Hepatic Metallothionein in Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) as an Indicator of Metal Pollution in the Campbell River System

Abstract

Hepatic metallothionein was measured in livers of freshly killed rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) using differential pulse polarography. The fish were caught in metal-contaminated lakes of the Campbell River watershed and in a nearby control lake. The livers were analyzed for zinc, copper, and cadmium using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. High and low molecular weight protein fractions were separated by gel chromatography from liver cytosols and analyzed for metals. A downward trend from the most contaminated lake to the least was found in levels of zinc in the water, of cadmium and copper in high molecular weight fractions, and of copper in low molecular weight fractions and metallothionein. The concentration of metallothionein is a useful quantitative measure of the degree of exposure of fish to heavy metals.Key words: metallothionein, rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri; heavy metal pollution, sublethal exposures, mine wastes