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Bioaccumulation of toxic and essential elements and enzymatic responses in native fish from the middle Tocantins River
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  • Published: 08 March 2026

Bioaccumulation of toxic and essential elements and enzymatic responses in native fish from the middle Tocantins River

  • Thiago Machado da Silva Acioly  ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2849-55541,2,
  • José Iannacone3,4,
  • Karuane Saturnino da Silva Araújo1,
  • Jerusa Maria de Oliveira5,
  • Muhammad Ilyas6,
  • José Fábio França Orlanda7 &
  • …
  • Diego Carvalho Viana1,8 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Biochemistry
  • Ecology
  • Environmental sciences
  • Zoology

Abstract

This study provides the first ecotoxicological evaluation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), essential elements (EEs), and enzymatic biomarkers in two native fish species, Branquinha (Psectrogaster amazonica) and Branquinha-cascuda (Caenotropus labyrhinthicus), from the middle Tocantins River, Brazil. Specimens were collected from the urban riverside zone of Beira Rio (P1) and a fluvial beach near the rural community of Embiral (P2). PTEs and EEs concentrations were measured in liver and muscle tissues, and biochemical biomarkers included acetylcholinesterase (AChE), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Human health risks associated with fish consumption were assessed using the bioconcentration factor (BCF), risk quotient (RQ), and estimated daily intake (EDI). In P. amazonica (urban zone), arsenic (As) exceeded limits by 83–266% in muscle and 60–220% in liver, lead (Pb) in liver by 95–1850%, and selenium (Se) by up to 4537%. In C. labyrhinthicus (rural zone), As and Se in muscle exceeded limits by 185–470% and 5–200%, respectively, while Pb and zinc (Zn) were not detected. BCF values indicated moderate bioaccumulation of sulfur (S) (2867.29) and iron (Fe) (2641.30). Risk assessment revealed a high level of concern, with an RQ for Se reaching 53.13 and As intake exceeding child safety thresholds sevenfold, highlighting significant food safety risks.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the laboratory staff and local riverine communities, including artisanal fishers and the Fishers’ Association of Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil, for their support during field sampling and specimen collection.

Funding

We express our heartfelt gratitude to Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [grant number 403097/2022-3] and the Maranhão State Research Foundation (FAPEMA) [grant number 193956/2022] for their invaluable support, laying the foundation for our scientific research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate in Animal Science (PPGCA/UEMA), Multi-User Laboratories in Postgraduate Research (LAMP), State University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65081-400, Brazil

    Thiago Machado da Silva Acioly, Karuane Saturnino da Silva Araújo & Diego Carvalho Viana

  2. Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of the Sertão Pernambucano (IFSertãoPE), Campus Floresta, Floresta, Pernambuco, 56400-000, Brazil

    Thiago Machado da Silva Acioly

  3. Animal Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory (LEBA), Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, 15007, Lima, Peru

    José Iannacone

  4. Carrera de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Perú

    José Iannacone

  5. Animal Experimentation Laboratory, NexusBioTox, Campus of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil

    Jerusa Maria de Oliveira

  6. Department of Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ilyas

  7. Center for Exact, Natural and Technological Sciences (CCENT), State University of the Tocantina Region of Maranhão (UEMASUL), Imperatriz, 65900-000, Brazil

    José Fábio França Orlanda

  8. Center of Agrarian Sciences, Center for Advanced Morphophysiological Studies (NEMO), State University of the Tocantina Region of Maranhão (UEMASUL), Imperatriz, 65900-000, Brazil

    Diego Carvalho Viana

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  1. Thiago Machado da Silva Acioly
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Contributions

T.M.S.A. (conceptualization, methodology, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, validation, visualization, software, writing-original draft, writing-review, and editing); J.I. (conceptualization, methodology, and writing-review); K.S.S.A. (writing-review); J.M.O. (writing-review, editing); M.I. (writing-review); J.F.F.O. (conceptualization, methodology); D.C.V. (resources, supervision, project administration, and validation).

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Correspondence to Thiago Machado da Silva Acioly.

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da Silva Acioly, T.M., Iannacone, J., da Silva Araújo, K.S. et al. Bioaccumulation of toxic and essential elements and enzymatic responses in native fish from the middle Tocantins River. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39611-3

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  • Received: 19 December 2025

  • Accepted: 06 February 2026

  • Published: 08 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39611-3

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Keywords

  • Food safety
  • Dietary intake
  • Heavy metals
  • Freshwater fish
  • Risk assessment
  • One health
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