Immunopathology of Cadmium Induced Toxicity in Fishes: A Review

Idrees N, Sarah R and Tabassum B (2020). Immunopathology of Cadmium Induced Toxicity in Fishes: A Review. Journal of Immunology Immunopathology, 22(1): 1-9.

Immune system has the ability to react and fight against the foreign invaders including parasites, microorganisms and various toxicants. Cadmium is the toxic heavy metals and ubiquitous in nature, which is proved to be lethal for fishes as well as humans. It enters into the aquatic system and bioaccumulate in the aquatic flora and fauna, which ultimately produce toxic reactions. When it entered into the body of fishes, the physiological responses were firstly observed in the tissues of gills, in which mucus cells secretion was slightly increased with the increase of cadmium dose and exposure time. Exposure of cadmium increased the total leucocytes count and decreased the haemoglobin content. Cadmium toxicity generated the hazardous effects on fish organs such as liver, kidneys and gills. The suppressive effect observed by cadmium may produce the deleterious effects on the haematopoietic tissues mostly in the anterior kidneys and spleen, which are the sources of formation of macrophages. The effects of toxicity produced by cadmium in fishes are discussed in this mini review.