Paper Details
Arsenic Accumulation in Clarias Batrachas and Effects on Catalase Activity
Authors
Ravindra Singh
Abstract
Heavy metals are common environmental contaminants probably due to increase in discharge of pesticides, sewage and untreated industrial effluents. One of such heavy metals is arsenic which is found in seawater, warm springs, groundwater, rivers, and lakes. In aquatic environments, arsenic occurs as a mixture of arsenate and arsenate, with arsenate usually predominating. The unrestricted application of arsenic pesticides, industrial activities, and mining operations has led to global occurrence of soluble arsenic above permissible level of 0.01mg/L. Continuous exposure of freshwater organisms including fish to low concentrations of arsenic results in bioaccumulation. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of arsenic accumulation on the catalase activity in the muscle tissues of African catfish Clarias Batrachas fingerlings. The fishes were exposed to 1 mgL-1, 2 mgL-1, 3 mgL-1 and 4 mgL-1of sub
- lethal doses of arsenic (As2O3). Two fishes were randomly selected and sampled after seven days of exposure and the muscle (flesh) extracted for determination of arsenic accumulation and assay of catalase activity. The result of the catalase activity was 86.9 u mol/ min, 13.3 u mol/min, 14.2 u mol/min and 15.1u mol/min for 1, 2, 3, 4 mgL-1 respectively in all the fishes sampled. This indicates a concentration dependent significant increase (p < 0.05) in the values of catalase activity in all the fishes sampled when compared to the control. The results suggest that in the muscle tissue of Clarias Batrachas arsenic accumulation is quantity dependent, and that activity except for the sample exposed to 1mg/L which recorded the highest value in catalase activity 86.9 u mol/min is accumula- tion/concentration dependent. Thus even at sub-lethal concentration arsenic can induce oxidative stress resulting in alterations in catalase activity in the muscle of the fishes.
Keywords
Arsenic, Heavy Metals, Catalase, Catfish, Oxidative Stress, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)
Citation
Arsenic Accumulation in Clarias Batrachas and Effects on Catalase Activity. Ravindra Singh. 2018. IJIRCT, Volume 4, Issue 6. Pages 157-161. https://www.ijirct.org/viewPaper.php?paperId=1806013