Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the zinc accumulation levels in the gill, liver, and muscle tissues of Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758) under the effect of zinc (2.0 and 4.0 ppm) and zinc + EDTA (2.0 + 4.0 and 4.0 + 8.0 ppm) for 7, 15, and 30 days and the effects of EDTA on zinc accumulation in tissues. Tissue zinc levels were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP˗MS). No mortality occurred in fish under the exposure times and concentrations with solutions containing zinc only and zinc combined with EDTA. At the beginning of the metal exposure, various behavioral changes were observed in the fish, and those behaviors returned to normal with longer exposure time. The exposure to both zinc alone and zinc combined with EDTA significantly increased metal accumulation in the tissues and organs (P < 0.05) as compared to the control, and a gill > liver > muscle accumulation relationship was found among the tissues. The results obtained showed that EDTA reduced zinc accumulation in the gill, liver, and muscle tissues when compared to the effect of zinc only.