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Heavy metals are cornerstones of human
progress. They are quite literally the pillars of all major
civilizations, past and present, on the one hand, on the other hand,
they are also the environmental pollutants of global concern because
of their non-biodegradability. Chromium, the earth’s 6th most
abundant heavy metal, is a well-known carcinogenic and mutagenic
metal that is discharged into aquatic environments. With regard to
toxicity, carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and hexavalent chromium are
considered the most potent one. Genotoxic pollutants interfere with
the key functions of life since they affect the primary biological
information matrix DNA. These pollutants have led to the development
of several genotoxicological tests, namely, chromosomal aberration
test, micronucleus (MN) test, sister chromatid exchange, and
single-cell gel electrophoresis for detecting and identifying the
impact of genotoxicants present in the air, water and, soil.
Assessment of micronuclei in fishes, is one the most common, easy
and, extensively used genotoxicity test to observe the genotoxic
potential of environmental contaminants. Fishes are especially
vulnerable to heavy metal pollution because they live and feed in
their aquatic surroundings and are unable to avoid the harmful
effects of pollutants. From this study, it has been found that
K2Cr2O7, a hexavalent chromium compound, is the most extensively
used and erythrocytes are the most common cells studied for MN
testing. |
