EnvironmentAsia AvailableAvailable online online at www.tshe.org/EA at www.tshe.org/EA The international journal published by the Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment EnvironmentAsiaEnvironmentAsia 24(1) (2009) (2011) 50-54 53-61 Genotoxicity Assessment of Mercuric Chloride in the Marine Fish Therapon jaruba Assessment Cu, Ni and Zn Pollution in the Surface Sediments in the Southern Peninsular MalaysiaNagarajan using Cluster Nagarani, Analysis, Arumugam Ratios Kuppusamy of Geochemical Kumaraguru, Nonresistant Velmurugan to Resistant Janaki Devi Fractions, and Chandrasekaranand Geochemical Archana Indices Devi Center for Marine and Coastal Studies,Yap. C. SchoolK. and ofWong, Energy, C. H.Environment and Natural Resources, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai-625021, India Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Abstract Abstract The aim of the present study was to standardize and to assess the predictive value of the cytogenetic analysis by MicronucleusThe intertidal (MN) sediment test in samples fish erythrocytes collected asin aMay biomarker 2007 from for marine 12 sampling environmental sites in thecontamination. southern part Micronucleus of Peninsular frequencyMalaysia, werebaseline determined in erythrocytes for the total was concentrationsevaluated in and of genotoxicCu, Ni and potential Zn and theirof a commonfour geochemical chemical fractions. was determined The total inconcentrations fish experimentally (μg/g dry exposed weight) ofin Cu,aquarium Ni and underZn ranged controlled from 9.48 conditions. to 115.82, Fish 12.95 (Therapon to 36.18 and jaruba 45.35) towere 136.56, exposed respectively. for 96 hrsThe to ratios a single of nonresistant heavy metal to (mercuricresistant fractions chloride). based Chromosomal on geochemical damage analysis was revealeddetermined that as the micronuclei Pantai Lido frequency and Senibong in fishhad >erythrocytes. 1.0, indicating Significant > 50% of theincrease total concentrations in MN frequency of Cu, was Ni observed and Cu were in erythrocytes contributed byof anthropogenicfish exposed tosources. mercuric This chloride.is well complemented Concentration by of the 0.25 cluster ppm analysisinduced thein which highest Pantai MN frequencyLido and Senibong (2.95 micronucleated are clustered cells/1000 together based cells oncompared the three tometals 1 MNcell/1000 clustering pattern. cells in By control using Feanimals). as a normalizing The study element, revealed Cu that found micronucleus at Pantai Lido test, and as Senibong an index showed of cumulative > 1.5 for exposure,the enrichment appears factor to (EF),be a sensitivewhich indicated model thatto evaluate the Cu was genotoxic delivered compounds from non-crustal in fish materialsunder controlled or anthropogenic conditions. origins while all sampling sites showed Ni and Zn may be entirely from crustal materials. Based on the geoaccumulation index Keywords:(Igeo) (Müller, genotoxicity; 1981), similar mercuric pattern chloride; was also micronucleus found for Pantai Lido and Senibong in which again only Cu concentrations ranged from 1-2, indicating ‘moderate pollution’ (Igeo 1 < 2; Class 2).while other sites can be considered as ‘unpolluted’ (Igeo < 0; Class 0) by Cu, Ni and Zn. Ratios of NR/R exhibited better in the assessment of polluted sites while EF and Igeo should be revised according to Malaysian sedimentary characteristics. This study should prompt more biochemical and 1.molecular Introduction studies on the intertidal molluscs from the Straits of Johorelaboratory since and the identifiedfield conditions. two sites Inare 2006 located Soumendra in the Straits of Johore, especially the commercial mussel Perna viridis. et al., made an attempt to detect genetic biomarkers In India, about 200 tons of mercury and its in two fish species, Labeo bata and Oreochromis compoundsKeywords: heavy are metals;introduced surface into sediments; the environment geochemical indices;mossambica, geochemical fractionsby MN and binucleate (BN) annually as effluents from industries (Saffi, 1981). erythrocytes in the gill and kidney erythrocytes Mercuric chloride has been used in agriculture as a exposed to thermal power plant discharge at fungicide,1. Introduction in medicine as a topical antiseptic and Titagarhclustering Thermal patterns Poweraccording Plant, to sites Kolkata, receiving India. anthro- disinfectant, and in chemistry as an intermediate in pogenicThe presentsources. study However, was conducted sometimes to it determine is difficult the productionMetal contamination of other mercury in the sediment compounds. cannot The be theto understand acute genotoxicity the clustering of the heavypatterns metal without compound the cor- simply evaluated by examining metal concentrations relation analysis and other supporting data. Ratios of contamination of aquatic ecosystems by heavy HgCl2 in static systems. Mercuric chloride is toxic, metalsalone (Zhang and pesticides et al., 2009). has gained It should increasing be complemented attention solvablegeochemical in water nonresistant hence it to can resistant penetrate fractions the aquatic (NR/R), inby speciationrecent decades. of the metals. Chronic Sediment exposure is believed to andto be animals.and geochemical Mutagenic indices studies are importantwith native information fish species that accumulationthe final metal ofrepository these chemicals in aquatic in environments aquatic biota and representcan help understand an important the anthropogeniceffort in determining sampling thesites canonly result a minor in fraction tissue ofburdens materials that escapes produce back adverse into the potentialwith different effects sources. of toxic In thisagents. study, This the studynonresistant was effectswater. However, not only inheavy the directly metal levels exposed in sediments organisms, are carried(NR) geochemical out to evaluate fraction the useis a of summation the micronucleus of easily, butoften also analyzed in human based beings. on the total metal content, and testfreely, (MN) leacheable for the estimationor exchangeable of aquatic (EFLE), pollution acid- this Fishproves provides insufficient a suitable understanding model for of monitoring the environ- usingreducible marine and oxidisable-organicedible fish under lab fractions conditions. generated by aquaticmental behaviour genotoxicity and origins and ofwastewater these heavy qualitymetals in sequential extraction technique in the surface sediment, becausethe sediments of its ability(Badri toand metabolize Aston, 1983; xenobiotics Martin et and al., 2.in whichMaterials these andthree methods geochemical fractions are related accumulated1987; Tack and pollutants. Verloo, 1995). A micronucleus Therefore, geochemical assay has to anthropogenic sources (Badri and Aston, 1983; Yap beenstudy used is conducted successfully to estimate in several the nonresistant species (De fractions Flora, 2.1.et al .,Sample 2002). TheCollection last fraction is resistant (R) which is etof metalsal., 1993, which Al-Sabti are related and to Metcalfe, anthropogenic 1995). sources. The natural-origin related. Therefore, the ratio NR/R can micronucleusBesides the statistical (MN) analysis test has on the been metal developed data to ease be potentiallyThe fish species used as selected an indicator for the of presentanthropogenic- study togetherthe interpretation, with DNA-unwindingcalculation of some assaysgeochemical as wasrelated collected sampling from site. Pudhumadam coast of Gulf of perspectiveindices and comparison methods withfor masssediment monitoring quality values of Mannar, The geochemicalSoutheast Coast normalization of India. has Therapon been used clastogenicitycan help in the andassessment genotoxicity of heavy in fishmetal and pollution mussels of jarbuaextensively belongs to obtain to the enrichment order Perciformes factor (EF) of and the to (Dailianisthe study area.et al., 2003). familyassess anthropogenicTheraponidae. contributions The fish species, of metals Therapon in sedi- TheCluster MN analysis tests have is one been of the successfully multivariate used analyses as jarbuaments being(6-6.3 studied cm in length(Acevedo-Figueroa and 4-4.25 g et in al weight)., 2006). athat measure aims to of summarize genotoxic all stress the variables in fish, intounder different both wasIn the selected calculation for the of EF,detection we used of Fegenotoxic as a normalizer effect Yap. C. K. and Wong, C. H. / EnvironmentAsia 4(1) (2011) 53-61 since Fe is also an abundant element in the structure concentrations with pre-industrial levels. The Igeo of clay minerals and several authors have successfully index can assess to the estimation of these pollution used iron to normalize heavy metals contaminants (Feng process. Müller (1981) has distinguished seven classes et al., 1998; Mucha et al., 2003). This is due to Fe in the of Igeo. estuarine sediment is mainly from natural weathering The objective of this study was to assess the con- processes and has been broadly used to normalize the tamination of Cu, Ni and Zn collected from southern metal concentrations in order to reduce particle grain intertidal area of Peninsular Malaysia by comparing to size influence because variations in Fe concentration EF and Igeo values besides the ratios of nonresistant to could be explained by particle grain size differences, resistant geochemical fractions. with fine-grained sediments having high Fe concentra- tions, besides its geochemistry is similar to that