Toxics

Research

15 pages, 4611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Pb Toxicity on the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Lamellidens marginalis: Growth Metrics, Hemocyto-Immunology, and Histological Alterations in Gill, Kidney, and Muscle Tissue

by Mohammad Amzad Hossain, Toma Chowdhury, Gourab Chowdhury, Petra Schneider, Monayem Hussain, Bipresh Das and Mohammed Mahbub Iqbal

Toxics 2023, 11(6), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11060475 - 23 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2194

Abstract

Pb is one of the most extensively used harmful heavy metals in Bangladesh, and its occurrence in waters affects aquatic organisms significantly. The tropical pearl mussel, Lamellidens marginalis, was exposed to different concentrations (T₁ 21.93 mgL⁻¹, T₂ 43.86 mgL [...] Read more.

Pb is one of the most extensively used harmful heavy metals in Bangladesh, and its occurrence in waters affects aquatic organisms significantly. The tropical pearl mussel, Lamellidens marginalis, was exposed to different concentrations (T₁ 21.93 mgL⁻¹, T₂ 43.86 mgL⁻¹, and T₃ 87.72 mgL⁻¹) of Pb(NO₃)₂ and was evaluated against a control C 0 mgL⁻¹ of Pb(NO₃)₂, followed by a 96 h acute toxicity test. The LC₅₀ value was recorded as 219.32 mgL⁻¹. The physicochemical parameters were documented regularly for each treatment unit. The values of % SGR, shell weight, soft tissue wet weight, and weight gain remained statistically higher for the control group in comparison with the treatment. No mortality was noted for control units, while a gradually decreased survival rate was recorded for the different treatment groups. Fulton’s condition factor was recorded as highest in the control and lowest in the T₃ unit, while the condition indices did not vary between the control and treatment groups. The hemocyte was accounted as maximum in the control and T₁, while minimum in T₂ and T₃. The serum lysosomal parameters also followed a similar pattern, and a significantly low level of lysosomal membrane stability, and serum lysosome activity was noted for T₃ and T₂ units in comparison to the control group. The histology of the gill, kidney, and muscle was well structured in the control group, while distinct pathologies were observed in the gill, kidney, and muscle tissue of different treatment groups. The quantitative comparison revealed that the intensity of pathological alteration increased as the dosage of Pb increased. The current study, therefore, indicated that intrusion of Pb(NO₃)₂ in the living medium significantly alters growth performance and hemocyte counts, and chronic toxicity induces histomorphological abnormalities in vital organs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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12 pages, 2009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microplastic Presence in the Digestive Tract of Pearly Razorfish Xyrichtys novacula Causes Oxidative Stress in Liver Tissue

by Amanda Cohen-Sánchez, Antònia Solomando, Samuel Pinya, Silvia Tejada, José María Valencia, Antonio Box and Antoni Sureda

Toxics 2023, 11(4), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11040365 - 11 Apr 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1803

Abstract

Plastic pollution in the oceans is a growing problem, with negative effects on exposed species and ecosystems. Xyrichtys novacula L. is a very important fish species both culturally and economically in the Balearic Islands. The aim of the present study was to detect [...] Read more.

Plastic pollution in the oceans is a growing problem, with negative effects on exposed species and ecosystems. Xyrichtys novacula L. is a very important fish species both culturally and economically in the Balearic Islands. The aim of the present study was to detect and categorise the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the digestive tract of X. novacula, as well as the existence of oxidative stress in the liver. For this purpose, the fish were categorised into two groups based on the number of MPs observed in the digestive tracts: a group with no or low presence of MPs (0–3 items) and a group with a higher presence of MPs (4–28 items). MPs were found in 89% of the specimens analysed, with a dominance of fibre type and blue colour. Regarding the type of polymer, polycarbonate was the most abundant, followed by polypropylene and polyethylene. For the group with a greater presence of MPs, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, as well as the phase II detoxification enzyme glutathione s-transferase, were higher than the activities observed in fish with little to no presence of MPs. The activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase and the levels of malondialdehyde did not show significant differences between both groups. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the presence of MPs in the digestive tract of X. novacula and the existence of an antioxidant and detoxification response, mainly based on the glutathione-based enzymes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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23 pages, 8531 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pesticides and Parabens Contaminating Aquatic Environment: Acute and Sub-Chronic Toxicity towards Early-Life Stages of Freshwater Fish and Amphibians

by Denisa Medkova, Aneta Hollerova, Barbora Riesova, Jana Blahova, Nikola Hodkovicova, Petr Marsalek, Veronika Doubkova, Zuzana Weiserova, Jan Mares, Martin Faldyna, Frantisek Tichy, Zdenka Svobodova and Pavla Lakdawala

Toxics 2023, 11(4), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11040333 - 31 Mar 2023

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3311

Abstract

Pesticides and personal care products are two very important groups of contaminants posing a threat to the aquatic environment and the organisms living in it.. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the effects of widely used pesticides and parabens on aquatic non-target biota [...] Read more.

Pesticides and personal care products are two very important groups of contaminants posing a threat to the aquatic environment and the organisms living in it.. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the effects of widely used pesticides and parabens on aquatic non-target biota such as fish (using model organisms Danio rerio and Cyprinus carpio) and amphibians (using model organism Xenopus laevis) using a wide range of endpoints. The first part of the experiment was focused on the embryonal toxicity of three widely used pesticides (metazachlor, prochloraz, and 4-chloro-2-methyl phenoxy acetic acid) and three parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben) with D. rerio, C. carpio, and X. laevis embryos. An emphasis was placed on using mostly sub-lethal concentrations that are partially relevant to the environmental concentrations of the substances studied. In the second part of the study, an embryo-larval toxicity test with C. carpio was carried out with prochloraz using concentrations 0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 µg/L. The results of both parts of the study show that even the low, environmentally relevant concentrations of the chemicals tested are often able to affect the expression of genes that play either a prominent role in detoxification and sex hormone production or indicate cell stress or, in case of prochloraz, to induce genotoxicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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19 pages, 5061 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecotoxicity of o-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile (CBM) and Toxicological Risk Assessment for SCLP Biological Cultures (Saccharomyces sp., Chlorella sp., Lactobacillus sp., Paramecium sp.)

by Viorel Gheorghe, Catalina Gabriela Gheorghe, Andreea Bondarev and Raluca Somoghi

Toxics 2023, 11(3), 285; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030285 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2541

Abstract

Toxic substances used as chemical weapons present a number of particularities that affect the surrounding environment, having a wide range of action by disrupting the ecological balance: they may infect soil or air, or form aerosols through smoke or toxic fog. Such substances [...] Read more.

Toxic substances used as chemical weapons present a number of particularities that affect the surrounding environment, having a wide range of action by disrupting the ecological balance: they may infect soil or air, or form aerosols through smoke or toxic fog. Such substances can have a long duration of action, from minutes to weeks, which is why they are used in military attacks. This study evaluated the toxicological character of o-chlorobenzyliden malonitrile (CBM) in order to study the toxicity limit of this substance using microbiological cultures of Saccharomyces sp., Chlorella sp., Lactobacillus sp. and Paramecium sp., which were used to determine their rate of growth in the presence of different concentrations of o-chlorobenzyliden malonitrile and their ability to respond to this toxic stimulus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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18 pages, 5502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ammonia Toxicity in the Bighead Carp (Aristichthys nobilis): Hematology, Antioxidation, Immunity, Inflammation and Stress

by Yuning Zou, Weixing Chen, Banghua Xia, Yifang Xiang, Zhentao Shen, Ying Han and Shuqun Xue

Toxics 2023, 11(3), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11030243 - 5 Mar 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2149

Abstract

Ammonia is one of the main environmental pollutants that affect the survival and growth of fish. The toxic effects on blood biochemistry, oxidative stress, immunity, and stress response of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) under ammonia exposure were studied. Bighead carp were [...] Read more.

Ammonia is one of the main environmental pollutants that affect the survival and growth of fish. The toxic effects on blood biochemistry, oxidative stress, immunity, and stress response of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) under ammonia exposure were studied. Bighead carp were exposed to total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of 0 mg/L, 3.955 mg/L, 7.91 mg/L, 11.865 mg/L, and 15.82 mg/L for 96 h. The results showed that ammonia exposure significantly reduced hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell, white blood cell count, and platelet count and significantly increased the plasma calcium level of carp. Serum total protein, albumin, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase changed significantly after ammonia exposure. Ammonia exposure can induce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes (Mn-SOD, CAT, and GPx) increases at the initial stage of ammonia exposure, while MDA accumulates and antioxidant enzyme activity decreases after ammonia stress. Ammonia poisoning changes the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines; promotes the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-1β; and inhibits IL-10. Furthermore, ammonia exposure led to increases in stress indexes such as cortisol, blood glucose, adrenaline, and T3, and increases in heat shock protein 70 and heat shock protein 90 content and gene expression. Ammonia exposure caused oxidative stress, immunosuppression, inflammation, and a stress reaction in bighead carp. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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14 pages, 2179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Size Screening Could Greatly Degrade the Health Risk of Fish Consuming Associated to Metals Pollution—An Investigation of Angling Fish in Guangzhou, China

by Xiongyi Miao, Qian Zhang, Yupei Hao and Hucai Zhang

Toxics 2023, 11(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010054 - 4 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1567

Abstract

Fish size can heavily impact the bioaccumulation of metals, but it was rarely applied to screen out the fish with low health risk for consuming. Given the widespread metals contamination of angling fish, the angling fish collected from Guangzhou, China, were taken as [...] Read more.

Fish size can heavily impact the bioaccumulation of metals, but it was rarely applied to screen out the fish with low health risk for consuming. Given the widespread metals contamination of angling fish, the angling fish collected from Guangzhou, China, were taken as an example in this study. The screening length and weight were detailed in accordance with the investigation of metals contamination among angling fish. Importantly, the feasibility of size screening on mitigating the health risk of angling fish was evaluated. The results revealed that the concentration of Cr and As were relatively high and beyond the maximum residue limit (MRL) in some fish. The mean pollution index (Pi) of As, Cr, and Pb were beyond 0.2, suggesting the widespread minor contamination. The total metal pollution index (MPI) manifested Oreochroms mossambcus was the most contaminated. The target hazard quotient (THQ) of Cr, As, and Hg were relatively higher, but the higher probability of THQ > 1 indicated the health risk should be dominantly from As. The highest TTHQ suggested the highest risk of Oreochroms mossambcus. Regression analysis determined the fish of THQ < 1 should be more likely centralized in the size that is beyond 13.7 cm and 45.0 g for adults and 19.8 cm and 127.9 g for children. Significantly reducing THQ among these screened fish confirmed their effect on the degrading health risk of metals; particularly, the children’s THQ returned below 1. The commonly contaminated Oreochroms mossambcus was further excluded to remove the screened fish with THQ > 1; the further decrease in THQ confirmed that the exclusion of a contaminated species could improve the effect of size screening. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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16 pages, 4704 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Lead (Pb) Toxicity in Juvenile Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus—Growth, Behaviour, Erythrocytes Abnormalities, and Histological Alterations in Vital Organs

by Tayeeba Ferdous Mahi, Gourab Chowdhury, Mohammad Amzad Hossain, Asim Kumar Baishnab, Petra Schneider and Mohammed Mahbub Iqbal

Toxics 2022, 10(12), 793; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10120793 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3568

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is one of the toxins responsible for the deterioration of ecological health in aquatic environments. The present study investigated the effects of Pb(NO₃)₂ toxicity on growth, blood cell morphology, and the histopathology of gills, liver, and intestine of [...] Read more.

Lead (Pb) is one of the toxins responsible for the deterioration of ecological health in aquatic environments. The present study investigated the effects of Pb(NO₃)₂ toxicity on growth, blood cell morphology, and the histopathology of gills, liver, and intestine of juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. A 30-day long aquarium trial was conducted by assigning three treatment groups T₁ 5.20 mg L⁻¹, T₂ 10.40 mg L⁻¹, and T₃ 20.80 mg L⁻¹, and a control 0 mg L⁻¹ following the 96 h LC₅₀ of 51.96 mg L⁻¹ from acute toxicity test. Overall growth performance significantly declined in all the Pb(NO₃)₂ treated groups and the highest mortality was recorded in T₃. Behavioural abnormalities were intense in all the treatment groups compared to the control. Hepatosomatic index (HSI) values were reported as higher in treatment groups. Reduced nucleus diameter and nuclei size in erythrocytes were reported for T₂ and T₃ groups. Dose-dependent histological alterations were visible in the gills, liver, and intestine of all the Pb(NO₃)₂ treated groups. The width of the intestinal villi was highly extended in T₃ showing signs of severe histological alterations. In conclusion, Pb toxicity causes a negative effect on growth performance, erythrocyte morphology, and affected the vital organs histomorphology of juvenile O. niloticus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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16 pages, 2102 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Arthrospira platensis in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): A Means to Reduce Threats Caused by CdCl₂ Exposure?

by Mahdi Banaee, Federica Impellitteri, Hamid Evaz-Zadeh Samani, Giuseppe Piccione and Caterina Faggio

Toxics 2022, 10(12), 731; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10120731 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2303

Abstract

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is one of the most commercially sought-after freshwater fish species and one of the most farmed in the world. On the other hand, aquaculture breeding frequently results in outbreaks of infectious diseases and pests, and compromises [...] Read more.

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is one of the most commercially sought-after freshwater fish species and one of the most farmed in the world. On the other hand, aquaculture breeding frequently results in outbreaks of infectious diseases and pests, and compromises the production and welfare of fish. Arthrospira platensis (known as “Spirulina”) has been used as a supplement in diets to enhance fish welfare in recent years because of its beneficial properties. This study aimed to assess the possible protective effects of Arthrospira platensis on rainbow trout specimens exposed to three different doses of the toxicant CdCl₂. The experiment was carried out using five experimental treatments of 40 individuals each: control group; group II (0.2 mg CdCl₂ per kg of commercial fish feed); group III (0.2 mg Kg⁻¹ of CdCl₂ plus 2.5 g per kg of A. platensis); group IV (0.2 mg Kg⁻¹ of CdCl₂ plus 5 g per kg of A. platensis); group V (0.2 mg Kg⁻¹ of CdCl₂ plus 10 g per kg of A. platensis). During the experiment, dietary supplementation of A. platensis normalized all serum and blood parameters altered by the presence of CdCl₂. A. platensis also had a protective effect on markers of oxidative stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution and Related Aquatic Ecotoxicity)

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