Pathological and Hormonal Changes in Freshwater Fishes Due to Exposure to Heavy Metals Pollutants

Abstract

The concentrations of major heavy metals in organs of two cyprinid fish and in water collected from three sections of the Kor River, Iran, were determined using the induction coupled plasma method. The concentrations of heavy metals in tissue of fish from the middle sampling zone were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those from the other two sampling zones, whereas no significant differences (p>0.05) were detected between the two sexes and species. Estradiol in females and progesterone and testosterone in males from the middle study site were significantly (p<0.05) lower than values from the other two sites. Pathological changes in blood cells, liver, and kidneys of fishes were significantly higher in highly polluted areas (middle sampling zone). So heavy metals exposure can effectively decreases estrogenic and androgenic secretion in fish. These results show that industrial activities have polluted the river and that heavy metals exposure can induce pathological changes in fish organs.

Histological and hormonal changes in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) after exposure to environmental cocaine concentration

“…Histological changes have been widely used as biomarkers in the evaluation of the health of fish exposed to contaminants (Teh, Adams & Hinton ; Pacheco & Santos ; Thophon et al . ; Camargo & Martinez ; Capkin, Birinciogl & Altinok ; Ebrahimi & Taherianfard ). Moreover, the histological biomarkers allow examining specific organs, playing key role in the organism physiology, are easy to identify and serve as warning signs of damage to animal health (Fanta et al .…”

Bioaccumulation profile of heavy metals in the liver tissues of Wallago attu (MULLEY) from Kalpani River Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

“…Fish liver was previously studied for recoding the level of heavy metals causing fresh water and riverine pollution across the aquatic environment (Vinodhini and Narayanan, 2008;Akan et al, 2009;Yilmaz, 2009;Abdel-Baki et al, 2011;Ebrahimi and Taherianfard, 2011;Bhuvaneshwari et al, 2012a ;Yousaf et al, 2012;Tanee et al, 2013) Fish liver is remarkably active in the uptake and storage of heavy metals across aquatic environment. Though fish livers are seldom consumed, but may act as a good biomonitor of metal pollution (Chaffai et al, 1996;Dural et al, 2007;Bhuvaneshwari et al, 2012a In the present investigations, chromium (Cr) in the liver tissue of Mulley, Wallago attu was recorded with a mean value of 0.90±0.8118 µg/ wet weight.…”

“…Other than liver, heavy metals are known to bio accumulate in other organs viz., fish muscle, intestine, gills, head, bones, intestines, reproductive organs. Out of which, skin is the primary target organ for heavy metals physio-chemical interaction (Zhang et al, 2007;Fonge et al, 2011;Ebrahimi and Taherianfard, 2011;Bhuvaneshwari et al, 2012a;Dahunsi et al, 2012).…”

Some aspects of reproductive biology on effect of heavy metal pollution on the histopathological structure of gonads in Labeo rohita (Hamilton-Buchanan) from Harike wetland, India

“…For further propagation of the fish, the quality of oocytes plays a key role in the proper development of an embryo. The competence of oocytes depends on numerous processes taking place during the whole oogenesis, but its final steps such as oocyte maturation, seems to be of key importance (Jezierska et al, 2001;Burger and Gochfeld, 2005;Marteil et al, 2009;Ebrahimi and Taherianfard, 2011). The toxicological effects on reproduction in the wild fish have been barely investigated with regard to alterations in the gonads (Adams and Greely, 2000;Jobling et al, 2002;Toft et al, 2004).…”