Evaluación de la genotoxicidad del agua del río Siete en juveniles de tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus mediante la prueba de micronúcleos y ensayo cometa

Juan Antonio Gómez H.; Brython Josue Jaramillo Herrera; Roberto Eduardo  Román Mora; Janzel Villalaz; Italo Goti; Víctor Hugo  González; Sergio Valverde Durán; Mauro  Nirchio

doi:10.48204/j.scientia.v35n2.a7700

Submitted July 11, 2025

Published 2025-07-10

Artículos

Vol. 35 No. 2 (2025): Scientia

Evaluation of the genotoxicity of Siete river water on juvenile tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus using the micronucleus test and comet assay

Juan Antonio Gómez H. ⁺⁻
Brython Josue Jaramillo Herrera ⁺⁻
Roberto Eduardo Román Mora ⁺⁻
Janzel Villalaz ⁺⁻
Italo Goti ⁺⁻
Víctor Hugo González ⁺⁻
Sergio Valverde Durán ⁺⁻
Mauro Nirchio ⁺⁻

DOI https://doi.org/10.48204/j.scientia.v35n2.a7700

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DOI: 10.48204/j.scientia.v35n2.a7700

Published: 2025-07-10

How to Cite

Gómez H. , J. A., Jaramillo Herrera , B. J., Román Mora , R. E., Villalaz , J., Goti , I., González , V. H., Valverde Durán , S., & Nirchio , M. (2025). Evaluation of the genotoxicity of Siete river water on juvenile tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus using the micronucleus test and comet assay. Scientia, 35(2), 52–78. https://doi.org/10.48204/j.scientia.v35n2.a7700

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination is one of the primary threats to aquatic ecosystems, resulting in adverse effects on marine life. In this study, the genotoxicity of Siete River water on juvenile Oreochromis niloticus was evaluated using the micronucleus assay and the Comet assay. Five treatments with different concentrations of contaminated water (0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) were established to evaluate survival and genotoxic effects on erythrocytes after 19 days of exposure. Analysis of water and sediments revealed that arsenic concentrations in the water and lead concentrations in the sediment exceeded regulatory limits, which could represent an environmental risk to aquatic life. Genotoxic biomarkers showed a dose-dependent relationship with contamination, as evidenced by a significant increase in micronucleus frequencies and DNA fragmentation in treatments with higher concentrations of contaminated water (p < 0.05). The Comet assay showed progressive levels of DNA damage, with a decrease in locomotor activity observed in fish exposed to heavy metals, while an increase in intraspecific aggression and cannibalism was recorded in the control group. These results underscore the importance of continuous environmental monitoring and the use of O. niloticus as a bioindicator of heavy metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

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