Influence of Insecticides Diazinon and Endosulfan on Taste Reception in Persian Sturgeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser persicus</Emphasis> (Acipenseridae)

The present paper studies the effects of sublethal concentrations of two neurotoxic insecticides (diazinon and endosulfan, duration of exposure 48 h) on the taste attractiveness of L-histidine (0.1 M), L-cysteine (0.1 M), and L-asparagine acid (0.01 M) for juvenile Persian sturgeon Acipenser persicus. The study revealed different effects of diazinon and endosulfan on the extraoral and intraoral taste reception in fish. The taste responses determined by the extraoral taste system (frequency of grasping of 50 food pellets for 5 min of trial) following exposure to endosulfan are the same as in the intact specimens. The exposure to diazinon leads to two to fourfold increase in the number of grasping the pellets, while the amino acids become tasteattractive as opposed to the intact specimens. Both insecticides affect the taste responses controlled by the intraoral taste reception. The insecticide-related pathology is expressed either as a sharp (tens of times) decrease in the absolute and relative consumption of all types of pellets or as full rejection of the pellets after their grasping. Furthermore, the intraoral taste properties of amino acids remain the same as in the intact fish.