Effects of Pb plus Cd mixtures on toxicity, and internal electrolyte and osmotic balance in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Abstract

The physiological and toxicological effects of Cd and Pb have been thoroughly studied, but relatively little work has been done to determine how mixtures of these metals affect fishes in soft (<100μmolL−1Ca2+) slightly acidic (pH ∼6) waters typical of many lakes in the Canadian Shield and other regions. Recently, it has been suggested that acute exposure to Cd plus Pb mixtures (3h) had greater than additive effects on both Ca2+ and Na+ influx, which could potentially exacerbate disturbances to ion balance and result in greater toxicity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The goal of the present study was to test this hypothesis by assessing the physiological and toxicological effects of Cd plus Pb mixtures over longer time periods (3–5 days), but at relatively low, more environmentally relevant concentrations of these metals. Accordingly, toxicity and measurements of blood acid-base regulation (PaO2, pHa), hematology (Ht, Hb, MCHC, and Protein), ionic composition (body ions and plasma Ca2+, Na+, Cl−, osmolality), unidirectional Na+ fluxes and branchial Na+/K+-ATPase activity were measured in rainbow trout exposed to Cd plus Pb mixtures. Experiments on rainbow trout, implanted with dorsal aortic catheters for repetitive blood sampling, demonstrated that exposure to Pb alone (26nmolPbL−1) was less toxic than Cd alone (6nmolCdL−1), which was much less toxic to the fish than a Cd plus Pb mixture (7nmolCdL−1 plus 45nmolPbL−1), which led to greater than additive 80% mortality by 5d. Both Cd and Pb inhibited Na+ influx over 3d exposure to the metals, which was partially offset by decreases in the diffusive efflux (outflux) of Na+ across the gill. Despite an absence of detectable effects of Pb alone on plasma ion balance, Cd plus Pb mixtures exacerbated Cd-induced reductions in plasma Ca2+ concentration, and resulted in pronounced reductions in plasma Na+, Cl−, and osmolality. No effects on Na+/K+-ATPase activity were noted following exposure to Cd, Pb or Pb plus Cd mixtures. We conclude that the greater than additive toxicity of Cd plus Pb mixtures observed in the present and previous studies is because these metals not only have common, but also independent binding sites and mechanisms of action, which could exacerbate the pathophysiological effects caused by each metal alone.