The Effect of Benzo[a]pyrene on Xenobiotic Metabolizing Cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) Expression in Spotted Scat, Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Low molecular weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widely concerned due to their significant health risks such as carcinogenicity, reproductive- and endocrine-disrupting effects, immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity on human and marine animals. The induction pattern of xenobiotic metabolizing cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A1) gene was studied on 150 spotted scat Scatophagus argus (weight 32±3 g) captured from Northern Persian Gulf and exposed to 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 mg kg-1 of benzo[a]pyrene in 100L aquarium. The induction of CYP1A1 was quantified using reverse-transcription real-time PCR from treated fish liver samples. The results revealed that the expression of CYP1A1 gene in S. argus liver is time-dependent and directly correlated to the concentration of B[a] P, therefore the study provides the basis for further use of CYP1A1 of this commercially ad ecologically important species as a biomarker.