Abstract
Neurological disorders appear extremely rapidly for elevated doses of ammonia in Siberian sturgeon baerii. To explain this phenomenon, the effects of ammonia during a 72-h exposure in control conditions and for a lethal and a sublethal doses were examined on the concentration of free amino-acids and adenyl nucleotides in the Siberian sturgeon plasma, muscle and brain.
Results showed an important role of the glutamine-glutamate-aspartate group in the ammonia tissue detoxification process and a drop of ATP in the brain.
Moreover the hypothesis of a detoxification by an increase of urea concentration in plasma was verified, but no significant difference appeared between the three series.
The important role of the synthesis of the aspartate seems specific to Siberian sturgeon.
The implications of this amino-acid in the synaptic transmission and the raise of the concentrations of the other amino-acids may take to secondary processes which represent another form of toxicity. As in mammals, the origin of the ammonia toxicity seems to be metabolic, in particular at the nervous system level for a great part.
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Acknowledgments
We are indebted to F. Parrot-Rouleau (Biochemistry Laboratory, CHR Bordeaux, France) for determination of AA and P. Raymond (INRA, Villenave d’Ornon, France) for determination of nucleotides concentrations.
Notes of the Authors
The experiments were performed since 1990 to 1994. They have been investigated in the “Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Physiologie comparées, CNRS URA 1126 and the University of Bordeaux I, F-33120 Arcachon”, in collaboration with the IRSTEA (formerly CEMAGREF), F-33611 Cestas-Gazinet. The present chapter was a redrawn version of a part of a PHD: Salin D (1992) La toxicité de l’ammoniaque chez l’esturgeon sibérien, Acipenser baerii: effets morphologiques, physiologiques, métaboliques d’une exposition à des doses sblétales et létales. Thèse N° 749, Université Bordeaux I pp134, financial grant of the IRSTEA (formerly CEMAGREF) and CNRS. Director of thesis, Truchot Jean-Paul; supervisors, Nonnotte Guy and Williot Patrick.
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Nonnotte, G., Salin, D., Williot, P., Pichavant-Rafini, K., Rafini, M., Nonnotte, L. (2018). Effects of Exposure to Ammonia on Plasma, Brain and Muscle Concentrations of Amino Acids and Adenyl Nucleotides in the Siberian Sturgeon, Acipenser baerii. In: Williot, P., Nonnotte, G., Vizziano-Cantonnet, D., Chebanov, M. (eds) The Siberian Sturgeon (Acipenser baerii, Brandt, 1869) Volume 1 - Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61664-3_22
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