Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 International Journal of Environmental Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-019-00237-1 RESEARCH PAPER Metals/Metalloids and Oxidative Status Markers in Saltwater Fish from the Ionic Coast of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea Chiara Copat 1  · Milena Rizzo 2  · Agata Zuccaro 2  · Alfna Grasso 1  · Pietro Zuccarello 1  · Maria Fiore 1  · Giuseppe Mancini 3  · Margherita Ferrante 1 Received: 26 July 2019 / Revised: 24 September 2019 / Accepted: 15 October 2019 © University of Tehran 2019 Abstract The aim of the present work was the assessment of the environmental status of marine biota along the Sicilian ionic coast (Italy). Due to its complex habitat requirements, the fsh fauna is a crucial indicator of the ecological integrity of aquatic systems at diferent scales, from micro-habitat to catchment. Besides environmental contaminants, biomarkers of oxidative stress answer to the Water Framework Directive’s challenges for improved detection of the impacts of chemical compounds on aquatic organisms. Highly consumed seafood species (Solea solea, Mullus barbatus, Sardina pilchardus and Scomber scombrus) were taken at the Gulf of Catania (Sicily). Levels of metals/metalloids (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn) were estimated in muscle tissue as well as oxidative stress parameter such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) derivatives in liver. The total metals/metalloids load indicated as Metal Pollution Index (MPI, unitless) were the following: 0.258 in S. pilchardus, 0.203 in S. scombrus, 0.123 in M. barbatus and 0.071 in S. solea. The greatest contri- bution was given by As (mean range 2.670–9.748 mg/kg wet weight) and Zn (mean range 2.169–4.736 wet weight) levels. Hg, Ni and Zn presented mean levels progressively higher, with increasing trophic position. From a chemical point of view, the analyzed species were healthy for human consumption and the risk to develop chronic systemic and carcinogenic efects was low; nevertheless, it has highlighted an oxidative stress condition. Article Highlights • Highly consumed seafood species, caught in the Gulf of Catania, were chosen for metals determination. • Malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) derivatives were analysed in liver. • From a chemical point of view, the analysed species are healthy for human consumption. • Nevertheless, fish species resulted stressed by environmental conditions • MDA and PC are sensitive indicators of low degree of aquatic pollution. Keywords Bioaccumulation · Fish · Mediterranean Sea · Trace elements · MDA · PC · Oxidative stress Introduction Environmental pollution is a topic of great concern because of the implications that pollutants can exert on the envi- ronment, organisms and ecosystems, and therefore on the quality of life of people and on public health (Ferrante et al. 2018a; Mazzariol et al. 2011; Nicoletti et al. 2016; Vinceti et al. 2012). Chemicals that tend to bioaccumulate per- sist in the environment, and exhibit elevated toxicity pose major threats to ecological health in freshwater ecosystems (LeBlanc and Buchwalter 2010). The presence of complex mixture of pollutants, sometimes in trace levels, may have * Chiara Copat ccopat@unict.it 1 Department of Medical, Surgery Sciences and Advanced Technologies, G. F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy 2 Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy 3 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), University of Catania, Catania, Italy