Accumulation and distribution of dietary nickel in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)

Abstract

Benthic-feeding fish residing in Ni-contaminated systems are exposed to Ni through ingestion of contaminated food items and sediments. Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) were fed diets at a ration of 0.5% of body weight three times a week containing 0, 10, 100, and 1000 microg Ni/g (as NiSO(4)) for 10, 31, and 104 days. Stomach, pyloric caeca, intestine, kidney, liver, gall bladder, gonad, gill, bone, muscle, skin, and scales were analyzed to evaluate the accumulation and distribution of Ni. Fish fed the medium and high dose diets accumulated significant amounts of Ni in a majority of the tissues sampled, even after only 10 days of exposure. Ni concentrations were highest in intestine and pyloric caeca of whitefish fed 1000 microg Ni/g on day 10, but decreased on subsequent sampling days, possibly due to protective mechanisms. Ni accumulation in stomach, kidney, liver, gill, skin, and scales was dose and duration-dependent. Ni concentrations measured in bone, gall bladder, gonad, and muscle of fish fed the control diet for 10 days and fish fed the high dose diet for all durations appeared to increase in a duration-dependent manner. Exposure to Ni altered the concentrations of Cu and Zn in tissues of lake whitefish. However, Cu and Zn concentrations in the tissues analyzed were variable and did not follow a common pattern or trend. The tissues that best assess dietary Ni bioavailability are kidney and scales. The toxicology of Ni in these fish is described in the next manuscript (Aquat. Toxicol., in press (b)).

Physiological Responses Influenced by Certain Heavy Metals at the Mullet Fish, Mugil cephalus Inhabiting Mediterranean Sea Coast at Damietta Governorate, Egypt.

“…This may be due to the increase of heavy metals in the drainage waters, decomposition of organic matter and discharge remnants of fertilizer factories and other chemicals lead to this fact, the uptake of metals is influenced by many factors including fish species, age, and type of fish organs, season and various environmental factors. This findings agree with Nagdi & Shaker (1998); Ptashynski & Klaverkamp (2002); El-Serafy et al (2003a) and Ghanem (2006&2014) whom attributed the increase of metals during hot seasons to the effect of temperature and winds on the solubility and distribution of these metals and differ with Yacoub and Gad (2012) whom mentioned that, cold season exhibited the high level of these metals than the hot one. On the other hand, El-Serafy et al (2003b) concluded that no markedly seasonal variations in the concentration of metals in Patella Caerulea lived in polluted areas of Alexandria Coast were detected.…”

Pollution Problem in River Kabul: Accumulation Estimates of Heavy Metals in Native Fish Species

“…Therefore, the liver is considered as one of the major metal bioaccumulation organs [10]. Histopathological lesions of liver proved to be the most sensitive and reliable indicators of metal exposure [11]. …”

Seasonal variations in the level of heavy metals in the water of minor rivers

“…Уміст нікелю у природних водах визначається складом порід, крізь які проходить вода. Може потрапляти у водойми із ґрунтів, у результаті розкладання відмерлих рослинних і тваринних організмів, а також зі стічними водами цехів нікелювання, заводів синтетичного каучуку, нікелевих збагачувальних фабрик і з атмосферними опадами (Ptashynski and Klaverkamp, 2002;Cavani, 2005;Borbely and Nagy, 2009).…”