Micronuclei in red blood cells of armored catfish Hypostomus plecotomus exposed to potassium dichromate

The present work aims to evaluate the impact of potassium dichromate in armored catfishes’ (Hypostomus plecotomus) erythropoiesis, using piscine micronucleus test. Armored catfishes (n = 30) were subjected to 12 mg/L of potassium dichromate, with an equal control group (n = 30). For each2,000 red blood cells of animals subjected to treatment, it was possible to observe 8.25 ± 0.02% cells with micronuclei and 17 ± 0.005 mg/kg of total chrome in tissues, detected through atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In the control group, the average was 0.75 ± 0.03% for micronuclei and 1.08 ± 0.04 mg/kg of chrome in tissues. The results confirm the clastogenic effect of potassium dichromate. Thesensibility to this ion and the economic relevance of H. plecotomus show that armored catfish can be used to monitor acute effects of metallic pollutant spills in freshwater