Bioaccumulation of nickel and its biochemical and genotoxic effects on juveniles of the neotropical fish Prochilodus lineatus

• Nickel (Ni) bioaccumulation and its effects were investigated on the fish P. lineatus.
• Ni interfered on the liver and gills antioxidant defenses.
• Ni caused lipid peroxidation in the liver.
• Ni caused DNA damage in gill cells and erythrocytes.
• The maximum permitted Ni in Brazilian freshwaters is not safe for P. lineatus.

Juveniles of the freshwater fish Prochilodus lineatus were exposed to three concentrations of nickel (Ni): 25, 250 and 2500 µg L-1 or water only for periods of 24 and 96 h to test for Ni bioaccumulation, its effects on antioxidant defenses and metallothioneins, and the occurrence of DNA damage. After exposure, the fish were sampled and tissue removed from the gills, liver, kidney and muscle to test for Ni accumulation and conduct biochemical (gills and liver) and genotoxic (blood cells and gills) analyses. The results showed that Ni accumulates in the organs in different proportions (kidney>liver>gills>muscle) and accumulation varied according to exposure time. Metallothionein (MT) levels increased in the liver and gills after exposure to Ni, implying that the presence of Ni in these tissues could induce MT synthesis. We also observed that Ni exposure affected antioxidant defenses, increasing lipid peroxidation in the liver of fish exposed to Ni for 96 h at the highest concentration tested. DNA damage increased in both blood cells and gills of fish exposed to all Ni concentrations, indicating the genotoxic potential of Ni on fish. We therefore concluded that Ni accumulates in various tissues and results in oxidative and DNA damage in P. lineatus, and that the maximum permitted Ni concentration set in Brazilian legislation (25 µg L−1) for freshwaters is not safe for this species.