Effect of plastic foreign body impaction on rumen function and heavy metal concentrations in various body fluids and tissues of buffaloes

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2020-02, Vol.189, p.109972, Article 109972
• Main Authors: Mahadappa, Priyanka, Krishnaswamy, Narayanan, Karunanidhi, Mahendran, Bhanuprakash, AG, Bindhuja, BV, Dey, Sahadeb
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Body Fluids - chemistry; Buffalo; Buffaloes - blood; Buffaloes - physiology; Cadmium - analysis; Chromium - analysis; Copper - analysis; Foreign Bodies; Heavy metals; Lead - analysis; Male; Mercury - analysis; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Metals, Heavy - blood; Plastic waste impaction; Plastics - toxicity; Rumen - chemistry; Rumen - drug effects; Rumen - physiology; Rumen function
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109972

Rumen impaction by plastic waste (PW) is a common condition in the developing countries where ruminants are reared under extensive grazing. As heavy metals (HM) are used in the manufacture of plastic, we hypothesized that buffaloes with PW impaction would have suboptimal rumen function and higher content of HM in the rumen fluid, sera and body tissues. Buffaloes at an abattoir were categorized into impacted with PW or not (Group C and B, respectively; n = 30/group). From the animals of group C and B, rumen fluid and sera were collected ante-mortem, while muscle, liver and kidney were collected after exsanguination. Blood and rumen fluid of stall-fed buffaloes (Group A; n = 15) served as known negative control. Rumen function was assessed by protozoal density, motility, pH, methylene blue reduction time (MBRT) and sedimentation activity time (SAT). Concentration of HM such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) in the body fluids, tissues and impacted PW was estimated by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). A significant decrease in the rumen protozoal density, motility and increase (P