Toxic effects of two sources of dietborne cadmium on the juvenile cobia, Rachycentron canadum L. and tissue-specific accumulation of related minerals

• CdCl2–Cd showed a higher toxicity than SVM-Cd for cobia.
• Cd accumulation in cobia fed diets contaminated SVM-Cd was higher than in cobia fed diets contaminated CdCl2–Cd.
• Cd accumulation in tissues of cobia fed both types of Cd was kidney > liver > intestine > gill muscle.
• Dietborne Cd decreased the Fe concentration in kidney and liver, Ca concentrations in vertebra and scale.

In the present study, juvenile cobia, Rachycentron canadum L. were fed diets contaminated by two different sources of cadmium: squid viscera meal (SVM-Cd, organic form) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2–Cd, inorganic form). The Cd concentrations in fish diet were approximate 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mg Cd kg−1 for both inorganic and organic forms. In the control diet (0.312 mg Cd kg−1 diet, Cd mainly come from fish meal), no cadmium was added. The experiment lasted for 16 weeks and a statistically significant inverse relationship was observed between specific growth rate (SGR) and the concentration of dietary Cd. The SGR of cobia fed a diet with SVM-Cd increased at the lowest doses and decreased with the increasing level of dietary SVM. Fish fed diet contaminated SVM-Cd had significantly higher SGR than those fed diets contaminated CdCl2–Cd among the high Cd level diets treatments. The dietary Cd levels also significantly affected the survival rate of the fish.Among the hematological characteristics and plasma constituents, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activities and alkaline phosphatase activities in serum and liver increased and hepatic superoxide dismutase activity decreased with the increasing dietary Cd levels. The cobia fed diet contaminated by high level of CdCl2–Cd had significantly higher ALP activity than cobia fed diet contaminated by high level of SVM-Cd. The results from these studies indicate no differences in toxicity response to dietborne SVM-Cd and CdCl2–Cd at a low level of Cd. However, at a higher level, cobia was more sensitive to dietborne CdCl2–Cd than SVM-Cd. Based on quadratic regression of SGR, The Cd concentrations was 3.617 mg kg−1 in the optimal diet, Cd source was SVM (126 mg Cd kg−1 in SVM) which stimulate the growth of cobia and the added level was determined to be 26.7 g kg−1 diet in the present study. Cd accumulations in the kidney of cobia fed both types of Cd were higher than other tissues, and the order of Cd accumulation in tissues were kidney > liver > intestine > gill > muscle. Iron accumulation in liver and kidney and calcium accumulation in vertebra and scale were also significantly affected by dietary Cd levels.