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  • Title: PCBs and the energy cost of migration in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.).
    Author: van Ginneken V, Palstra A, Leonards P, Nieveen M, van den Berg H, Flik G, Spanings T, Niemantsverdriet P, van den Thillart G, Murk A.
    Journal: Aquat Toxicol; 2009 May 17; 92(4):213-20. PubMed ID: 19371957.
    Abstract:
    The effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the energy consumption of fasting silver European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) was studied over a 27-day period during which the animals were at rest or were swimming 800 km in Blazka swim tunnels. Three-year-old female hatchery eels (silver stage) between 73 and 80 cm long weighing around 1 kg were dosed intraperitoneally with PCBs at a nominal dosage of 10x the consumption standard as a mixture representative for planar (7 microg PCB126/kg eel), non-planar (5 mg PCB153/kg eel) and metabolizable PCBs (50 microg PCB77/kg eel) found in wild eel, or only with the vehicle (corn oil, 10 ml/kg eel). Four major observations were made: (1) PCB-exposed animals lose less weight compared to their unexposed controls; (2) PCB-concentrations on a lipid basis are 2.8-14 times higher in swimming compared to resting animals; (3) the standard metabolic rate is significantly lower in the PCB-exposed animals than in unexposed controls. In addition, PCB-exposure significantly reduces oxygen consumption during swimming, and starting at 400 km (18 days) this effect increases with time; (4) the relative spleen and liver weight significantly increased in the PCB-swim animals but not in the PCB-rest animals. The swimming animals lost about 75% more weight compared to resting animals and had about 50% lower plasma fat content. Hematocrit, haemoglobin, plasma pH, ion levels (sodium and potassium), and plasma lactate were not affected by PCB-exposure or swimming. Apparently, the current levels of PCBs and other dioxin-like compounds may seriously impair the reproduction of the European eel.
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