F. Aboutalebi - Department of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
R. Rahimi - Department of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
M. Yarmohammadi - International Sturgeon Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rasht, Iran
M.A. Yazdani Sadati - International Sturgeon Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rasht, Iran

The present study was conducted to investigate the expression level of cytochrome P۴۵۰ enzyme in detoxification of water soluble fractions (WSFs) of crude oil in Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus. Fish were exposed to WSFs at concentrations of ۰ (control), ۱۰, ۲۰, and ۵۰% of the LC۵۰ for ۱۴ days, and then, the expression level of P۴۵۰ gene was assayed in gill and liver samples. According to the results, the expression level of P۴۵۰ gene increased in both the gill and liver tissues of fish when exposed to sub lethal concentrations of WSFs. High level of expression in treatment of ۵۰% WSFs was observed compared to the control (p<۰.۰۵). However, no significant differences were observed between treatments of ۱۰%, ۲۰%, and ۵۰% WSFs. Additionally, P۴۵۰ was expressed higher in the gill tissue than the liver. The present research demonstrates that P۴۵۰ gene expression can be used as a molecular biomarker to assay the severity of oil pollution in the Caspian Sea.

Crude oil, Cytochrome P۴۵۰, Pollution, Persian sturgeon