Effects of Aluminium Contamination on the Nervous System of Freshwater Aquatic Vertebrates: A Review

Abstract

Aluminium (Al) is the most common natural metallic element in the Earth’s crust. It is released into the environment through natural processes and human activities and accumulates in aquatic environments. This review compiles scientific data on the neurotoxicity of aluminium contamination on the nervous system of aquatic organisms. More precisely, it helps identify biomarkers of aluminium exposure for aquatic environment biomonitoring in freshwater aquatic vertebrates. Al is neurotoxic and accumulates in the nervous system of aquatic vertebrates, which is why it could be responsible for oxidative stress. In addition, it activates and inhibits antioxidant enzymes and leads to changes in acetylcholinesterase activity, neurotransmitter levels, and in the expression of several neural genes and nerve cell components. It also causes histological changes in nerve tissue, modifications of organism behaviour, and cognitive deficit. However, impacts of aluminium exposure on the early stages of aquatic vertebrate development are poorly described. Lastly, this review also poses the question of how accurate aquatic vertebrates (fishes and amphibians) could be used as model organisms to complement biological data relating to the developmental aspect. This “challenge” is very relevant since freshwater pollution with heavy metals has increased in the last few decades.

Petrosamine isolated from marine sponge Petrosia sp. demonstrates protection against neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo

“…8 , also a hallmark in AD. In fish, AChE activity is essential for muscle function and behaviour [ 38 ]. This study examined the effects of AlCl 3 exposure of AChE activity on whole zebrafish embryos (Fig.…”

Recommending Surface Water Quality Monitoring for the Nature Reserve Using Multivariate Statistical Methods

“…When it rains, it is easy to wash alum into the canals, so the Fe 2+ and Al 3+ concentration in this area always reaches the highest value compared to the remaining zones. High concentrations of Al 3+ would reduce the number of fish and amphibians due to the reaction of aluminum ions with proteins in the gills and embryos of frogs and also affect birds and other animals that eat fish [31]. As mentioned in the previous section, the water quality monitoring program in the nature reserve was conducted six times per year.…”

Fish Behavior as a Neural Proxy to Reveal Physiological States

“…Heavy metals from anthropic activities, such as the steel industry, mining activities, and smelters, are widely found in the environment and cause neurotoxicities ( Squadrone et al, 2013 ; Zhong et al, 2018 ; Jiang et al, 2019 ). It was found that aluminum accumulates in the nervous system of fish and causes damage to nerve tissues, behavior, and cognition ( Closset et al, 2021 ). Silver impairs social preferences, social recognition, learning, and memory in adult zebrafish ( Fu et al, 2021 ).…”