BIOACCUMULATION OF HEAVY METALS AND HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN TISSUES OF MARBLE SPINEFOOT (SIGANUS REVULATUS) FROM THE SYRIAN COAST (EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN)

This study was carried out to determine the concentrations of tow heavy metals, copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), and histopathological lesions in tissues of Marble spinefoot Siganus revulatus (Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775) caught from the Syrian coastal waters during 2019-2020. Results indicated tha the metals were accumulated in different tissues of siganus rivulatus by various levels, where, the non-edible parts accumulated more metals than the edible muscles. Cu and Pb concentrations in the fish muscles were lower the maximum permissible limit, however, Cu in the liver exceeded the permissible limit. Several histological alterations were observed in the muscles, including vacuolar degeneration in muscle bundles, balloon necrosis, Melano- macrophage centers, splitting of muscle fibers and atrophy of muscle bundles. The liver showed vacuolar dilation in blood vessels, leucocytes infiltration, thrombosis formation in hepatoportal blood vessels haemorrhage, haemosiderin and focal areas of necrosis. It was concluded that the environmental contamination of Syrian coast induced several histological alterations in the tissues of siganus rivulatus.