Toxicological Efects of Aroclor 1254 on the Embryonic Development of the Olive Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

Abstract

We investigated the toxicological effects of Aroclor 1254 on the fertilized eggs, embryos and larvae of the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The survival rate and hatching success of the embryos decreased significantly in treated groups in an Aroclor 1254-dose-dependent manner. Significant differences were found at ≥5 µg/L Aroclor 1254 compared to the control group. Hatching success occurred at ≤10 µg/L Aroclor 1254, which was not significantly different to the control. Embryo malformation increased significantly at ≥1 µg/L, and included yolk-sac and tail-flexure abnormalities. There was a significant decrease in the survival rate of the larvae at ≥5 µg/L, which was accompanied by the malformations described above. Notably, concentrations as low as 1 µg/L caused a significant increase in abnormalities in the larvae, including incidences of multi-focal hemorrhages, pericardial and yolk-sac edema, inhibition of swim bladder inflation and severe developmental delay. The responses to Aroclor 1254-induced toxicity were generally similar among fertilized eggs, embryos and larvae from three separate flounder hatcheries: Cheju Island, Yeosu and Chungnam, South Korea. These results indicate the high acute toxicity of Arolcor 1254 concentrations of which as low as 1 μg/L in olive flounder larvae can affect unhatched embryos. To conclude, the average LC 50 values for Aroclor 1254 in the embryos and larvae were 50.92 and 3.08 μg/L, respectively. Additionally, the average EC 50 values, based on the rate of damage were 14.72 and 5.61 μg/L, respectively.