Chromosomal aberration assessment of silver rasbora fish (Rasbora tornieri) living near gold mine area with heavy metal contamination

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb), contamination in water, sediment, and Rasbora tornieri samples and chromosomal aberration in R. tornieri near gold mine area compared to unaffected area. The heavy metal concentrations in the samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The difference of As, Cr, and Pb concentrations in R. tornieri samples between the gold mine and unaffected areas was statistically significant (p < 0.05), but the difference was not significant for Cd. The diploid chromosome number of R. tornieri from both areas was 2n = 50, and the chromosomal aberrations of R. tornieri were higher in the gold mine area than those in the unaffected area. There are six types of chromosomal aberrations, including centric fragmentation (CF), centric gap, single chromatid gap, fragmentation, deletion, and polyploidy. The most common chromosomal aberration in the samples from the gold mine area was CF, and the difference in chromosomal aberration and the cells with chromosomal aberrations in R. tornieri between the areas was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The percentages of chromosomal aberrations in the R. tornieri samples from the gold mine and the unaffected areas were 16.60 and 1.66, respectively.

KEYWORDS:

• heavy metal
• chromosomal aberration
• gold mine
• Rasbora tornieri

Funding

This research was supported by the Research group on Toxic Substance in Livestock and Aquatic Animals, Khon Kaen University and the Graduate School of Khon Kaen University, Thailand.