Dose- and Time-Dependent Micronucleus Induction in Peripheral Erythrocytes of Catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) by Zinc

As far as the detection of metal genotoxicity in fish is concerned, micronucleus (MN) test is considered an extremely suitable measure. In this study, frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes were scored in peripheral blood of catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (bloch) after acute in-vivo exposure of zinc at different concentrations (5, 10 and 30 ppm) in the laboratory condition. These three concentrations of zinc were tested at different durations such as 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h respectively. Highly significant (P < 0.001) increased values were obtained for MN frequencies in the peripheral erythrocytes of exposed fishes compared to control groups of fishes. These results confirm that dose- and time-dependent micronucleation in the peripheral erythrocytes of fish after short-term exposure to zinc could provide valuable information regarding zinc containing effluent quality and also help in genetic biomonitoring with this test model. In this context safe concentration of zinc vis-a-vis genotoxicity range could be evaluated for future studies.