A lecturer from the Department of Life Sciences publishes a scientific study on the toxicity of cobalt and lead to the Tubifex plant: A study on the lethal effect and changes in antioxidants.
A lecturer from the Department of Life Sciences publishes a scientific study on the toxicity of cobalt and lead to the Tubifex plant: A study on the lethal effect and changes in antioxidants.
Assistant Professor Dr. Israa Nasser Ghulam, lecturer from the Department of Life Sciences, published a scientific study titled “Cobalt and Lead Toxicity on the Tubifex plant: A study on the lethal effect and changes in antioxidants.” The study was published in the journal Natural and Engineering Sciences, classified in Scopus Q3 The study aimed to evaluate the lethal and sublethal toxic effects of the heavy metals cobalt (Co) and lead (Pb) on the oligochaetes (Tubifex tubifex), a key environmental indicator. Experiments indicated that the median lethal concentration (LC50) was 998.2 mg/L for cobalt and 207.5 mg/L for lead after 48 hours of exposure, demonstrating a higher toxicity for lead than for cobalt. The study also examined the effect of exposure to sub-lethal concentrations (680 mg/L for cobalt and 95 mg/L for lead) over 7 and 14 days. The results showed a significant decrease in antioxidant activity. For cobalt, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased from 98 U/mg on day 7 to 73 U/mg on day 14, while glutathione (GSH) concentration decreased from 20 µg/ml to 13 µg/ml. For lead exposure, superoxide dismutase activity decreased from 95 U/mg on day 7 to 68 U/mg on day 14, and glutathione (GSH) concentration decreased from 18 µg/ml to 8 µg/ml. The study concluded that these findings highlight the pivotal role of antioxidants in combating oxidative stress caused by heavy metals, making them potential biomarkers for monitoring environmental pollution. The study highlights the urgent need to develop sustainable environmental strategies to reduce the impact of these pollutants on aquatic ecosystems
