The Effects of Chitosan on Aluminium Accumulation in the Gill, Liver and Muscle of Freshwater Fish (Oreochromis niloticus)

In this study, accumulation of aluminium (Al) in the gill, liver and muscle of Oreochromis niloticus were determined following exposure to 1, 2 and 4 ppm concentrations of Al alone and together with 10 ppm chitosan for 7, 14 and 21 days. Aluminium concentrations in the tissues was measured by ICP-MS. There were no fish mortality apparent morphological changes during the experiments. Although there were some apparent behavioural and morphological changes in fish in the beginning of the experiments, these changes returned to the normal in longer period. Al concentrations of the tissues increased significantly (P Liver>Muscle. Data also showed that chitosan significantly (P<0.05) reduced the accumulation of Al in the tissues. This study suggests that chitosan may be used as an effective chelate for Al contaminated waters and emphasized the toxicity of Al burden in fish tissues for human consumption point of view in areas where there are Al contaminations.