Human health risk from organ-specific accumulation of toxic metals and response of antioxidants in edible fish species from Chenab River, Pakistan

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 21; no. 6; pp. 4409 - 4417
• Main Authors: Waheed, Sidra, Kamal, Atif, Malik, Riffat Naseem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.03.2014; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acids; Animals; antioxidant activity; Antioxidants; Aquatic organisms; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Biomarkers; Cadmium; catalase; Catalase - metabolism; Chromium; Cobalt; Comparative analysis; Copper; Diet - statistics & numerical data; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Health; Fish; Fishes - metabolism; Food chains; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Contamination - statistics & numerical data; Gills; Glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; Guaiacol; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Heavy metals; human health; Humans; iron; Laboratories; Lead; Lipids; Liver; Liver - metabolism; Metals; Metals - metabolism; Metals - toxicity; Muscles; Muscles - metabolism; nickel; Oxidative stress; Pakistan; peroxidase; Peroxidase - metabolism; Pollutants; Pollution studies; Regression analysis; Research Article; risk; Risk Assessment; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Seafood; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; toxicity; Trophic levels; trophic relationships; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data; zinc; Pakistan; India, Jammu and Kashmir, Chenab R; Antioxidants; Pakistan; Herbivorous; Carnivorous; Chenab River
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-2385-3

In the current study, the bioaccumulation of essential and nonessential metals and related antioxidant activity were analyzed in three organs (muscle, gills, and liver) of herbivorous (HF) and carnivorous (CF) edible fish of Chenab River. The comparative analysis revealed a more heterogeneous accumulation of metals in the muscles of HF fish than that of CF fish [chromium (Cr, 3.4 μg g⁻¹), cobalt (Co, 1.7 μg g⁻¹), copper (Cu, 3 μg g⁻¹), and iron (Fe, 45 μg g⁻¹) versus Cr (1.3 μg g⁻¹), Co (0.1 μg g⁻¹), Cu (1.1 μg g⁻¹), and Fe (33 μg g⁻¹), respectively, P < 0.001]. These results implied an organ-specific accumulation of metals at different trophic levels. According to logistic regression analysis, the bioaccumulation of metals had marked differences in HF and CF. The antioxidant activity was significantly related to the tissue type and the metals to which the organs are exposed to. The liver of CF fish had a higher activity of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxidase (LPO) than that of HF (P < 0.05). LPO and guaiacol peroxidase (POD) in both groups were associated with a number of metals, but in HF, cadmium (Cd), Cr, Pb, and Zn were more related with the LPO and SOD activities. Moreover, Cd, Co, Fe, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Zn were above the permissible limits set by various agencies. In numerous cases, our results were even higher than those previously reported in the literature. The results provide an insight into the pollution pattern of Chenab River. These results may be helpful in the future to identify biomarkers of exposure in aquatic organisms.