Changes in activity of acid hydrolases in tissues of wild pheasants induced by heavy metals

The aim of the study was to determinate the activity of chosen acid hydrolases in tissues of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus L.) and first attempts to use these enzymes as biomarkers of the effect of birds exposure to heavy metals in the environment. The samples of liver, kidneys and testes were collected from wild pheasants shot in the Podkarapacie region in contaminated (n = 5) and clear (n = 5) areas. Tissues were examined for the cadmium and lead concentrations by AAS method, as well as the activity of five hydrolases. The major site of cadmium accumulation were kidneys, the levels of Cd found in liver and testes were by 5-fold and 30-fold lower (P < 0.05), respectively. Similarly, Pb concentrations observed in the liver and testes were lower than in kidney, by 1.5-fold and 6-fold, respectively. The presence of four glycosidases and arylsulphatase in all examined tissues was demonstrated and N-acetyl-D-glucosaminiadase (NAG) was identified as the most active enzyme in all studied tissues. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed only in the level of NAG activity in liver of pheasants inhabiting the contaminated area as compared to the birds from the clear region (control group). We conclude that the determination of NAG in birds organs can be used as biomarker of environmental exposure to cadmium.