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Seasonal Biodistribution of Some Trace Elements (Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg) and “Blood Biomarkers” Response in Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)

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Abstract

This study had a purpose to evaluate the seasonal biodistribution of some trace elements (cadmium, Cd; Lead, Pb; chrome, Cr; and mercury, Hg) in different tissues (muscle, gills, liver, stomach, and intestine) of striped mullet Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) and the hematological and biochemical responses of this species to aquatic pollution by trace metals. For this purpose, 80 M. cephalus (20 for each season) were captured in three different stations of Faro Lake, Messina, Sicily. Biometric indices (weight, fork length, and total length) of each fish were registered. The physico-chemical parameters of the water of the study area were also measured, and the content of trace elements in water and sediment was determined. The hematological (white blood cell, WBC; red blood cell, RBC; hemoglobin concentration, Hb; hematocrit, Hct; mean corpuscular volume, MCV; mean corpuscular hemoglobin, MCH; mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, MCHC; thrombocytes count, TC), biochemical parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, AST; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; alkaline phosphatase, ALP; lactate dehydrogenase, LDH), and the seasonal concentration of the trace elements in the different tissues of M. cephalus were assessed. Our results showed a different biodistribution of the trace elements in M. cephalus and significant variations of the blood parameters in the different seasons. This research provides a valid contribute to environmental biomonitoring techniques useful in aquatic pollution control and water management. It also contributes to broadening the studies on the improvement of the health and sustainability of aquatic environments.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Director of the Food Department of Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Sicily Dr. Vincenzo Ferrantelli and the health researcher Dr. Gaetano Cammilleri for the support to the analytical chemistry part of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Sciences, Polo Universitario Annunziata, University of Messina, 98168, Messina, Italy

    Concetta Saoca, Francesca Arfuso, Claudia Giannetto, Giuseppe Piccione & Francesco Fazio

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  1. Concetta Saoca
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  2. Francesca Arfuso
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  3. Claudia Giannetto
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  4. Giuseppe Piccione
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  5. Francesco Fazio
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Concetta Saoca, Francesca Arfuso, and Claudia Giannetto. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Concetta Saoca and Francesco Fazio, and all authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Francesco Fazio.

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Saoca, C., Arfuso, F., Giannetto, C. et al. Seasonal Biodistribution of Some Trace Elements (Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg) and “Blood Biomarkers” Response in Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758). Biol Trace Elem Res 201, 1987–1995 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-022-03272-w

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