Chronic Effect of Waterborne Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles on Gill Histopathological Changes of Caspian Brown Trout (Salmo trutta caspius)

Silver nanoparticles are now widely used in various industries and consumer products, especially because of their antimicrobial properties. The widespread use of these nanoparticles has increased the likelihood of their release to aquatic ecosystems and their effects on aquatic organisms.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the histopathological effects of waterborne silver nanoparticles on the gills of Caspian brown trout.

In this study, 84 fish (27.46±4.3 g) were tested in four concentrations of silver nanoparticles (0, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 mg/L) for 14 days. At the end of the experiment, gill tissue was evaluated to determine the effects of tissue damage caused by silver nanoparticles.

Observed tissue damage included hyperplasia, hypertrophy, curvature of secondary lamellae, shortening of second lamellae, separation of epithelium from lamellae and aneurism.

The results of this study showed that colloid silver nanoparticles in water could lead to tissue damage in the gills of Caspian brown trout, and long-term exposure to the sublethal concentrations of these nanoparticles can cause fish death.