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Morphological alterations in the liver of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from a biological mercury hotspot

  • Molecular and cellular effects of contamination in aquatic ecosystems
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Abstract

Mercury (Hg) contamination is a global issue due to its anthropogenic release, long-range transport, and deposition in remote areas. In Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia, Canada, high concentrations of total mercury (THg) were found in tissues of yellow perch (Perca flavescens). The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible relationship between THg concentrations and the morphology of perch liver as a main site of metal storage and toxicity. Yellow perch were sampled from five lakes known to contain fish representing a wide range in Hg concentrations in fall 2013. The ultrastructure of hepatocytes and the distribution of Hg within the liver parenchyma were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS). The relative area of macrophage aggregates (MAs) in the liver was determined using image analysis software and fluorescence microscopy. No relation between general health indicators (Fulton’s condition index) and THg was observed. In line with this, TEM examination of the liver ultrastructure revealed no prominent pathologies related to THg accumulation. However, a morphological parameter that appeared to increase with muscle THg was the relative area of MAs in the liver. The hepatic lysosomes appeared to be enlarged in samples with the highest THg concentrations. Interestingly, EELS analysis revealed that the MAs and hepatic lysosomes contained Hg.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mark Gautreau for his help with the fieldwork and Angella Mercer for her support with mercury analysis. We also would like to thank Véronique Gaschen for her help with electron microscopy, Ana Stojiljkovic for her assistance, and Herbert Schaffer for his help with EELS. Funding was provided from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery grant (KAK), the Canada Research Chairs program (KAK), and undergraduate funds of RWTH Aachen and ERASMUS program. Parks Canada provided in-kind support for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Anne-Katrin Müller, Markus Brinkmann & Henner Hollert

  2. Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstr. 122, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Lisa Baumann & Helmut Segner

  3. Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstr. 120, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Michael H. Stoffel

  4. Canadian Rivers Institute and Biology Department, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 4L5, Canada

    Karen A. Kidd

  5. College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, 1 Tiansheng Road Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Henner Hollert

  6. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, China

    Henner Hollert

  7. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Henner Hollert

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  1. Anne-Katrin Müller
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Correspondence to Henner Hollert.

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Müller, AK., Brinkmann, M., Baumann, L. et al. Morphological alterations in the liver of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from a biological mercury hotspot. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 17330–17342 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4177-4

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