Journal of Aquatic Ecology

Effects of different concentrations of silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate on some hematological indices of Zayanderud Chub (Petroleuciscus esfahani) were investigated. One hundred individuals of the fish (average weight 26.4 ± 1.3 g) were divided into 5 experimental groups, exposed to 1 or 25 µg/L of silver nano or silver nitrate or unpolluted water as control for 10 days. At the end, primary hematological indices including red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), hematocrit, hemoglobin and secondary hematological parameters such as mean corpuspolar hemoglobin (MCH) and volume (MCV) were measured. The results showed significant differences in all primary hematological indices in fish exposed by silver nitrate or silver nanoparticles in comparison to the control. Highest hematocrit (47.75 ± 3.09 %) and hemoglobin (15.6 ± 0.93 g/dL) were observed in the fish exposed to 25 µg/L silver nitrate. 25 µg/L silver nanoparticles caused significant reduction in RBC count in comparison to the control (P<0.05). All secondary hematological indices (except, MCHC) showed significant changes in comparison to the control groups (P<0.05). The overall results indicate adverse effects of both silver nano particles and silver nitrate on hematological indices of Zayanderud Chub. This information could be used for better understanding of nanoparticle effects in water ecosystems.