Bioaccumulation and response of Metallothionein in the grey mullet fish Mugil cephalus exposed to Lead

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the lead acetate accumulation in mugil cephalus, and also studied the Metallothioneins bioaccumulation in all tissues, except muscle, was consistently time- and dose-dependent. The accumulation of lead for 4 weeks exposure was in the following order Gill>Liver> Muscle. An independent relation was observed between accumulation factors (AFs) and exposure concentration. In the liver and gill, Accumulation was differed from the exposure duration at a high lead concentration at 2 and 4 weeks (P < 0.05). This study indicated that the gills were as sensitive as the liver to lead toxicity. This study aimed to verify Metallothioneins are present in fish tissues, if they can be used as biomarkers for metal exposure and to characterize the metal speciation present in the different organs of the species. Among the various methods are there to verify MT presence in fish tissues were conducted: 1D/2D gel electrophoresis was followed to observe the presence of metallothioneins proteins in fish tissues. However the accumulation of lead in the fish tissues may elevate the Metallothioneins by increased level of lead uptake in grey mullet mugil cephalus.