Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
6th International Symposium on Innovations in Scientific Areas, Ankara, Türkiye, 7 - 08 Haziran 2024, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.16
Sodium hydroxide is known as caustic. It is a strong alkali used in many industrial and domestic areas such as paper, chemistry, food, aluminum processing, water treatment, and sink openers. When the studies on the effects of NaOH on aquatic organisms were examined in the literature, it was noticed that NaOH was used as a solvent in most of these studies, and its direct effects were not investigated. In this study, Unio delicatus mussels of the Unionidae, which have a wide distribution all over the world, are the most common species in almost all freshwater resources. Malondialdehyde levels, a lipid peroxidation product developed by this species, which is one of the natural cleaner organisms of freshwater resources with its filter-feeding properties against NaOH contaminations, were examined.
No mussel death was observed during the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the length and weight of the mussels were measured under ice anesthesia. After the measurements, the mussels were dissected, and the digestive glands and gill tissues were collected. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, one of the oxidative stress parameters of NaOH exposures, were analyzed using the Mihara and Uchiyama (1978) method.
In the gill tissue, MDA levels in all groups were insignificant in 24 hours of exposure, whereas in 72 hours of exposure, a 2-times increased MDA level was determined in the dose 2 group. While MDA levels in the digestive glands showed a significant decrease of approximately 3-times for dose 1 and 4-times for dose 2 in the first 24 hours (p>0.005), there was no substantial change in the 72-hour exposure compared to the control group (p<0.005). While MDA levels in gill tissues showed an increase in the first 24 hours of exposure (p>0,005), no significant difference was observed in 72 hours of exposure.
According to the results of this study, it was evaluated that NaOH, which has a wide range of uses, may cause oxidative stress in freshwater mussels, and the continuity of monitoring studies may be necessary for the protection of diversity in freshwater ecosystems.