Toxic effects of hexavalent chromium (Cr) on bioaccumulation, apoptosis, oxidative damage and inflammatory response in Channa asiatica.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxic effects of Cr on bioaccumulation, digestion, immunity, oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation-related genes in Channa asiatica. The fish was exposed to waterborne Cr concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L) for 28 and 56 days. Our results demonstrated that the accumulation of Cr in tissues increased in a concentration-dependent manner, and the content in tissue was liver > gill > gut > muscle. Meanwhile, Cr exposure led to a remarkable suppression of digestion, immunity and antioxidant capacity in C. asiatica. Inversely, MDA and PC content were positively correlated with Cr exposure concentration. Furthermore, the expression of genes went up with the increase of waterborne Cr concentration. Among them, HSP90, NF-κB and TNF-α have a sharp increase. These results elucidate that waterborne Cr exposure may induce bioaccumulation, inhibit digestion and immunity, promote oxidative stress and up-regulate the expression of apoptosis and inflammation-related genes in C. asiatica.