Changes in metabolic enzymes levels exposed to zinc and cadmium in the snow trout (Schizothorax zarudnyi)

Nowadays, the entrance of pollutants including heavy metals in environment threatens the life of aquatic animals. In this study, the effect of zinc chloride (6 mg/l) and cadmium chloride (5 mg/l) exposure were studied on the activity of some metabolic enzymes in the liver, gills, brain and muscle in Snow trout (Schizothorax zarudnyi). The results showed that zinc caused a significant increase in AChE activity in the brain, AST activity in the liver and muscle and ALP activities only in the liver (p˂0.05). Exposure to cadmium significantly decreased acetylcholinesterase in the brain (p˂0.05). However, ALT activity in the liver and gills and AST activity only in the gills was increased significantly following cadmium exposure. Cadmium stimulatory effects on ALP in tissues were not statistically significant. Based on the above result, in this Species exposed to cadmium showed more toxicity than zinc, and the most sensitivity and susceptibility to the presence of cadmium and zinc in the environment was seen in livers of fish. Assessing levels of metabolic enzymes in the liver tissue and AChE enzyme in the brain tissue of Snow trout has the potential to be used as a suitable indicator to show heavy metal pollution in the aquatic ecosystem.