An experiment on the glucose metabolite, serum electrolytes, and somatic characteristics of the Levantine Barbel Luciobarbus pectoralis (Heckel, 1843) under the effect of heavy metals

AbstractLevantine Barbel (Luciobarbus pectoralis) is a benthopelagic, subtropical native fish living in the inland waters of the Mediterranean region in T ürkiye and Syria. Even though it is widely consumed locally, experimental observations on how heavy metals [zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb)] and their mixtures affect the fish are lacking. Several bioindicators of the fish exposed to heavy metals are the focus of the current inv estigation. Initially, Fulton condition factor (K) and hepato-somatic index (HSI) were utilized in the somatic characteristics ofL. pectoralis. Then, changes in the level of glucose metabolite and electrolytes [sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and chloride (Cl−)] of blood were determined by Architect C-800 auto-analyzer after exposure durations. The results of the experiments demonstrated that heavy metals can rapidly have a negative impact on the regulation of blood and somatic characteristics of fish. It was observed that the K index decreased in all metal groups at 24 and 96  h, while considerably increased in the 24-h effect of cadmium only (P ≤ 0.05). Along with that, in the 96-h effect of metals, Cu indicated the highest decrease in the HSI value (19.33%,P ≤ 0.05). In general, all heavy metal exposures caused the fish's glucose metabolite level to rise compared to the control (P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, sublethal effects of metals at both durations caused considerable changes in blood electrolytes of the fis...
Source: Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research