Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul;200(7):3388-3399.
doi: 10.1007/s12011-021-02930-9. Epub 2021 Sep 29.

Gill Histopathological Biomarkers in Fish Exposed to Trace Metals in the Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil

Heigon H Queiroz Oliveira  1 , José Amorim Reis-Filho  1 , José Anchieta C C Nunes  1 , Renata Melo Dos Santos  1 , Eunice de F Esteves Santiago  1 , Letícia Aguilar  1 , Paulo R A de Mello Affonso  2 , André Luis da Cruz  3
Affiliations

Gill Histopathological Biomarkers in Fish Exposed to Trace Metals in the Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil

Heigon H Queiroz Oliveira et al. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Histopathologies are widely recognized as biomarkers of environmental pollution. In this sense, we evaluated the putative relationship of gill histopathologies and distinct ecological impacts in two regions of Todos os Santos Bay (BTS), Brazil, the largest bay in Northeastern Brazil, South Atlantic. We compared the presence and concentration of metals (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn) in water, sediments, and gills and gill histopathologies of a demersal fish (Diapterus rhombeus) and a benthic fish (Ogcocephalus vespertilio). As expected, fish and sediment samples from historically contaminated areas (Aratu) showed more remarkable traces of metals than apparently low-impact areas (Jaguaripe). Likewise, the DTC (degree of tissue change) index and the volume densities were higher in fish caught in Aratu. In addition, the Diapterus rhombeus species showed more potential than Ogcocephalus vespertilio for risk assessment as it showed more responses to the environment reflected on more histopathologies. These data support the effectiveness of incorporating functional gill morphology to monitor impacts on estuarine biota that can be used as a reference to improve the management of ecosystems and prevent harm to human health.

Keywords: Biomonitoring; Estuarine pollution; Functional fish gill morphology; Metal bioaccumulation; Quantitatively gill analysis; Volume densities.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Lu Y, Yuan J, Lu X, Su C et al (2018) Major threats of pollution and climate change to global coastal ecosystems and enhanced management for sustainability. Environ Pollut 239:670–680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.016 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Whitfield AK, Elliott M (2002) Fishes as indicators of environmental and ecological changes within estuaries: a review of progress and some suggestions for the future. J Fish Biol 61:229–250. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01773.x - DOI
    1. Wild-Allen K, Skerratt J, Whitehead J, Rizwi F, Parslow J (2013) Mechanisms driving estuarine water quality: a 3-D biogeochemical model for informed management. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 135:33–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2013.04.009 - DOI
    1. Arizzi Novelli A, Losso C, Libralato G, Tagliapietra D, Pantanib C, Volpi GA (2006) Is the 1:4 elutriation ratio reliable? Ecotoxicological comparison of four different sediment: water proportions. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 65:306–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2005.08.010 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barišić J, Dragun Z, Ramani S, Filipović VM, Krasnići N, Čož-Rakovac R, Kostov V, Rebok K, Jordanova M (2015) Evaluation of histopathological alterations in the gills of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman) as an indicator of river pollution. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 118:158–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.04.027 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources