RESIDUAL EFFECT OF HEAVY METALS DUE TO USED DRINKING WATER POLLUTED WITH SEWAGE ON HEALTH PERFORMANCE AND BLOOD SERUM ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS IN SHEEP AND GOATS IN ASSIUT GOVERNORATE

Abd El-Rahman Ahmed Ali

Dept. of Biochemistry, Assiut Health Research Institute, Assiut.

INTRODUCTION:

Water pollution became one of the major problem facing public health. Steadily increasing flow of pollutants is discharged into natural water form different sources. Toxic contaminants of water may directly produce their harmful effect or it may be indirectly predispose animals to infections by lowering immune status (Koller, 1979 and Dean et al 1986).

Water supply systems for human and animals in Egypt are constructed in response to the goal of drinking water by different ways, where sometimes, directly form the River Nile or its branches including the present canals whether irrigation or drainage ones, in addition to healthy sanitary water supplies especially from tap water (El – Marazky, 1988).

The improper disposal of the untreated sewage water can pose pollution of water and soil and consequently affect the biosystem and human health adversely (Omer et al., 2004) Generally, sewage waste water contains many types of pollutants, the greatest threats arise from heavy metals, trace elements, and many toxic chemicals as well as different types of pathogens (Lake et al., 1984; Dean and Suess, 1985 and Blumenthal et al., 2001).

 Concerning the water resources for animals drinking in certain villages, some drainage and irrigation canals have certain interest due to the high concentration of heavy metals and trace elements in their water (El-Marozky, 1988 and Omer et al., 2004).

Heavy metals and other trace elements have been considered as dangerous substances causing serious health hazards to human, animals and other living organisms, through progressive irreversible accumulation in their bodies as a result of repeated consumption of small amounts of these elements (Wheaton andLawson, 1985; Clark, 1989 and Goel, 1997).

Inside the animal body, there are several types of defense mechanisms, among these defense mechanisms come antioxidant vitamins defense such as vitamin A, Beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C (Joan et al., 1995 and Rock et al., 1996). Furthermore, these low molecular weight antioxidant vitamins are capable of scavenging the harmful effect of free radicals and other highly reactive species which are capable of damaging DNA, protein, carbohydrates and fats (Lynch et al., 1999).

Nowadays, it is difficult to open a medical journal without seeing some paper on the role of free radicals in human and animal diseases and the possible protective mechanisms against them by using antioxidants (Rock et al., 1996). Each of the antioxidant vitamins has specific characteristics and often they work synergistically to strengthen the overall antioxidant capability of the body. For instance vitamin E is now recognized as an important biologic antioxidant vitamin acting against the adverse effect of reactive oxygen and free radicals as well as it is associated with improved immune response (Rammel, 1983; Stephen et al., 1989 and Macpherson, 1994).

Vitamin A was recognized to have substantial immunostimulatory properties and by that to affect considerably host defense systems. Particularly, vitamin A increases lymphocyte proliferation, stimulates delay hypersensenstivity, increases killer cells activity and improves macrophage and neutrophil, function (Muneer et al., 1988 and Kaneko et al., 1997). Beta carotene, has many of the same activities because it can be converted into vitamin A(Chew, 1987). Yet certain immunoostimulatory effects of Beta carotene are supposed to be independent from its provitamin A function.

Vitamin C has a pronounced antioxidant activity. Most vertebrates are able to synthesize ascorbic acid, although endogenous production does not always meet the requirements of farm animals under exceptional conditions such as stress (Gilbert, 1997). Vitamin C whether intracellular or extracellular directly reduce the present free radicals with formation of dehydroscorbate (Kaneko et al., 1997). Vitamin C, also, enhances the individual animal resistance against infectious agents and stress factors affecting the animal by improving the immune function of the animal body (Cummins and Brunner, 1991 and Fenster and Weiser, 1994).

The aim of the present study is to estimate the concentrations of heavy metals lead, cadmium, copper and zinc in the water of some water canals polluted with sewage waste water in comparison with the concentrations of these metals in the tap water in some villages of Assiut Governorate. In addition, this investigation was planned to study the effect of this polluted water with sewage on the health performance and blood serum antioxidant vitamins of sheep and goats drinking from this polluted water and compare with those drinking from tap water.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Animals:

This investigation was carried out on 115 adult sheep of both sexes and 80 adult goats of both sexes aging from 3-5 years old, these animals drinking water from water canals polluted with sewage waste water for long periods. These animals belonging to a private farms, the owners of these animals continuously drinking their animals from these canals in different villages of Assiut Governorate. In addition 25 sheep of both sexes and 25 goats of both sexes aging from 3-5 years old drinking from tap water continuously at the same villages were used as control. All animals were subjected to careful clinical and laboratory investigation to insure their healthy condition according to Pugh (2002).

All animals used in this study were free from internal and external parasites after laboratory examinations.

Samples and adopted methods :

1-Water samples: 20 water samples from water canals polluted with sewage waste water, and 10 from tap water were collected from the same villages. Water samples were collected in clean glass bottles for chemical analysis according to APHA (1995) and Kegley et al (1998).

Qualitative determination of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc were carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer 2380, U.S.A).

2-Blood samples: were collected from the jugular vein in dry metal free centrifuge tube and left to clot at room temperature, then centrifuged at 3000 r.p.m for 10 minutes to separate the serum. The collected clear sera were kept at –20^oC till used for biochemical analysis.

Blood serum vitamin A and Beta carotene were determined Spectrophotometrically according to Carr and Price (1926). Blood serum vitamin E was determined Spectrophotometrically after Hawks et al. (1954). Blood serum vitamin C was determined Spectrophoto-metrically according to Lowery et al. (1945).

Statistical analysis :

                The obtained data were subjected to software program according to Selvin (1996).

RESULTS:

The health performance of sheep and goats drinking from fresh tap water and those drinking from polluted water with sewage are illustrated in table (1). The results of chemical analysis of both tap water and water polluted with sewage were recorded in table (2). Biochemical analysis of blood sera for antioxidant vitamins in sheep and goats drinking fresh tap water and those drinking water polluted with sewage were presented in tables (3 & 4).

Table (1): Health performance of sheep and goats drinking for fresh tap water and
 water polluted with sewage.

Table (2): Concentrations (p.p.m) of heavy metals in fresh tap water and polluted canal
 water with sewage.

Table (3): Blood serum levels of antioxidant vitamins in sheep drinking from fresh tap
 water and those drinking from polluted canal water

** High significant (P<0.01)

Table (4): Blood serum levels of antioxidant vitamins in goats drinking from fresh tap
 water and those drinking from polluted canal water

** High significant (P<0.01)

DISCUSSION:

The essential and primary purpose of water supply programs is to deliver potable water which must be safe, adequate and accessible for man and animals. However in developing countries these aims are rarely attained. Drainage canals specially irrigation ones are still the sources of drinking water for animals in some Egyptian villages in spite of the high levels of pollution especially heavy metals. Data of this investigation proved that the improper disposal of untreated sewage waste water affected the health performance of both sheep and goats drinking from this polluted water.

Disturbance in health status of these animals (table 1) in the form of emaciation, dullness, debility and other anaemic changes especially pale mucous membranes could be attributed to the toxic effect of heavy metals specially lead and cadmium. These findings are in agreement with El-Marazky (1988) and Raghib et al., (2003) who recorded similar results.

Heavy metals in drinking water of sheep and goats:

Table (2) revealed that the mean concentra-tion of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc in fresh tap water and polluted canal water were 0.228, 0.004, 0.679, 2.845 ppm and 2.386, 0.637, 5.260, 9.289 ppm respectively. Although the concentrations of these metals in fresh tap water lie within the permissible limits recommended by WHO (1984), yet the concentrations of these metals in polluted canal water were considered highly significant increased than those of fresh tap water and highly elevated than the recommended values by WHO (1984).Nearly similar findings were obtained by Zaki et al.(1994) and Abd El-Nasser et al. (1996) in water samples collected from Assiut Governorate, and by Youssef and Haleem (1999) in water samples collected from Giza, Egypt.

It can be concluded that the water of investigated canals was highly polluted with lead, cadmium, copper and zinc. These heavy metals reach the water directly from untreated sewage waste water which discharged into these irrigation canals.

Blood serum antioxidant vitamins :

Besides the clinical manifestations, the effect of this heavy metal pollution on the animal health was also clearly manifested by decreased levels of the blood serum antioxidant vitamins as shown in tables 3 and 4, there was a highly significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the levels of these vitamins in the serum of both sheep and goats drinking from the water of polluted canals when compared with those drinking from fresh tap water. These findings concerning Beta carotene in the serum of sheep drinking from the polluted canal water were 1.36±0.11 mg/100 ml, while those of goats were 1.27±0.08 mg/100 ml. Meanwhile, vitamin A findings were 35.62±1.33 and 32.47±3.11 mg/100 ml in both sheep and goats drinking polluted water, respectively. Sheep and goats drinking from fresh tap water recorded Beta carotene in a concentration of 3.22±0.25 and 2.93±0.06 mg/100ml respectively and vitamin A as 68.34±2.47 and 69.87±1.34 mg/100ml respectively.

The sharp decrease in the levels of vitamin A as well as Beta carotene in the blood serum of sheep and goats drinking from polluted water could be attributed to the utilization of these vitamins as a defense mechanisms against the toxic effect of heavy metals present in the polluted water in a trail to help sheep and goats to maintain their immune response (Muneer et al., 1988 and Kaneko et al., 1997). Kaldrumidou et al. (1994) attributed the reduction in blood serum vitamin A and beta carotene in sheep exposed to lead poisoning, to advanced degenerative changes in both kupffer and hepatic cells as the liver which is the site of vitamin A storage can be directly affected.

Results is tables (3 & 4) revealed that blood serum vitamin E were significantly decreased (P <0.01) in sheep and goats drinking from polluted water with sewage when compared with those drinking from fresh tap water. Levels of vitamin E in blood serum of sheep and goats drinking polluted water were 1.87±0.08 and 1.63±0.04 mg/100 ml respectively. While in sheep and goats drinking fresh tap water, levels were 3.15±0.22 and 3.48±0.52 mg /100 ml respectively. Such reduction in vitamin E was explained by Oberly et al. (1995), which declared that chronic lead poisoning affect the immuno histochemical localization of glutathione S-transferase isoenzymes. Halliwell and Gutterridge (1985); Bendich (1987) and Tengerdy (1990) explained this reduction as the vitamin E is responsible for immune enhancement as it enhances humoral immune response, so it can be utilized as a defense mechanism against the toxic effect of heavy metals.

Highly significant decrease (P<0.01) was found in the level of vitamin C in sheep and goats drinking from polluted water (tables 3 and 4). The levels of vitamin C is blood serum of sheep and goats drinking from polluted water were 11.33±0.42 and 10.67±0.51 mg/100 ml respectively. Meanwhile the levels of vitamin C in blood serum of sheep and goats drinking fresh tap water were 18.12 ± 0.63 and 19.82 ± 0.71 mg/100ml respectively. The reduction in blood vitamin C levels of sheep and goats drinking polluted water was explained by Hornig et al. (1984) who reported that vitamin C enters into the defensive mechanism and has a detoxification action in the animal body, as any disease status or poison has a great effect on its function. Anderson (1982); Panush and Delafuents (1985) and Aderianne (1987) explained that vitamin C was responsible for improving immunocharging capacities especially as a powerful antioxidant agent.

Recently, studies in vitro and in laboratory animals and occupationally exposed workers suggest that at least some lead induced damage may occur as a consequence of the propensity of lead to disturb the delicate proxidant and antioxidant balance that exists in mammalian cells (Monteriro et al., 1985; Lima–Hermes et al., 1991; Donaldson et al., 1993; and Basaran and Undeger, 1999).

CONCLUSION:

                From the present study, it could be concluded that heavy meals pollution problems in the studied water canals were serious as reflected by the high concentrations of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc in the collected water samples. Also health conditions of sheep and goats drinking from this water was clearly lowered when compared with those drinking from fresh tap water. Heavy metals in polluted water have a great reflection on the blood serum levels of the studied antioxidant vitamins in sheep and goats drinking from this polluted water.

                Therefore the preventive measures intended for minimizing the pollution of water with such metals are of significant concern. Hygienic disposal of sewage waste water and education of owners of sheep and goats about the risk of such pollutants should be applied.

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