Assessment of Cadmium Effects on Total Plasma Protein Concentration in Whiteleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) under Different Salinity Conditions

ehsani, jafar

Volume 17, Issue 2 (Summer 2025) 3 2025, 17(2): 76-84 | Back to browse issues page

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ehsani J. Assessment of Cadmium Effects on Total Plasma Protein Concentration in Whiteleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) under Different Salinity Conditions. 3 2025; 17 (2) :76-84
URL: http://jmb.ahvaz.iau.ir/article-1-1033-en.html

Assessment of Cadmium Effects on Total Plasma Protein Concentration in Whiteleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) under Different Salinity Conditions

Jafar Ehsani

Department of fisheries, Arv.C., Islamic Azad University, Abadan, Iran

Abstract: (59 Views)

Heavy metals are among the most important pollutants in coastal ecosystems. Due to their long half-life, high toxicity to aquatic organisms, and biomagnification through food chains, these metals can have significant and persistent effects on living organisms. Cadmium is one of the major heavy metals introduced into marine environments through industrial wastewater and activities related to oil refining and extraction. The Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is a globally important aquaculture species and an ideal model organism for studying the effects of pollutants such as heavy metals. This shrimp species is osmoregulatory and tolerant to salinity fluctuations. The aim of this study was to determine the toxicity of cadmium to L. vannamei and to investigate the changes in plasma total protein levels under sublethal concentrations of cadmium at different environmental salinities. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted in 300-liter tanks to determine the LC₅₀ of cadmium for L. vannamei as a model species. The 96-hour LC₅₀ value for cadmium was calculated to be 6.56 mg/L. Based on this result, three treatments containing different concentrations of cadmium chloride (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/L) were prepared, along with a control group to ensure shrimp health. Three different salinity levels (10, 20, and 30 ppt) were applied to the experimental environments. Each treatment and the control group were performed in triplicate, and the exposure period lasted for 14 days. Plasma total protein levels were measured using a commercial Pars Azmoon kit. After 7 days of exposure to cadmium and varying salinities, noticeable changes were observed in plasma protein levels. At a salinity of 10 ppt, plasma total protein initially increased with rising cadmium concentration but then decreased, showing a significant reduction at 2 mg/L compared to the control group. At salinities of 20 and 30 ppt, plasma total protein slightly decreased with increasing cadmium concentration; however, this reduction was not statistically significant. After 14 days, a significant decrease in total plasma protein was observed with increasing salinity (P < 0.05), with the highest value at 10 ppt and the lowest at 30 ppt. Increasing cadmium concentration also led to a reduction in total plasma protein, with the 2 mg/L cadmium and 30 ppt salinity treatment showing a significant decrease compared to both the control and other treatments (P < 0.05). Overall, plasma total protein levels decreased significantly in response to cadmium exposure compared to the control group. The sublethal toxicity data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. One-way ANOVA was employed to determine significant differences among treatments for normally distributed data. The results indicate that short-term cadmium-induced stress under different salinity levels leads to a decrease in plasma total protein in the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

Keywords: Heavy metals, Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), Plasma protein

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Type of Study: Research | Subject: Fisheries
Received: 2025/08/18 | Accepted: 2025/06/28 | Published: 2025/06/28