Effects of zinc and cadmium on erythrocyte antioxidant systems of a freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus

In this work to determine the effects of metals exposure of Oreochromis niloticus on erythrocyte antioxidant systems, fish were exposed to 5.0 mg/L Zn, 1.0 mg/L Cd, and 5.0 mg/L Zn + 1.0 mg/L Cd mixtures for 7 and 14 days and reduced glutathione (GSH) level, catalase (CAT), and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activities were investigated. In addition, Zn or Cd levels in whole blood were studied. Erythrocyte GSH level and CAT and G6PD enzyme activities increased in response to single and combined Zn and Cd exposure. The elevation observed in the CAT activity was higher in the Cd alone, and in combination with Zn, than in Zn alone. Time‐dependent alteration was not observed in all antioxidant parameters. Exposure to metals (alone and in mixture) resulted in elevatation of Zn and Cd levels in the blood. Concentration of metals in the blood of fish exposed to the Zn + Cd combination was lower than in fish exposed to the single metal. This study demonstrates that metals caused oxidative stress in fish erythrocytes, and an adaptation with an increase in CAT and G6PD activities and GSH level, which were important in the protection against metal damage, was observed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 24:223–229, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/jbt.20327