A Comparison Effect of Copper Nanoparticles versus Copper Sulphate on JuvenileEpinephelus coioides: Growth Parameters, Digestive Enzymes, Body Composition, and Histology as Biomarkers

Abstract

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) are components in numerous commercial products, but little is known about their potential hazard in the marine environments. In this study the effects of Cu-NPs and soluble Cu on juvenile Epinephelus coioides were investigated. The fish were exposed in triplicate to control, 20 or 100 µg Cu L−1 as either copper sulphate (CuSO4) or Cu-NPs for 25 days. The growth performance decreased with increasing CuSO4 or Cu-NPs dose, more so in the CuSO4 than Cu-NPs treatment. Both forms of Cu exposure inhibited activities of digestive enzymes (protease, amylase, and lipase) found in liver, stomach, and intestine. With an increase in CuSO4 and Cu-NPs dose, crude protein and crude lipid decreased, but ash and moisture increased, more so in the CuSO4 than Cu-NPs treatment. The Cu-NPs treatment caused pathologies in liver and gills, and the kinds of pathologies were broadly of the same type as with CuSO4. With an increase in CuSO4 or Cu-NPs dose, the total polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased, but total monounsaturated fatty acids and total saturated fatty acids increased compared to control. Overall, these data showed that Cu-NPs had a similar type of toxic effects as CuSO4, but soluble Cu was more toxic than Cu-NPs.

Histological description of immature Chironomus columbiensis (Diptera: Chironomidae): A potential contribution to environmental monitoring

“…Microscopy analyses help to detect cellular and tissue alterations, and for this reason have been considered very useful in toxicology. Microscopy allows determining subtle effects of contaminants, as well as the target organs and toxicity mechanism of these substances (Glover et al, ; Guardiola et al, ; Stentiford et al, ; Wang, Long, Cheng, Liu, & Yan, ). The increasing application of histopathological biomarkers is attributed to their ability to assess the effects of a previous or current exposure to a given contaminant, even at low levels of exposure (Johnson, Lowe, Brown, Sullivan, & Nelson, ; Myers & Fournie, ).…”

Effects of chronic exposure to cadmium and temperature, alone or combined, on the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): Interest of digestive enzymes as biomarkers

“…Since the latter acts as a secretion site of digestive enzymes, exposure to pollutants could disturb digestive enzyme activity. Hence, several authors have suggested using these parameters as potential biomarkers in ecotoxicology (Dedourge-Geffard et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2015;Caruso et al, 2016). Under stressful situations, energy allocation in fish is disturbed because a large proportion of ingested energy is invested in detoxification, involving the cellular antioxidant defence system: superoxide dismutase (SOD), total glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT), etc.…”

Recent developments in nanotechnology transforming the agricultural sector: a transition replete with opportunities

“…However, there must be clarity about whether the copper is present in an ionic or nanoparticulate form, as this can impact the control of several bacterial and fungal pathogens , . Moreover, the health consequences of consuming residual copper ions and colloid forms of copper from agricultural produce are unknown , . Various metal‐based nanomaterials can be possibly used for plant disease management using efficient crop protection practices, particularly to avoid the agricultural losses posed by fungal and bacterial pathogens.…”

“…154,155 Moreover, the health consequences of consuming residual copper ions and colloid forms of copper from agricultural produce are unknown. 156,157 Various metal-based nanomaterials can be possibly used for plant disease management using efficient crop protection practices, particularly to avoid the agricultural losses posed by fungal and bacterial pathogens. Metal nanoparticles could be used to inhibit the pathogen in multiple ways and in different growth stages.…”