Copper is an important element for aquatic organisms because it is needed in various biological processes. For example, cell respiration and defence against free radicals (oxidants).
The lack of copper could make fish unhealthy. On the other hand, if the concentration of copper in the environment is high due to pollution, the fish will be toxic to consume.
Copper is like a double-edged knife, it is an essential element for aquatic organisms. Therefore, fish must be able to maintain a balanced level of copper in their body.
Fish take copper from the environment through the gills. To find out whether copper has disturbed fish biological processes, it is not necessary to examine all fish organs. However, that answer can be found by simply examining what happens to the fish gills.
From the results of the study, gills that are contaminated and accumulate copper cause increased free radicals in the gills. However, it turns out fish are able to fight free radicals by mobilizing the antioxidants. As a result, fish are still able to survive at copper levels in the environment up to 10 mg / L. To find out how these antioxidant mechanisms work against free radicals (oxidants) can be read in the following research.
Title: The Change of Metallothionein and Oxidative Response in Gills of the Oreochromis niloticus after Exposure to Copper
Writer: Faridlotul Ma’rifah, Miftahul Rohmah Saputri, Agoes Soegianto*, Bambang Irawan and Trisnadi Widyaleksono Catur Putranto.
*The person can be contacted via agoes_soegianto@fst.unair.ac.id
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/6/353
The paper was published in the journal Animals with impact factors: 1,832 (2018, Clarivate Analytics), and Q1 (Scimagojr / Scopus 2018).
