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Pathological and Hormonal Changes in Freshwater Fishes Due to Exposure to Heavy Metals Pollutants

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Abstract

The concentrations of major heavy metals in organs of two cyprinid fish and in water collected from three sections of the Kor River, Iran, were determined using the induction coupled plasma method. The concentrations of heavy metals in tissue of fish from the middle sampling zone were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those from the other two sampling zones, whereas no significant differences (p > 0.05) were detected between the two sexes and species. Estradiol in females and progesterone and testosterone in males from the middle study site were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than values from the other two sites. Pathological changes in blood cells, liver, and kidneys of fishes were significantly higher in highly polluted areas (middle sampling zone). So heavy metals exposure can effectively decreases estrogenic and androgenic secretion in fish. These results show that industrial activities have polluted the river and that heavy metals exposure can induce pathological changes in fish organs.

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Acknowledgment

The authors greatly appreciate the support of Budget and Planning Organization, Fars province, for funding this project and Shiraz University and Green Research Center for supporting the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Green Research Center, University of Qom, Alghadir Blvd, Qom, Iran

    Mansour Ebrahimi

  2. Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Mahnaz Taherianfard

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  1. Mansour Ebrahimi
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  2. Mahnaz Taherianfard
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Correspondence to Mansour Ebrahimi.

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Ebrahimi, M., Taherianfard, M. Pathological and Hormonal Changes in Freshwater Fishes Due to Exposure to Heavy Metals Pollutants. Water Air Soil Pollut 217, 47–55 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0566-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0566-y

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