Response of ATPases in the osmoregulatory tissues of freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus exposed to copper in increased salinity

PubMedID: 22922878An increase in salinity of freshwater can affect the physiology and metal uptake in fish. In the present study, Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus were exposed to copper (1. 0 mg/l) in increased salinities (2, 4, and 8 ppt) for 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14 days. Following the exposures, the activities of Na+/K+-ATPase, Mg2+-ATPase, and Ca2+-ATPase were measured in the gill, kidney, and intestine to evaluate the changes in osmoregulation of fish. Results showed that increases in salinity and Cu exposure of fish significantly altered the ATPase activities depending on the tissue type, salinity increase, and exposure durations. Salinity-alone exposures increased Na+/K+-ATPase activity and decreased Ca2+-ATPase activity. Na+/K+-ATPase activity decreased following Cu exposure in 2 and 4 ppt salinities, though the activity increased in 8 ppt salinity. Ca2+-ATPase activity decreased in the gill and intestine in all salinities, while the activity mostly increased in the kidney. However, there were great variations in Mg2+-ATPase activity following exposure to salinity alone and salinity+Cu combination. Cu accumulated in the gill and intestine following 14 days exposure and accumulation was negatively correlated with salinity increase. Data indicated that ATPases were highly sensitive to increases in salinity and Cu and might be a useful biomarker in ecotoxicological studies. However, data from salinity increased freshwaters should carefully be handled to see a clear picture on the effects of metals, as salinity affects both metal speciation and fish osmoregulation. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.108T269, FEF2008YL15Acknowledgments This study was supported by the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (108T269) and Research Fund (FEF2008YL15) to Berna KULAC¸ from C¸ ukurova University