 Key words

Agricultural activities, Biochemical status,? Bioindicator, Golden apple snail

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