DNA integrity of chub erythrocytes (Squalius cephalus L.) as an indicator of pollution-related genotoxicity in the River Sava

Abstract

An alkaline comet assay and a micronucleus test were carried out on erythrocytes of the European chub, Squalius cephalus L., collected in spring and autumn in 2005 and 2006 at three sampling sites in River Sava, near Zagreb, Croatia. The results of comet assay showed the lowest genotoxic influence at the least polluted site, while higher DNA damage was observed at the polluted sites. Although the basal levels of DNA damage were elevated, a clear gradation of DNA damage was found due to pollution intensity in all sampling periods. The lowest cytogenetic damage as revealed by the micronucleus test (MNT) was observed as well at the least polluted site. High variations in MN frequency were observed between sampling periods, although the number of micronucleated erythrocytes was consistently the highest one at the polluted site. The comet assay as a biomarker of genotoxic effect exhibited higher sensitivity in discriminating the genotoxic capacity of studied polluted sites while the MNT was less sensitive. However, both tests should be used together in biomonitoring studies because they can reveal different aspects of DNA damage; comet assay, the early event of genotoxic exposure, and MNT, its final result as a mutagenic potential.

Habitat induced mutational effects and fatty acid profile changes in bottom dweller <em>Cirrhinus mrigala</em> inhabitant of river Chenab

“…The present study showed an increased level of genotoxic damage when compared to farmed fish. The comet assay findings of Cirrhinus mrigala are in concordance with the results of Pavlica et al (2011) in the context of environmental biomonitoring of genotoxicity in fish. The present findings are also in line with the findings of Burger and Gochfeld (2005) who also reported that higher concentrations of heavy metals in the water not only bioaccumulate in the fish body but also get in the way of metabolism, hence reducing the quality of the fish.…”

“…DNA damaging agents require continuous monitoring and detection (Villela et al, 2006). With increasing demand, the population of fish in different areas of the world has been reduced drastically due to pollution and overfishing (Baršienė et al, 2013;Pavlica et al, 2011). Polluted water from the industrial and urban areas of Faisalabad is being disposed into the River Chenab, which has led to the extinction and decrease in population of different fish species along a 190 Km stretch of the River Chenab.…”

Evaluation of Genotoxic Pressure along the Sava River

“…As mentioned before, the section of the river stretch from the Slovenian-Croatian border to the confluence of the Una River is the most studied part. In the study of Pavlica et al [ 11 ] the area nearby the site Čatež (few km downstream) was used as a reference site for the assessment of genotoxicity along the Sava River by bioassays performed in European chub ( Squalius cephalus ). The same group of authors also confirmed low level of genotoxic pollution in the mentioned area in their study performed on zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha [ 8 ].…”

“…The study of Smital and Ahel [ 7 ] provides comprehensive overview of ecogenotoxicological studies performed on the Sava River so far. Majority of these studies are focused on the section stretching from the Slovenian-Croatian border up to the confluence of the Una River [ 8 – 11 ]. This section is especially interesting as one of the largest urban settlements (Zagreb—capitol of Croatia) is situated here.…”

Gamma irradiation during gametogenesis in young adult zebrafish causes persistent genotoxicity and adverse reproductive effects

“…Micronuclei originate from aberrant mitosis and are formed when intact chromosomes or their fragments are not properly segregated into the daughter cells nuclei after cell division and instead remain in the cytoplasm (Pernot et al, 2012;Sabharwal et al, 2015). The MN test is frequently used in fish as an indicator of environmental stress and correlates to increased DNA damage and mutation rate (Russo et al, 2003, Pavlica et al, 2011Song et al, 2012;Luzhna et al, 2013). In the present study, the frequency of one MN per erythrocyte was significantly increased in the 8.7 and 53 mGy/h groups (males and females) compared to controls.…”