Accumulation of Copper in Gill, Liver, Spleen, Kidney and Muscle Tissues of Clarias gariepinus Exposed to the Metal Singly and in Mixture with Chitosan

Accumulation of copper (Cu), applied singly and in mixture with chitosan (CT), in gill, liver, spleen, kidney and muscle tissues of Clarias gariepinus was studied after exposing the fish to no Cu (control), 5 ppm Cu, 5 ppm Cu + 75 ppm CT mixture over 1, 7 and 15 days. Metal levels in tissues were determined using an ICP-AES spectrophotometer. No mortality was observed during the experiments. Highest accumulation of Cu was observed in liver while lowest accumulation was observed in muscle tissue. Exposure to Cu-CT mixture decreased Cu accumulation in liver at all exposure periods and in kidney on the 15th day compared to Cu alone. Exposure to Cu alone and Cu-CT mixture had no effect on Cu accumulation in spleen or muscle tissue. Copper accumulation increased in gill tissue compared to control when exposed to Cu alone at all exposure periods, and exposure to the Cu-CT mixture significantly increased Cu accumulation in this tissue at all exposure periods compared to Cu alone.