Effect of Iranian propolis on potassium dichromate reabsorption in Redfish (Carassius auratus)

Abstract Chromium is an abundant metal in the earth's crust and plays an important role in water pollution. There are two main forms of chromium in the environment: trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium, as the most toxic form. The present study investigated the effects of propolis on the amount of chromium reabsorption in the Redfish's liver, kidney, gill, and muscle. Redfish were fed on four diets treated with irradiated/non-irradiated alcohol extract and irradiated/non-irradiated crude crushed propolis as an antioxidant natural bee product, for 70 days. Treatments and the positive control groups were exposed to 9 mg/L of chromium for 6 weeks. According to the data available in this study, the amount of chromium reabsorption in the positive control groups is in the order of gill > liver > kidney > muscle. The irradiated propolis diet treatment groups showed a significant difference compared to the positive control group. Treatment groups 3 and 4 showed significant differences compared to treatment groups 1 and 2 in all organs, except the liver. Treatment groups 3 and 4 showed a lower amount of chromium reabsorption in the gills, liver, kidneys, and muscles compared to the positive control group, demonstrating a significant difference. The results obtained showed that propolis could be effective as a chemoprotective compound in managing the reabsorption of dichromate. Therefore, it can be concluded that irradiated alcohol extract of propolis is recommended as a suitable and convenient food additive to increase its antioxidant properties in the fish industry.