Blood enzyme protects piauçu fish from pesticide poisoning

The use of agricultural pesticides is certainly one of the main factors responsible for the exponential growth in food production. However these pesticides also affect numerous organisms other than their targets. Several studies have described the poisoning of aquatic animals by organophosphate pesticides especially fish. Several studies have shown that esterase enzymes mainly butyrylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase can reduce the effects of organophosphate pesticide poisoning in fish. The enzyme acetylcholinesterase is the target of these pesticides and its inhibition is responsible for the death of the animal. On the other hand because they have a high affinity for these pesticides the enzymes butyrylcholinesterase and carboxylesterase bind to them preventing them from inhibiting the target enzyme. This book describes the purification of a butyrylcholinesterase enzyme from the blood of the Piauçu fish (Leporinus macrocephalus) and the tests that prove that this enzyme is the reason why this animal is much more resistant to methyl parathion poisoning than tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus niloticus).