Hematological and Genotoxic Indicators of the Freshwater Beam Abramis brama and Prussian Carp Carassius gibelio (Cyprinidae) in the Volga Delta

Abstract

The occurrence of erythrocytes with micronuclei and DNA damage was detected by the comet assay in freshwater bream, Abramis brama, of age 3–4, and prussian carp, Carassius gibelio, of age 4–5 from Volga delta in September 2021. The average frequency of erythrocytes with micronuclei in the studied fish es was within the normal range for cells formed during spontaneous mutagenesis (0.5–1.0‰). Further, 25% freshwater bream and 26.6% Prussian carp exceeded this limit. The genetic damage index (GDI), which reflects primary DNA damage, was 0.21 ± 0.03 and 0.26 ± 0.02 in freshwater bream and Prussian carp, respectively. Further, it correlated (r = 0.71, p 0.05) in Prussian carp with the occurrence of erythrocytes with micronuclei. Hematological and biochemical parameters of the mentioned species were within typical limits for fishes residing in water bodies with a weak anthropogenic load. The results allow considering the existing conditions of the freshwater bream and Prussian carp in the Volga delta as quite favorable in relation to the genotoxic situation.