Accumulation and toxic effects of microcystin in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from an eutrophic Brazilian lagoon

• Microcystin (MYCST) in environmentally exposed tilapia was studied.
• This is the first report of biliary MYCST accumulation in field-exposed fish.
• High MYCST gonad accumulation was verified, contrasting with laboratory exposures.
• Similar oxidative stress responses to laboratory-exposed fish were verified.
• Human MYCST intake were above international legislation limits.

Microcystin (MC) accumulation and depuration in environmentally exposed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) at a chronically contaminated eutrophic lagoon was studied. This is one of the scarce reports on microcystin accumulation in bile of environmentally exposed fish, and gonad MC accumulation in the field, in contrast to laboratory exposure experiments. Results show that preferential MC accumulation in the environment occurred in tilapia fish muscle, followed by gonads, liver and, finally, bile. Biliary MC excretion in in situ conditions indicates elimination from the body to a certain degree. High gonad MC bioaccumulation is of concern, since this could indicate potential reproductive problems in this species. This study also demonstrated that tilapia shows similar oxidative stress responses (in the form of reduced glutathione, GSH) in the environment as those observed in laboratory exposed fish. MC dietary intake values for tilapia muscle and liver were above the limits imposed by international legislations, indicating that the local human population should exercise care when ingesting this species as a part of their diet and that human ingestion of MC-contaminated samples should be carefully monitored.

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