Gene mutation effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish from Pulau Pinang, Malaysia towards V79 lung fibroblast cells

Salted fish is a locally processed raw food which is used in everyday cooking among Malaysians. Previous studies suggested that salted fish intake was a risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. Hence, this study was carried out to evaluate gene mutation effects through the induction of mutagenic effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish from Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Balik Pulau was chosen for sampling purpose due to its popularity as a commercial centre for local raw fisheries in Malaysia. Evaluation of mutagenic effect was carried out by hprt Gene Mutation Assay towards V79 lung fibroblast cells. It was found that the aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish were not cytotoxic towards V79 lung fibroblast cells. It was also found that the extracts of salted fish from Balik Pulau were not mutagenic towards hprt gene of V79 lung fibroblast cells as the mutation frequency of the extracts did not exceed 3 times of the value for negative control mutation frequency. In conclusion, both aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish from Balik Pulau did not have gene mutation effect towards hprt gene in vitro. However, other toxicological profile could be assessed to determine the mechanism of toxicity of salted fish

Geochemometric approach to groundwater quality and health risk assessment of heavy metals of Yankari Game Reserve and its environs, Northeast Nigeria

A popular eco-tourist destination happy haven, renowned for its distinctive groundwater springs, wildlife population and endowed with notable archeologic monuments and other appealing characteristics, thus the need for a baseline survey of the physiochemical measurements to ascertain the concentrations of major cations and heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, and Pb)), their distribution across the sampling locations and to investigate the origin of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) due to threats from anthropogenic and geogenic processes to its quality to evaluating its suitability for drinking, and the risk imposed on human health through the use of Water Quality Index (WQI), Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI). Concentrations of forty-one water samples from twenty natural springs, fifteen boreholes, five hand-dug wells, and a stream a were detected. Nine heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Li, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Ni) were analysed with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) and the data using different multivariate statistical approaches. Five component types; 24.40%, 14.50%, 12.10%, 9.64% and 9.24% extracted accounted for 69.79% total variance. The dominant variables derived from PCA's five components indicated the influence of the weathering of anhydrous carbonate, which released major cations and the PTEs. Calculated HQs and HI for adults and children were generally less than one (HQ 1, for children ingesting water from all the water sources. Hand-dug wells and surface water from the stream had HQ and HI > 1 for Cd for adults, which may not be harmful but with overtime exposure and may require monitoring; otherwise, it may pose more threats to adults and children with time