Mercury in muscle and brain of catfish from the Madeira river, Amazon, Brazil.
The central nervous system is a critical target for Hg toxicity in all living organisms. Total Hg (THg) was determined in brain and muscle samples of 165 specimens of eight species of catfish (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum; Brachyplatystoma platynemum; Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii; Brachyplatystoma vaillantii; Phractocephalus hemiliopterus; Pseudoplatystoma punctifer; Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum; Zungaro zungaro) from the Madeira River, Brazilian Amazon. Despite the narrow range of Fishbase trophic level (4.2-4.6) the median THg concentrations ranged from 0.39 to 1.99mg/kg and from 0.03 to 0.29mg/kg respectively in muscle and brain from the studied species. Overall, the median concentration for all samples analyzed was 0.93mg/kg and 0.16mg/kg respectively in muscle and brain; most samples (76%) showed muscle Hg concentrations >0.5mg/kg. There were statistically significant THg differences between sex (female>males). The correlation between THg concentrations in muscle and brain was statistically significant (r=0.9170; p<0.0001). In the studied specimens, fish total length was significantly correlated with muscle (r=0.3163; p=0.0001) and brain (r=0.3039; p=0.0003) THg; however, fish age was negatively and significantly correlated (r=-0.2991; p=0.0012) with THg in muscle but not with THg in brain (r=-0.0190; p=0.8492). Amazonian catfish accumulate high levels of Hg in muscle and brain; however, brain-THg concentrations can be predicted from muscle-THg. Muscle-Hg in catfish can be a tool to detect brain-Hg concentrations associated with environmental Hg.
Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Brazil.
Wanderley R
WR
Bastos
Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil. Electronic address: jg.dorea@gmail.com.
José G
JG
Dórea
Instituto de Química, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.
José Vicente E
JVE
Bernardi
Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Brazil.
Leidiane C
LC
Lauthartte
Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Brazil; Laboratório de Ictiologia e Pesca, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Brazil.
Marilia H
MH
Mussy
Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Marília
M
Hauser
Laboratório de Ictiologia e Pesca, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Brazil.
Carolina Rodrigues da C
CRDC
Dória
Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Olaf
O
Malm
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D001938:Brazil; D002397:Catfishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000737:chemistry; D045483:Rivers; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
Age; Brain; Catfish; Methylmercury; Muscle; Sex