Organotropism of total mercury (THg) in Cichla pinima, ecological aspects and human consumption in fish from Amazon region, Brazil

Specimens of the Cichla pinima are of ecological and economic importance in the Amazon region and are a good bioindicator species of Hg bioaccumulation. Adult specimens of Cichla pinima were obtained by fisheries in the Tapajós river region’s impacted gold mining area. Tissues such as muscle, liver, skin, and gill were submitted for total mercury (THg) analysis. For hepatic bioavailability, assays were carried out in the whole liver and in the sub-cellular hepatic fraction. The weight–length relationship showed an equation of W = 2E − 06L3.3002 (R2 = 0.856) indicating an allometric growth. The mean THg values found in the muscle tissue of 676 ± 258 μg kg−1 were below the maximum limit established for human consumption, but were similar to Cichla fish from other areas impacted by Hg in the Amazon region. The trends of levels in the tissues were as follows: liver>muscle>gonads>skin>gill, with no significant differences between the gills and skin. A significant and positive correlation as rs = 0.65 was obtained between the THg contents in cytosolic fraction and the total hepatic THg (liver homogenate). However, only 7% of the THg were found and were available to the sub-cellular hepatic fraction. This profile can be an indicative of a hepatic cellular transference in fish exposed to high Hg levels in the Amazon region now that low concentrations of Hg have been found in the sub-cellular fraction. However, data of differential THg partition in the subcellular compartments should be considered, since others’ hepatic fractions can act in the Hg linkage into the cell.