Bioaccumulation and antioxidant responses in goldfish Carassius auratus under HC Orange No. 1 exposure

HC Orange No. 1 is used as a color additive in hair dyes and colors. In this study, laboratory experiments were carried out to determine the accumulation of HC Orange No. 1 in goldfish and the biochemical responses in liver of freshwater goldfish Carassius auratus. Goldfish were exposed to 1.0 mg/L HC Orange No. 1 for 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, and 96 h. Results showed that the concentrations of HC Orange No. 1 in water decreased rapidly in the first 24 h, and then maintained equilibrium, while the concentrations of HC Orange No. 1 in goldfish reached a maximum level at 24 h, and then descended appreciably. For the total loss of HC Orange No. 1 in water 16.4% was due to the accumulation by goldfish, and approximately 57.6% resulted from metabolism by goldfish. After calculation, lgBCF is equal to 2.11. Hence, HC Orange bioaccumulation is significantly affected by a fast metabolic clearance in goldfish. Next, we investigated the biochemical responses in liver of freshwater goldfish C. auratus. It was shown that the hepatic antioxidant defense parameters of goldfish, including the contents of reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), were highly sensitive to HC Orange No. 1 exposure, accompanied by changes of HC Orange No. 1 accumulation in liver tissue. Changes of these parameters indicated that there was an increase in the production of oxyradicals by goldfish and the presence of oxidative stress. These findings also implied that glutathione as well as other antioxidant enzymes function in the protection against HC Orange No. 1 toxicity and that these antioxidants provide a first line of defense against HC Orange No. 1, before the induction of any other detoxification mechanism.