[Lead accumulation and elimination in juvenile Acipenser sinensis tissues]

A semi-static test of Pb exposure (0, 0.2, 0.8, and 1.6 mg L(-1)) was carried out to examine the Pb accumulation and elimination in different tissues of juvenile Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis). With increasing Pb concentration in water, the Pb concentration in juvenile A. sinensis tissues increased, showing a clear dose-response relationship. The Pb accumulation had a trend of being higher in bone (dorsalbone plate and cartilaginous bone) and muscle, followed by in stomach, intestine, and skin, and relatively low in liver, gill, and notochord. A 6-week duration test after Pb exposure showed that in low dose group (0.2 mg x L(-1)), the Pb concentration in all tissues had no significant differences to the control group, but in medium dose group (0.8 mg x L(-1)), the Pb concentration in most tissues except gill stomach, cartilaginous bone, and muscle was significantly higher than the control. In high dose group (1.6 mg x L(-1)), the Pb concentration in the tissues other than liver, intestine and skin was significantly higher than the control. Through the comparison of accumulation and elimination, it was found that after low- and medium dose exposure, the Pb concentration in skin, gill, and liver was higher than its accumulation, presuming that Pb was absorbed from gill, skin, and alimentary canal, and eliminated from gill and skin.