Studying the toxicity of polluted water with polyaromatic hydrocarbon compound (Anthracene) by using micronucleus assay in fish

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons mainly originate from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas and coal. Also, biomass burning has attracted much attention due to its mutagenic, allergenic and carcinogenic properties. Anthracene, a three-ringed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, is widely known as a common hazardous ubiquitous environmental pollutant. Anthracene is used to make dyes, plastics and pesticides. The present study aims to evaluate the risks of Anthracene to fish using a micronucleus (MN) assay; the test has been used successfully as a mutagenic assay. Ninety fishes were adapted and acclimated to the laboratory conditions for one week before starting the experiment, then were exposed to (7.5mg/L, 10mg/L, and 12.5mg/L) of Anthracene for 72 hours. Results demonstrated that the LD50 of Anthracene in fish was (10 mg/L). Based on the values of LC50, the fish were then exposed for 72 h to three concentrations of sub-lethal Anthracene (2.5 mg/L, 5 mg/L and 7.5 mg/L) and control (0.00 mg/L) after (72 hours, 10 days, 20 days). Peripheral blood samples smears were collected from each group, the sample was stained by Giemsa stain, and frequencies of MNs were counted. The study showed an increase in micronuclei with concentration and period. In conclusion, it can use of the micronucleus assay in erythrocytes of fish as a sensible index for the assessment and evaluation of aquatic environmental pollution Keywords: PAH; Anthracene; Micro nucleus assay; Carp.