Indigenous Fish Based Assessment of Genotoxic Potentials of the Helong Reservoir in Guangzhou, China.

This study was conducted to assess the genotoxic potentials of water in the Helong Reservoir, which was designated as a strategic drinking water source by Guangdong Provincial Government of China in October 2016. According to the characteristics of water environment in it, 4 kinds of indigenous fish samples (Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus molitorella, Red tilapia and Oreochromis niloticus) were collected at 6 sampling sites during the period from July to November 2020. Fish from the clean drinking water source of the upper reaches of the Liuxihe Reservoir in Guangzhou was collected as control. Alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay and micronucleus (MN) test were used to detect the DNA damage and micronucleus rate in erythrocytes of fish samples, respectively. The results indicated that there was significant increase in comet tail length, Olive tail moment (OTM) and micronucleus rates of all fish samples as compared with those of the control (P Cirrhinus molitorella \u003e Red tilapia \u003e Oreochromis niloticus. The results of the two kinds of experiments are in perfect agreement with each other. Herein, we conclude that there are obvious genotoxic effects of water in the Helong Reservoir. As a strategic drinking water source, the safety of its water quality is worth pondering. The local government should put the restoration of the water environment of the Helong Reservoir on the agenda as soon as possible. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.