Studies of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities in red blood cells of Colossoma macropomum exposed to methylmercury

• Main Author: ROCHA, Carlos Alberto Machado da
• Publication Date: 2011
• Other Authors: CUNHA, Lorena Araújo da, PINHEIRO, Raul Henrique da Silva, BAHIA, Marcelo de Oliveira, RODRÍGUEZ BURBANO, Rommel Mario
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Institucional da UFPA
• Download full: http://repositorio.ufpa.br/jspui/handle/2011/6878
• topic: Peixe; Citotoxidade; Genotoxidade; Metilmercúrio; Teste de micronúcleos; Colossoma macropomum; Tambaqui (Peixe); Amazonas - Estado; Amazônia brasileira

The frequencies of micronuclei (MN) and morphological nuclear abnormalities (NA) in erythrocytes in the peripheral blood of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), treated with 2 mg.L-1 methylmercury (MeHg), were analyzed. Two groups (nine specimens in each) were exposed to MeHg for different periods (group A - 24 h; group B - 120 h). A third group served as negative control (group C, untreated; n = 9). Although, when compared to the control group there were no significant differences in MN frequency in the treated groups, for NA, the differences between the frequencies of group B (treated for 120 h) and the control group were extremely significant (p < 0.02), thus demonstrating the potentially adverse effects of MeHg on C. macropomum erythrocytes after prolonged exposure.