Ecotoxicological Assessment of Tannery Effluent Using Guppy Fish (Poecilia reticulata) as an Experimental Model: A Biomarker Study

Abstract

Tannery wastewater in the East Calcutta Wetlands (a Ramsar site of West Bengal; number 1208) exerts adverse effects on commercial fish production and subsequently affects humans. The present study was conducted to investigate acute and chronic toxicity of tannery effluent on a fish biosystem by examining oxidative stress enzyme expression in different organs including liver, gills, and muscle following exposure. Phosphatases, both alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase, and antioxidant superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities were determined in guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata) exposed to sublethal concentrations of composite tannery effluent. Data demonstrated that tannery effluent was capable of interfering with metabolic processes of fish by altering stress enzyme activities in fish organs, resulting in cellular injury. Data suggest that elevated activities of stress enzymes in fish upon exposure to environmental pollutants may serve as important biomarkers for oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress markers in fish (Astyanax sp. and Danio rerio) exposed to urban and agricultural effluents in the Brazilian Pampa biome

“…When considering biomarkers of pollution in fish species, liver and gills are the most utilized tissues reported in literature, even though recent studies have been using muscle and brain tissues in biomarker analysis (Ghazala et al 2014;Aich et al 2015). Here, we have shown that both fish species studied showed visible alterations in stress-related biomarkers in muscle and brain.…”

A review on impact of water pollution on freshwater fish species and their aquatic environment

“…Some of the toxins decay or volatilize to form insoluble salts and rest are precipitated and get combined into the substrate in bed surface. Fish species are the perfect model for sensing the occurrence of genotoxic toxins in aquatic ecosystems (Aich et al, 2015;Walia et al, 2015; because these aquatic organisms are very sensitive to little quantity of metals within the water body, are abundant, and also live in some different habitats (Ali et al, 2008).…”

Toxicological assessment of spinosad: Implications for integrated control ofAedes aegyptiusing larvicides and larvivorous fish

“…Poecilia reticulata is a relevant experimental fish model (Ferreira et al, 2012;Aich et al, 2015) and mosquito's natural enemy. However the findings that spinosad exerted direct effects on P. reticulata suggests that the larvivorous potential of this fish species may be diminished based upon the adverse behavioral responses noted.…”