BIOAVAILABILITY TO JUVENILE RAINBOW TROUT (ONCORYNCHUS MYKISS) OF RETENE AND OTHER MIXED-FUNCTION OXYGENASE-ACTIVE COMPOUNDS FROM SEDIMENTS

Retene (7-isopropyl-1-methylphenanthrene) is a naturally formed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) that causes teratogenicity in fish larvae and induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) enzymes. Retene occurs at high concentrations (or =3,300 microg/g dry wt) in surface sediments contaminated by resin acids from pulp mill effluents. To assess the environmental risks of retene, it is important to evaluate conditions affecting its bioavailability and accumulation by fish. Fingerling rainbow trout were exposed to retene-spiked or naturally contaminated sediments and sampled after 4 d to determine liver CYP1A activity and concentrations of retene metabolites in bile as indicators of retene accum…