Gill alterations of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) exposed to cadmium under different experimental salinities

Background Heavy metals are one of the most important environmental pollutants in marine coastal ecosystems. Cadmium is a heavy metal that enters to marine environments via industrial wastes and oil production activities. Objectives This study were done to determine the toxicity of cadmium to Litopenaeus vannamei and to evaluate the histological changes in gill tissues after exposure to sublethal concentrations of cadmium at different salinities. Methods For this reason, toxicity test was done to determine the lethal concentration (LC50) of cadmium for whiteleg shrimp. According to the calculated LC50 amount, sublethal doses of cadmium were used to determine its histological effects in different salinity during 2 weeks exposing period. Results LC50 of cadmium for 96 h for whiteleg shrimp was 6.56 mg/L. Histological alterations in the gill were observed in L. vannamei after 14 days exposure to different concentrations of cadmium and salinity. Histopathological index was increased in a dose‐dependent manner. Conclusion Our findings showed that doses lower than 2 mg/L have repairable effects on gill structure, but the concentration of 2 mg/L cadmium leaves irreparable and destructive effects on the gill tissue. The highest tissue changes were recorded in the 2‐g/L cadmium and a salinity of 30 ppt. Cadmium of 2 mg/L leaves irreparable and destructive effects on the Litopenaeus vannamei gill tissues.