Enzymes Activity in Fish Exposed to Heavy Metals and the Electro-Plating Effluent at Sub-Lethal Concentrations

Abstract

This study highlights the enzyme profile of Oreochromis mossambicus exposed to electroplating industry wastewater. The need for this task arises from the trend of releasing the untreated electroplating industrial wastewater into the environment, which may pose a problem to the aquatic organism and human. The bioassays conducted to test heavy metals chromium or nickel separately as well as their combination in the electroplating industrial wastewater against the fish, O. mossambicus. This study exposed the high enhancement of Lactate dehydrogenase and severe declining of succinate dehydrogenase in liver, gill and muscle tissue of fish treated in the highest concentration of electroplating industrial wastewater compared to that of chromium or nickel. Thus this study projects the synergistic effect of heavy metals present in the electroplating industry wastewater on the enzymatic activity in the vital organs of fish, Oreochromis mossambicus.