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Micronuclei in red blood
cells of armored catfish Hypostomus plecotomus
exposed to potassium dichromate
Carlos Augusto Borba
Meyer Normann1, José Cláudio Fonseca Moreira2
and Valesca Veiga Cardoso1*
1Centro
Universitário Metodista - Porto Alegre - RS –Brazil.
2Department
of Biochemistry-ICBS; UFRGS - Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
anastrefa@ig.com.br.
Accepted
22 February, 2008 |
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The
present work aims to evaluate the impact of potassium
dichromate in armored catfishes’ (Hypostomus plecotomus)
erythropoiesis, using piscine micronucleus test.
Armored catfishes (n = 30) were subjected to 12 mg/L of
potassium dichromate, with an equal control group (n = 30).
For each 2,000 red blood cells of animals subjected to
treatment, it was possible to observe 8.25 ± 0.02% cells
with micronuclei and 17 ± 0.005 mg/kg of total chrome in
tissues, detected through atomic absorption
spectrophotometry. In the control group, the average was
0.75 ± 0.03% for micronuclei and 1.08 ± 0.04 mg/kg of chrome
in tissues. The results confirm the clastogenic effect of
potassium dichromate. The sensibility to this ion and the
economic relevance of H. plecotomus show that armored
catfish can be used to monitor acute effects of metallic
pollutant spills in freshwater.
Key
words:
Piscine micronucleus test, aquatic pollution, potassium
dichromate, Hypostomus plecotomus. |
