Zinc and calcium to combat cadmium toxicity in teleost

The natural aquatic bodies are extensively contaminated with heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) etc., released from domestic, industrial and other anthropogenic activities. This may cause serious effects on the ecological balance of the recipient environment. Among the heavy metals Cd is one of the most deleterious heavy metal pollutants in environment, either terrestrial or aquatic. It is a non-essential heavy metal having no biological significance in vertebrates and can be found in waters that receive residues from industrial processes associated with the refining of other metals. A small step towards this, the present work is carried out to study the Cd induced bioaccumulation, antioxidant mechanism and purification and quantification of metallothionein protein in liver, kidney, brain, gill and muscle tissues of freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus (Tilapia) with reference to the nutrient elements (zinc and/or calcium) supplementation against Cd induced toxicity.