In recent decades, cadmium has emerged as an environmental stressor in aquatic ecosystems due to its persistence and toxicity. It can enter water bodies from various natural and anthropogenic sources and, once introduced into aquatic systems, can accumulate in sediments and biota, leading to bioaccumulation and biomagnification in the food chain. For this reason, the effects of cadmium on aquatic life remain an area of ongoing research and concern. In this paper, a multidisciplinary approach was used to assess the effects of long-term exposure to an environmental concentration on the hepatopancreas of farmed juveniles of sea bream, . After determining metal uptake, metallothionein production was assessed to gain insight into the organism's defence response. The effects were also assessed by histological and ultrastructural analyses. The results indicate that cadmium accumulates in the hepatopancreas at significant concentrations, inducing structural and functional damage. Despite the parallel increase in metallothioneins, fibrosis, alterations in carbohydrate distribution and endocrine disruption were also observed. These effects would decrease animal fitness although it did not translate into high mortality or reduced growth. This could depend on the fact that the animals were farmed, protected from the pressure deriving from having to search for food or escape from predators. Not to be underestimated is the return to humans, as this species is edible. Understanding the behaviour of cadmium in aquatic systems, its effects at different trophic levels and the potential risks to human health from the consumption of contaminated seafood would therefore be essential for informed environmental management and policy decisions.

中文翻译：

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长期暴露于真实浓度镉对金鲷幼鱼肝胰腺的组织病理学影响

近几十年来，镉因其持久性和毒性而成为水生生态系统中的环境压力源。它可以从各种自然和人为来源进入水体，一旦引入水生系统，就可以在沉积物和生物群中积累，导致食物链中的生物积累和生物放大。因此，镉对水生生物的影响仍然是一个持续研究和关注的领域。在本文中，采用多学科方法评估长期暴露于环境浓度对养殖海鲷幼鱼肝胰腺的影响。确定金属吸收后，评估金属硫蛋白的产生，以深入了解生物体的防御反应。还通过组织学和超微结构分析评估了效果。结果表明，镉在肝胰腺中积聚显着浓度，引起结构和功能损伤。尽管金属硫蛋白平行增加，但也观察到纤维化、碳水化合物分布的改变和内分泌干扰。这些影响会降低动物的适应性，尽管它不会转化为高死亡率或生长减缓。这可能取决于这样一个事实：这些动物是养殖的，受到保护，免受因必须寻找食物或逃离掠食者而产生的压力。不可低估的是它对人类的回归，因为该物种是可食用的。因此，了解镉在水生系统中的行为、其在不同营养级别的影响以及食用受污染海鲜对人类健康的潜在风险对于明智的环境管理和政策决策至关重要。