Mechanistic Insights into Heavy Metal Toxicity in Aquatic Species: From Cellular Disruption to Ecological Risk

IJEP 46(7): 690-703 : Vol. 46 Issue 7 (July 2026)

Full Text

D. Harishbabu and J. Narayanan*

SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Pharmacology, SRM College of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Chennai – 603 203, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Aquatic contamination by heavy metals is a serious worldwide problem because these metals persist in nature, bioaccumulate in the food chain and biomagnify over time. Toxic substances, such as cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic and chromium interfere with the physiological and molecular activities in fish and other aquatic species. This review hypothesizes that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are the primary pharmacological mechanisms underlying heavy metal toxicity, which are interconnected with immune, endocrine, neurotoxic and genotoxic alterations. It synthesizes evidence across biochemical, immunological and transcriptomic pathways. Key biomarkers, such as antioxidant enzymes, metallothioneins, cytokines, heat shock proteins and transcriptomic-level changes indicate early and sensitive responses to exposure, corroborated by histopathological changes in vital organs. By integrating biochemical, molecular and histological evidence with multi-omics data, this review creates new perspectives on how mechanistic data can be translated into biomonitoring and ecological risk assessment, with enhanced connections to food safety and human health within the One Health framework.

Keywords

Oxidative stress, Mitochondrial dysfunction, Apoptosis, Immunotoxicity, Neurotoxicity, Genotoxicity

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