Determination Of Heavy Metal In Marine Fish

Muhammad Zainul Muttaqin

Introduction

Water pollution is the contamination with harmful substances (pollutant) of water bodies
(e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater) (Gambhir et al., 2012). Contamination can
occur due to anthropogenic activities with different toxicitans (Yancheva et al., 2015, Saha et al.,
2016). Heavy metal is one of the pollutants that are found in global aquatic environments (Saha
et al., 2016). Although the heavy metals are naturally present and essential in low but in high
concentration can be toxic (Yancheva et al., 2015, Mziray et al., 2016). Pollution from the heavy
metals has become a serious issue because their stable, non biodegradable nature, and also are
known to bio-accumulated in organisms including plants and fish (Mziray et al., 2016).

Animal and vegetal have been proposed as bio-monitors species (Annicchiarico et al.,
2013). The largely utilized species as bio-indicators species are bivalve and molluscs because of
their wide geographical distribution, easy sampling, sedentary nature, resistance to stress and
sessile lifestyle (Annicchiarico et al., 2013). In addition, to determine the impact of heavy metal
contamination, research on heavy metal continues to be developed using fish as bio-indicator
species (El-Moselhyet al., 2014). This is because the fish are living organisms the most widely
consumed by humans (El-Moselhy et al., 2014, Mziray et al., 2016 Saha et al., 2016 ). Along the
food chain, heavy metal can bio-magnify and cause ecological damages and hazardous for
human health when contaminated fishes are consumed beyond the allowed/recommended daily
intake levels (Mathana et al., 2012, Yancheva et al., 2015, Mziray et al., 2016).

Bioaccumulation occurs due to the inability fish to removing heavy metal contamination
and make of imbalance between the input rate and the rate of toxicant elimination (Yancheva et
al., 2015). Furthermore, there are several factors that influence the concentrations of heavy
metals in the body of fish, including; environmental conditions (e.g., season, water temperature,
pH, hardness, and river flow) and biotic factors (e.g., fish species, age, tissue, organism life-
history traits) (Poleksic et al., 2010, Rajkowska et al., 2012). Many researchers Argued that the
levels concentration of heavy metals is varied significantly among the sh species and organs

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(Poleksic et al., 2010, El-Moselhy et al., 2012, Rajkowska et al., 2012, Mziray et al., 2016, Saha
et al., 2016).

Fish have been widely documented as useful indicators and is a good model for research
in this field (Yancheva et al., 2015, Naigaga et al., 2011). The fish have a high degree of
sensitivity in response to pollution. In addition, several previous studies have shown that fish are
able to accumulate heavy metals more higher than the water or sediment (Ahweda et al, 2011,
Yancheva et al., 2015, Naigaga et al., 2011). For this reason, fish also have important function as
an early warning indicator of sediment contamination and enables us to take appropriate action to
protect public health and the environment (Ahweda et al, 2011).

Concentration Of Heavy Metal In Fish

Heavy metals enter fish by two pathway, first by direct absorption from waterborne : gills
and skin, and by ingestion of contaminated Food or non-food particles (Mziray et al., 2016).
Heavy metals enter in biogeochemical cycle leading to toxicity in different organs of the fish
(Awheda et al., 2015). These differences because heavy metal have different affinity to fish
tissues, different uptake, deposition and excretion rates (Zeitoun et al., 2014). In addition, time
can also related with distribution in various organs (Awheda et al., 2015, Mziray et al., 2016).
Therefore, in toxicological studies, the gills, liver, kidney and muscles of fish are the tissues
most frequently utilized (Yancheva et al., 2015).

Based on the previous study in various marine fish, gill of the fish accumulated the
highest lead and Manganese (El-Moeshly et al., 2014) and based another study Shown that gills
of the fish accumulated the highest iron, zinc, cuprum, lead, and cadmium than in the muscle
(Olgunolu et al., 2015). In addition, many studies suggested that the gills and liver are the organ
target of heavy metal accumulation (Zeitoun et al., 2014 ). Fish gills are the primary organs, the
function of this organ are to respiration, osmoregulation, nitrogen excretion, hormone
metabolism and also major contributors to acid-base balance (Olson, 2002). The gills of sh are
directly contact with the surrounding water (Authman et al., 2015). Because of this, the metal
ions are first absorbed through the gills with the contaminated medium and are also sensitive
subjects for identifying the effects of water toxicants on fish organisms (Yancheva et al., 2015).

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 The fish gills can accumulate bioavailable pollutants , the gills are considered to be
important site for direct toxic effects to metals in high concentrations, for sub-lethal effects at
lower metal concentrations, and, along with uptake from food, an important point of entry into
the organism for both essential trace elements (Cu, Zn, Se, Fe) and non-essential elements (Al,
As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb) (Yancheva et al., 2015). Heavy metals are concentrated in the gills, could be
due to element complexion with mucus, which impossible to remove completely from and
between lamellae (Zeitoun et al., 2014).

Pollutants, such as heavy metal, are transported in the blood stream to either a storage
point (i.e bone) or to the liver for transformation and/or storage (Mziray et al., 2016)., If
transferred in the Liver, pollutants are either stored there or excreted in bile or passed back to the
blood for possible excretion via gills or kidneys or stored in fat (Obasohan, 2008). Fish liver
plays an important role in contaminant storage, redistribution, and detoxification or
transformation (Authman et al., 2015), and acts as an active site of pathological effects induced
by contaminants (Evans et al., 1993; Mziray et al., 2016). Previous studies on various species
showed that heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Se and Zn) accumulated in the liver
(Mziray et al., 2016). The another study have a similar result that the liver is accumulated more
highest Cu, Zn and Fe than the another organ (El-Moeshly et al., 2014). Based on many previous
study, more researcher argued that the liver is the primary organ target of heavy metal and liver
has more potential to deposit trace metals compared another organ (Al-Ghanim et al., 2015).

Liver is the organ for storage and detoxification of metals by producing metallothioneins
(Zeitoun et al., 2014). These proteins bind , for example , Cu, Cd, and Zn allowing the liver to
accumulate higher levels of metals than other organs (Yancheva et al., 2015). Other internal
organs were able to accumulate heavy metals is the kidney. Some studies explain that in addition
to the liver, the accumulation of heavy metals occur in the kidneys (Zeitoun et al., 2014, El-
Moeshly et al., 2014, Yancheva et al., 2015, Mziray et al., 2016). In fish, the kidney is an
excretory organ that plays an important role in homeostasis and producing urine (Yancheva et
al., 2015), is also the target organ storage of heavy metals in the body of the fish as well as the
liver.

The high concentration of heavy metals in the gills, kidney and liver are also affected by
several factors, such as age, geographical distribution and species specific factors, thus in some

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studies do not always show same results (El-Moeshly et al., 2014). Zeitoun et al. (2012) Argued
that in generally accumulation heavy metal, depend on metal concentration, time of exposure,
way of metal uptake, environmental conditions (water temperature, pH, hardness, salinity) and
intristic factors such as fish age and feeding habits. Many studies attributed high metal
accumulation to the feeding habit and age of the sh (Zeitoun et al., 2014, El-Moeshly et al.,
2014, Yancheva et al., 2015, Mziray et al., 2016). Bat et al. (2012) shown that Spart fish or
zooplanctonivorous fish accumulated higher concentrations of heavy metals than pelagic
fish but Based on Olgunolu et al. (2015) studies in four bentic fish have a result that different
fish species from the same area contained different metal levels in their tissues. This suggests
that there are other related factors that influence the accumulation of heavy metals, such as
species, age and life style (Zeitoun et al., 2014). In previous study, explain that herbivore is
accumulated higher of metal than carnivore but in another study shown that the metal
concentration of carnivorous have a high concentration. Because of this reason, many researcher
sugested that there is intra-spesific variation of heavy metals accumulation in fish (El-Moeshly et
al., 2014).

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