Heavy metals bioaccumulation and subsequent multiple biomarkers based appraisal of toxicity in the critically endangered Tor putitora

Sana Ullah; Zhongqiu Li; Said Hassan; Shahid Ahmad; Xinle Guo; Kunyuan Wanghe; Ghulam Nabi

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113032

Heavy metals bioaccumulation and subsequent multiple biomarkers based appraisal of toxicity in the critically endangered Tor putitora

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021 Nov 30:228:113032. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113032. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Sana Ullah¹, Zhongqiu Li², Said Hassan³, Shahid Ahmad⁴, Xinle Guo⁵, Kunyuan Wanghe⁶, Ghulam Nabi⁷

Affiliations

¹ Animal Behavior and Conservation Lab., School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China; Department of Zoology, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
² Animal Behavior and Conservation Lab., School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: lizq@nju.edu.cn.
³ Department of Biotechnology, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda 24461, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050010, China.
⁵ Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability, College of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, China.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 23th Xinning Road, Xining, Qinghai 810008, China. Electronic address: wanghekunyuan@189.cn.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050010, China. Electronic address: ghulamnabiqau@gmail.com.

PMID: 34856487
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113032

Abstract

The construction of hydropower projects discharges effluents to aquatic bodies. The effluents consist of different chemicals including heavy metals. The current study assessed the effects of effluents discharged from an under-construction hydropower project on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the tissues of critically endangered Tor putitora (Hamilton, 1822) in the river Panjkora. The subsequent toxic impacts of higher bioaccumulation of heavy metals on different biochemical, hematological, and serum biochemical profiles were also studied. Different biochemical changes were observed in the tissues of T. putitora including stress biomarkers such as reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, total protein contents, antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, glutathione reductase, and glutathione-s-transferase), acetylcholinesterase, and whole-body cortisol. The hematotoxic effects were also observed as the count of red blood cells, hematocrit, and hemoglobin decreased whereas the count of white blood cells increased. Serum biochemical analysis revealed that cholesterol, urea, total bilirubin, and glucose concentration increased, whereas total proteins and albumin decreased with an increase in the concentration of heavy metals across the sampling sites. The fish from the river was found to be under severe stress as compared to the fish from the reference site. To mitigate the current scenario, stocking fish in an appropriate amount is suggested. The fish diversity and water quality should be assessed at regular intervals to avoid further deterioration and diversity loss. The safety and conservation of wild fisheries should be ensured by implementing strict environmental protection and fishing laws.

Keywords: Biochemical disruption; Cortisol assay; Effluents; Hematotoxicity; Hydropower projects; Serum biochemistry.