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The effect of the physiological state on the lysozyme concentration in the liver, kidneys, spleen, and serum, as well as the total amount of the enzyme in the organs, was studied in male fish of the pike Esox lucius L., 1758 under various conditions of the annual cycle. The multidirectional intra-annual dynamics of organ somatic indices and quantitative parameters of lysozyme in fish tissues and organs, depending on the thermal regime of the water body, was established. Despite significant changes in the liver size and lysozyme concentration, the total amount of the enzyme in the organ, the lysozymic index, remained at a constant level. A similar result was found for the spleen. In the conditions of low temperatures, due to mitigation of the temperature factor, the liver parameters changed to the opposite, while those of the kidneys remained unchanged. This thermal regime did not affect the parameters of the spleen and the concentration of the enzyme in the serum. The lysozymic indices of the liver and spleen were indicators of the same level despite significant differences between the organs in the enzyme concentration and sizes. The stages of gonad maturity affected the liver index and the amount of lysozyme in the kidneys, but the correlation of the kidney enzyme with maturity was not significant. The kidney lysozyme and the spleen parameters correlated with the eviscerated body weight, although the weight and length of the fish were not the contributing factors. In contrast to the spleen, the size of the kidneys did not affect the enzyme in the fish tissues. The liver and kidney enzyme concentration and kidneys lysozymic index were inversely correlated with the liver size. The complex nature of the enzyme relationships in the organs was revealed, in that the amount of lysozyme in one organ could affect the amount of the enzyme in the other. No relationship was found between the concentration of the serum lysozyme and the morphophysiological parameters of the fish under stable low temperature conditions in the water body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of lysozyme in the immune organs of the pike (kidney, spleen, liver, and blood serum) was analyzed. The opposite of the intra-annual fluctuation of the nonspecific immunity indicators in the kidney and the spleen relative to the liver and the serum was found. The highest level of the enzyme in the kidney was observed during the winter months and in spring, and in the serum, it was from spring to autumn. In May, a significant increase in the lysozyme concentration was found in all organs studied and the serum, regardless of the direction of changes in the previous period. The size of the individuals did not affect the lysozyme concentration in the organs, and a correlation with the fish length was found only in the serum. The stages of gonadal maturity in pike showed a multidirectional effect on the enzyme concentration in the kidney and the serum. The intra-annual dynamics of the nonspecific immunity indicator in adult fish has a seasonal dependence, including a dependence on the water temperature in the water body. In the liver and serum, the relationship between the enzyme and temperature is direct, and it is the opposite in the kidney and spleen. Studies have shown that the seasonal dynamics of the lysozyme concentration in pike is influenced by a set of parameters characterizing the physiological state of fish and environmental factors. Serum lysozyme was found to be more dependent on various factors than the enzyme from the organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Betula nаnа L. and soil organogenic horizons was studied at a control site and sites affected by a thermal power station (TPS) at distances of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 km from the source of pollution. The PAH distribution over the vegetative organs of the dwarf birch was irregular. Different organs of the dwarf birch had similar qualitative composition of PAHs. No significant changes were detected in the PAH content in dwarf birch organs and on the surface of these organs at different distances from the TPS. The PAH content in the organs of plants affected by the TPS was 2–3 times higher than the background value, and the highest excess was found in leaves. The surface PAH concentration on the bark and roots increased threefold under contamination. No excess was revealed in the leaves and branches. The excess over the background value in the soil at contaminated sites was 3–3.5 times with the maximal accumulation at a distance of 1 km. The PAH content in the soil was three times higher than that in the dwarf birch at the control site and 5–6 times that at the contaminated sites. A strong correlation exists between the PAH concentrations in the soil and in B. nana. In the leaves and branches of B. nаnа, the proportion of surface accumulation in the total PAH pool was found to decrease at contaminated sites as compared with the control site. The opposite trend was observed for the bark and roots. Cluster analysis showed a clear separation between the surface and total PAH content in all plant organs under study. Factor analysis of the total PAH content in the organs of the dwarf birch allowed us to determine three main factors affecting the PAH distribution, with the light structures, toxic components, and the other PAHs were allocated in separate groups. Dwarf birch organs can be used as indicators for the contamination level in tundra communities. We suggest using the PAH content in leaves in order to analyze short-term changes in the PAH content and in the bark to assess the long-term impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]