Ecotoxicological effects of heavy metal contamination on reproductive health and gamete quality in female Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from the Brantas River Basin, Indonesia

Vet World Vol.18 June-2025 Article - 21

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(6): 1634-1643

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.1634-1643

Habib Syaiful Arif Tuska^1,2

, Gretania Residiwati^2,3

, Anik Martinah Hariati⁴

, Anwar Sanusi^5,6

, Gatot Ciptadi^1,7

, Barlah Rumhayati⁸

, Hendra Susanto⁹

, and Aulanni’am Aulanni’am⁸

1. Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

2. Department of Veterinary Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

3. Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

4. Department of Aquaculture Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

5. Manpower Planning and Development Agency, Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

6. Department of Government Politics, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

7. Department of Animal Reproduction and Breeding, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

8. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

9. Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia.

Background and Aim: Heavy metal pollution in freshwater ecosystems poses a serious threat to aquatic biodiversity and food safety. This study assessed the bioaccumulation of lead, cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), and copper, as well as their effects on histopathological alterations in vital organs and gamete quality, in female Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from the Brantas River Basin, East Java, Indonesia.

Materials and Methods: Water and fish samples were collected from five sites with varying levels of industrial and residential activity. Heavy metal concentrations were analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Histopathological evaluations were performed on gills, liver, and ovaries, and gamete quality was assessed based on oocyte diameter, germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), survival, and abnormality rate. Statistical analyses included a one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman correlation.

Results: The highest concentrations of Cd and Fe were found in Kalisari, corresponding with pronounced histopathological lesions in fish, including necrosis, inflammation, and hyperplasia in vital organs. Oocytes from heavily polluted sites exhibited significantly reduced diameters, GVBD rates, and survival rates, alongside increased abnormalities. Cd and Fe levels exhibited strong positive correlations with organ damage and negative correlations with gamete quality, particularly oocyte survival (Fe: r = −0.900).

Conclusion: Exposure to elevated levels of Cd and Fe significantly impairs the physiological and reproductive health of female Nile tilapia in the Brantas River. The observed tissue damage and reproductive disruption underscore the ecological and public health risks associated with unchecked industrial discharge. Long-term biomonitoring and targeted pollution control strategies are urgently required to safeguard aquatic life and reduce health risks under the One Health framework.

Keywords: Brantas River, cadmium, heavy metal contamination, histopathology, iron, Nile tilapia, oocyte quality, reproductive toxicity.

How to cite this article: Tuska HSA, Residiwati G, Hariati AM, Sanusi A, Ciptadi G, Rumhayati B, Susanto H, and Aulanni’am A (2025) Ecotoxicological effects of heavy metal contamination on reproductive health and gamete quality in female Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from the Brantas River Basin, Indonesia, Veterinary World, 18(6): 1634-1643.

Received: 27-03-2025 Accepted: 20-05-2025 Published online: 19-06-2025

Corresponding author: Habib Syaiful Arif Tuska and Aulanni’am Aulanni’am E-mail: tuska.hsa@ub.ac.id and aulani@ub.ac.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1634-1643

Copyright: Tuska, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.