Evaluation of metal exposure through the composition of essential and toxic micro-minerals in freshwater turtles (Phrynops geoffroanus) from a Brazilian river

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the metal exposure through the concentration of essential and toxic micro-minerals in biological samples of Phrynops geoffroanus from an anthropized river. The work was carried out in four areas with different ow characteristics and uses of the river, where individuals of both sexes were captured during the dry and rainy seasons. The elements Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn, were quanti ed in samples of serum (168), muscle (62), liver (61), and kidney (61) by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. The concentration of the elements varied according to the sample type, being higher in the liver and the kidney. In the serum, many elements were below the limit of quanti cation, but it was possible to determine Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn. The liver showed high levels of Cu, Fe, and Pb, and muscle for Ni, Pb, and Zn, with most of the elements accumulated in the kidney tissue (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, and Ni). There was no signi cant difference between sex in the accumulation of elements. Between seasons, Cu was higher in serum and Mn in muscle and liver in the dry period, while in the kidney, almost all the elements were higher in the rainy period. The concentrations of the elements in the samples indicated a high degree of environmental contamination, representing risk in the use of the river and consumption of food from local sheries. * Values below the limit of quanti cation (LOQ) of the method.Signi cant p-values are shown in bold font. Table 6Comparison between the maximum limits of the elements in the Brazilian norms and the lowest mean found in the studied areas for Phrynops geoffroanus samples from the Capibaribe River, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Nondestructive Evaluation of Metal Bioaccumulation and Biochemical Biomarkers in Blood of Broad‐Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) from Northeastern Brasil

“…In the present study, mean blood Pb varied from 0.01 µg mL –1 in animals from AF to 0.16 and 0.83 µg mL –1 in animals from TR and UA, respectively, 18 and 83 times above concentrations from the local reference site AF (Table 1). Plasma Pb in turtles P. geoffroanus sampled from the Capibaribe River, within similar locations included in our UA, ranged from 0.73 to 0.81 µg mL –1 , similar to the mean concentration detected in our study at UA (Da Fonseca et al, 2023). High concentrations of Pb in serum of 1.15 µg mL –1 were also detected in P. geoffroanus from the Piracicaba River (São Paulo, Brasil), and possible sources include illegal industrial sewage (Piña et al, 2009).…”

“…Blood Mn in four caiman species from French Guiana ranged from 0.03 µg mL -1 in M. niger to 0.09 µg mL -1 in P. trigonatus (Lemaire et al, 2022), concentrations within the range detected in our study at AF, but lower than values verified in C. latirostris from TR and UA (Table 3). Plasma Mn in turtles Phrynops geoffroanus sampled from the Capibaribe River, within similar locations included in our UA, ranged from 0.05 to 0.06 µg mL -1 , lower than our detected concentrations in UA, and within the range of concentrations we detected in AF (Da Fonseca et al, 2023). Blood Mn in the water snake Nerodia sipedon captured in Tennessee (USA) was 0.13 µg mL -1 , also within the range of our samples from AF (Burger et al, 2005).…”

“…Nilsen et al (2019) detected blood Al averages between 0.03 and 0.04 µg mL –1 in A. mississippiensis in Florida, concentrations almost 400 times lower than those found in our study for C. latirostris from TR (18 µg mL –1 ) and UA (22.9 µg mL –1 ), and still 40 times lower compared with animals from our reference area AF (2.2 µg mL –1 ). Aluminum was detected in serum of Geoffroy's freshwater turtle from the Capibaribe River, at concentrations ranging from 1.2 to 2.1 µg mL –1 (Da Fonseca et al, 2023), within the range we found in caimans from AF. In humans, blood Al concentrations of 0.46 and 0.16 µg mL –1 were found in patients with symptoms of severe bone disease and neurotoxicity, respectively (Coulson & Hughes, 2022).…”