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Impact of petroleum industry on goats in Saudi Arabia: heavy metal accumulation, oxidative stress, and tissue injury

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Abstract

Heavy metals (HMs) constitute a group of persistent toxic pollutants, and the petroleum industry is one of the sources of these metals. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and vanadium (V) in Plantago ovata and milk and tissues of domestic goats in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Plant samples and blood, milk, muscle, liver, and kidney samples were collected from domestic goats and the levels of Pb, Cd, V, and Ni were determined. Liver and kidney tissue injury, oxidative stress, and expression of pro-inflammatory and apoptosis markers were evaluated. Pb, Cd, V, and Ni were increased in Plantago ovata as well as in milk, blood, muscle, liver, and kidney of goats collected from the polluted site. Aminotransferases, creatinine, and urea were increased in serum, and histopathological changes were observed in the liver and kidney of goats at the oil extraction site. Malondialdehyde and the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, Bax, and caspase-3 were increased, whereas cellular antioxidants and Bcl-2 were decreased in liver and kidney of goats at the polluted site. In conclusion, petroleum industry caused liver and kidney injury, oxidative stress, and upregulated pro-inflammatory and apoptosis markers in goats. These findings highlight the negative impact of petroleum industry on the environment and call attention to the assessment of its effect on the health of nearby communities.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the National Plan for Sciences, Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for funding this research (grant number 13-ENV922-02).

Funding

This study has been funded by the National Plan for Sciences, Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (grant number 13-ENV922-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Jamaan S. Ajarem, Ahmed A. Allam & Saleh N. Maodaa

  2. Department of Botany & Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmad K. Hegazy

  3. Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Ahmad K. Hegazy

  4. Immunology Section, Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia

    Gamal A. Allam

  5. Physiology Division, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62514, Egypt

    Gamal A. Allam, Ahmed A. Allam & Ayman M. Mahmoud

  6. Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK

    Ayman M. Mahmoud

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  1. Jamaan S. Ajarem
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  2. Ahmad K. Hegazy
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  3. Gamal A. Allam
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  4. Ahmed A. Allam
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  5. Saleh N. Maodaa
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  6. Ayman M. Mahmoud
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Jamaan S. Ajarem, Ahmed A. Allam and Ayman M. Mahmoud; methodology and investigation: Jamaan S. Ajarem, Ahmad K. Hegazy, Gamal A. Allam, Ahmed A. Allam, Saleh N. Maodaa, Ayman M. Mahmoud; data curation: Ahmed A. Allam, Saleh N. Maodaa, Ayman M. Mahmoud; writing original draft: Ayman M. Mahmoud; Revision: Ayman M. Mahmoud; supervision: Jamaan S. Ajarem, Ahmed A. Allam and Ayman M. Mahmoud; Validation: Ayman M. Mahmoud; funding acquisition: Jamaan S. Ajarem, Ahmed A. Allam and Ayman M. Mahmoud.

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Correspondence to Ayman M. Mahmoud.

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Ajarem, J.S., Hegazy, A.K., Allam, G.A. et al. Impact of petroleum industry on goats in Saudi Arabia: heavy metal accumulation, oxidative stress, and tissue injury. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 2836–2849 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22309-0

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