Abstract:
Haemoglobin oxidation is a mechanism that occurs in erythrocytes. It involves the loss of an electron from the ferrous (Fe2+) to ferric (Fe3+) iron states in the presence of an oxidant. Crude oil, which contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), has the capacity to serve as oxidants to fish haemoglobin to yield the methaemoglobin (Fe3+) species which has lost the capacity to bind oxygen.This study reveals that various quantities, 20, 60, 100 and 200µl of crude oil used to contaminate and incubate fish haemoglobin at a temperature of 25ºC increased the concentration (mM) of species at 630 nm while there was a decrease in concentration (mM) at 540 nm and 577 nm; especially samples incubated for 24 and 48 hr confirming the oxidant promoting capacity of crude oil. Analysis carried out on the different concentrations of prioritized 16 PAHsby the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 48 crude oils from around the globe, showed that naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and chrysene are more abundant, with naphthalene having the highest concentration.This suggests that one or all of these abundant PAHs analyzed or one or all of the less abundant PAHs with high molecular weight may be responsible for oxidizing the fish haemoglobin via haemoglobin oxidation
