Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Apr;26(12):12590-12604. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-04646-9. Epub 2019 Mar 9.
Mining activity constitutes a potential source of heavy metal pollution in the environment. Long-term exposure to heavy metals (e.g., cadmium) has adverse health effects. Rodents frequently serve as bioindicators to monitor the levels of heavy metals in the environment. In the present study, concentrations of 10 heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn) in kidney, liver, and muscle tissue of the Persian jird (Meriones persicus) were evaluated. This is the first study to examine the histopathological changes in Persian jird tissues caused by the bioaccumulation heavy metals. The samples were taken at location that surrounded by Sangan Iron Ore Mine (SIOM) mining activities, in northeastern Iran. The results show that the highest concentrations for the metals were observed in kidney and liver, whereas lowest concentrations were found in muscle of Persian jirds. The concentration of Pb was below the limit of detection. Sex and age were two factors that could explain the different levels of heavy metal bioaccumulation, which affects the concentration of some metals. Adults had significantly higher Cu and Cd levels compared to juveniles. Males bioaccumulated more Zn in their kidneys than females, whereas females bioaccumulated more Fe in their livers. As expected, heavy metals affected various organs of the studied specimens. Hyperemia, hemorrhage, necrosis, and degenerative damage to the epithelial cells of the tubules, the presence of hyaline casts, and in one case, mononuclear leukocyte infiltration, were observed in samples of renal tissue. Hemorrhage and hepatocyte vacuolization were the most common histopathological changes found in samples of hepatic tissue. These effects and the concentrations of heavy metals in the studied specimens indicate the need for monitoring and frequent sampling to evaluate long-term persistent pollutants.
采矿活动是环境中重金属污染的潜在来源。长期暴露于重金属（例如镉）会对健康造成不良影响。啮齿动物常被用作生物指标来监测环境中重金属的水平。在本研究中，评估了 10 种重金属（Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Fe、Mo、Ni、Pb、Sb 和 Zn）在波斯沙鼠（Meriones persicus）肾脏、肝脏和肌肉组织中的浓度。这是首次研究生物积累重金属对波斯沙鼠组织的组织病理学变化。样本取自伊朗东北部 Sangan 铁矿（SIOM）采矿活动周围的地点。结果表明，金属在肾脏和肝脏中的浓度最高，而在波斯沙鼠的肌肉中浓度最低。Pb 的浓度低于检测限。性别和年龄是两个可以解释重金属生物积累不同水平的因素，这会影响一些金属的浓度。与青少年相比，成年人的 Cu 和 Cd 水平显著更高。与女性相比，男性在肾脏中积累更多的 Zn，而女性在肝脏中积累更多的 Fe。正如预期的那样，重金属会影响研究标本的各种器官。在肾脏组织样本中观察到充血、出血、坏死和肾小管上皮细胞的退行性损伤、透明管型的存在以及在一个病例中单核白细胞浸润。在肝组织样本中，最常见的组织病理学变化是出血和肝细胞空泡化。这些影响和研究样本中的重金属浓度表明需要进行监测和频繁采样，以评估长期持续存在的污染物。
