Abstracto

Oxygen consumption and histochemical studies of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to various levels of gallium

Jen-Lee Yang, Tung-Jer Hu

Gallium is one of the intermetallic elements which are increasingly being used for the manufacture of semiconductor devices. The purposes of this study were to investigate its oxygen consumption and liver histochemistry on common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Common carp were exposed to different levels of antimony (1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0mg/L) over a 28-day test period and a 14-day recovery period.After 30 min (acute), there was an increase in the amount of oxygen consumed in all exposed groups. On days 14 and 28 decreases in oxygen consumption were significant (p < 0.05) for the higherexposure level groups (4.0 and 8.0 mg/L). The increased nuclei shrinkage and cellular fragmentation of the liver were found in common carp after using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick endlabeling. Changes in oxygen consumption and histopathological performances could be considered as promising clinical diagnostic tools for assessing the toxic effects of gallium compounds on common carp.