Sublethal toxicological evaluation of methyl parathion on some haematological and biochemical parameters in an Indian major carp Catla catla

Assessment of the gold nanoparticles biosynthesized using Casuarina equisetifolia bark extract against the ethion induced Hepato- and neurotoxicity in rats

Ethion (Etn) is classified as an organophosphate pesticide (OP) that causes toxicity even at low concentrations and targets the liver, brain, kidney, and blood. Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were biosynthesized from the whole methanolic extract of Casuarina equisetifolia bark, and their efficacy against Etn-induced hepato- and neurotoxicity in rats was assessed. In addition to determining conventional biochemical measurements, the target tissues (liver and brain) were examined for oxidative stress, inflammatory, and fibrotic markers. The protein and isoenzyme patterns were also assayed using an electrophoretic technique. Additionally, apoptotic gene expression was measured. The target tissues were also subjected to histopathological analysis. In all groups treated with C. equisetifolia bark gold nano-extract, it was observed that the levels of the hematological measurements that were impacted by the oral injection of Etn had recovered to normal. Regarding the biochemical measurements, the group that received nano-extract pretreatment showed greater improvement than the therapeutic group. The levels of inflammatory indicators significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.05), while the antioxidant system markers increased in both liver and brain tissues in the group that received the nano-extract beforehand. In both target tissues, especially in the pre-treated group, the nano-extract reduced the severity of the Etn-caused lesions. During electrophoretic assays, the nano-extract in the pre-treated group prevented the qualitative alterations indicated by the lowest similarity index (SI%) values of the Etn-injected group compared to the normal group. The molecular assay showed that the nano-extract reduced the expression of apoptotic genes that were markedly elevated in the Etn-injected rats, but it was unable to return their values to normalcy. The study concluded that in the group that received nano-extract pretreatment, the biochemical, histopathological, physiological, and molecular abnormalities caused by Etn were reduced by the C. equisetifolia bark gold nano-extract.

Malathion-Induced Hematoxicity and Its Recovery Pattern in Barbonymus gonionotus

An experiment was conducted to assess malathion-induced hematological responses of Barbonymus gonionotus (silver barb) and its recovery patterns in malathion-free water. Fish (45 days old) were exposed to two sublethal concentrations, namely, 25% and 50% (i.e., 3.78 and 7.56 ppm) of LC₅₀ (15.13 ppm) of malathion for 28 days, followed by a postexposure recovery period for the same time. The hematological parameters were examined after 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of exposure as well as after the postexposure recovery time. Except in the case of the control group (0% of malathion), the obtained results revealed that malathion exposure resulted in significantly (p < 0.05) higher prevalence and severity of micronucleus and lower values of Hb, PCV, and RBC and significantly higher values of WBC in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The values of blood glucose, MCV, MCH, and MCHC showed mixed trends during the experiment. During the recovery period, all blood parameters (micronucleus, glucose, Hb, PCV, RBC, WBC, MCV, MCH, and MCHC) partially recovered, which means that the recovery period was not long enough for the organisms to recover from the previous exposure. The study thus confirms that hematology is a sensitive indicator for fish to detect toxicity caused by different chemicals. Changes in these parameters can provide useful information about environmental conditions and risk assessment of aquatic organisms.

An integrated in silico and in vivo approach to determine the effects of three commonly used surfactants sodium dodecyl sulphate, cetylpyridinium chloride and sodium laureth sulphate on growth rate and hematology in Cyprinus carpio L

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the homology modeling, in silico prediction, and characterization of somatotropin and erythropoietin from Cyprinus carpio as well as molecular docking and simulation experiments between the modeled proteins and surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Using the best fit template structure, homology modeling of somatotropin and erythropoietin of Cyprinus carpio respectively was conducted. The model structures were improved further with 3Drefine, and the final 3D structures were verified with PROCHEK, ERRATA and ProQ. The physiochemical, as well as the stereochemical parameters of the modeled proteins, were evaluated using ExPASy's ProtParam. Molecular docking calculations, protein-ligand interactions, and protein flexibility analysis were carried out to determine the binding pattern of each ligand to the targeted proteins and their effect on the overall proteins' conformation. Our in silico analysis showed that hydrophobic interactions with the active site amino acid residues of the modeled proteins (somatotropin and erythropoietin) were more prevalent than hydrogen bonds and salt bridges that affect the flexibility and stability of the somatotropin and erythropoietin as revealed from our protein flexibility analysis. The in vivo analysis showed that sublethal concentrations of SDS, SLES, and CPC negatively affected the growth and hematological parameters of Cyprinus carpio. Hence, it may be inferred from the study that the alterations in the flexibility of somatotropin and erythropoietin of Cyprinus carpio upon addition of SDS, CPC and SLES might be attributable to the reduction in growth and hematological parameters.

The response of thyroid hormones, biochemical and enzymological biomarkers to pyrene exposure in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are discharged into aquatic environments through anthropogenic activities mainly industrial and municipal effluents. There is little information on the adverse effects of pyrene, a member of the PAH family which is classified as a priority pollutant by the USEPA, on fish biochemical and physiological endpoints, particularly thyroid hormones. The present study investigated the effects of subacute semi-static pyrene exposure on biochemical, enzymological and ionoregulatory responses as well as thyroid hormones in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). The fish (140±10g, 1(+) year) were exposed to 10, 50 and 100µg/l nominal concentrations of pyrene for 35 days. The results revealed that pyrene at these concentrations significantly altered plasma levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Moreover, plasma thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) were significantly decreased in fish exposed to pyrene. In contrast, plasma electrolytes (sodium, potassium and calcium) levels remained statistically unchanged after exposure to the various pyrene concentrations. In conclusion, the studied biomarkers may be used as monitoring tools to evaluate pyrene toxicity. Pyrene induced diverse effects on the physiological endpoints of common carp, thus this chemical should be considered in toxicity studies concerning PAHs. Furthermore, this study confirmed that there was an interaction between pyrene and the thyroid system in fish. Therefore, the thyroid system may be used to assess the impact of pyrene on fish.

Oxidative stress and biochemical responses in the tissues of African catfish Clarias gariepinus juvenile following exposure to primextra herbicide

Primextra is a commercial herbicide formulation generally used in agriculture for weed control. The present study was designed to investigate the oxidative stress biomarkers and biochemical responses in the tissues of Clarias gariepinus juvenile exposed to primextra. Fish were exposed to 0.24 and 0.47 mgL(-1) corresponding to 1/20 and 1/10th of 96 h LC50 of the herbicide. The liver and muscle tissues were sampled on day 1, 5, 10 and 15 and results showed concentration and time dependent significant increase (p < 0.05) in the values of lipid peroxidation, glutathione peroxidase, catalase and alkaline phosphatase in both tissues. A marked significant increase (p < 0.05) was observed in the values of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and glucose in the liver while a mixed trend in their values were observed in the muscle. The values of superoxide dismutase and protein in both tissues were comparable to the control except on day 15 in the liver where the values significantly declined. The condition factor was not directly affected but values of hepatosomatic index were significantly reduced. The present findings revealed that primextra induced toxic stress even at sublethal concentrations resulting in alterations of the studied parameters which were more evident in the fish liver than in the muscle tissue.

Hematological, biochemical and enzymological responses in an Indian major carp Labeo rohita induced by sublethal concentration of waterborne selenite exposure

Selenium (Se) pollution in aquatic ecosystem is an environmental issue throughout the world. Elevated concentrations of inorganic Se from agricultural and industrial processes may cause adverse biological effects in aquatic organisms such as fish. In the present study, Labeo rohita an Indian major carp were exposed to sublethal concentration of Se (sodium selenite) for 35days and certain hematological, biochemical and enzymological parameters were estimated. The median lethal concentration of waterborne sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) to L. rohita was found to be 23.89mgL(-1) for 96h. During sublethal (2.38mgL(-1)) treatment, hematological and biochemical parameters such as hemoglobin (Hb) (except 14th day), hematocrit (Hct), erythrocyte (RBC) count and protein levels were found to be decreased in Se treated fish whereas leucocyte (WBC) count and glucose level increased in Se treated fish throughout the study period. The enzymatic parameters such as glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities were found to be increased in liver of Se treated fish L. rohita. A biphasic response was observed in the value of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). The alterations of these parameters can be used as suitable biomarkers in monitoring of selenium in the aquatic environment and to protect aquatic life.

Development and characterization of cell line from the gill tissue of Catla catla (Hamilton, 1822) for toxicological studies

Catla gill cell line (ICG) was established from gill tissue of Indian major carp (Catla catla), a freshwater fish cultivated in India. The cell line was maintained in Leibovitz's L-15 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. These cells have been sub-cultured more than 55 passages over a period of 2 years. The ICG cell line consists predominantly of epithelial-like cells. The cells were able to grow at a wide range of temperatures from 24°C to 32°C with an optimum temperature of 28°C. The growth rate of gill cells increased as the fetal bovine serum (FBS) proportion increased from 2% to 20% at 28°C with optimum growth at the concentrations of 10% or 15% FBS. Amplification of mitochondrial gene 12s rRNA using primers specific to C. catla confirmed the origin of this cell line from C. catla. The cells were successfully cryopreserved and revived at passage numbers 25, 35, 45 and 55. The cytotoxicity of three metal salts (ZnCl(2), CuSO(4) and CdCl(2)) was assessed in ICG cell line using multiple endpoints such as MTT, Neutral Red assay, Alamar Blue assay and Coomassie Blue protein assay. Acute toxicity assay on fish were conducted by exposing C. catla for 96 h to three metal salts under static conditions. Statistical analysis revealed good correlation with r(2)=0.908-0.985 for all combinations between endpoints employed. Linear correlations between each in vitro EC(50) and the in vivo LC(50) data were highly significant.

Acute and sublethal effects in an Indian major carp Cirrhinus mrigala exposed to silver nitrate: Gill Na+/K+-ATPase, plasma electrolytes and biochemical alterations

Due to prolonged use of silver in many applications, it enters into the freshwater and affects the aquatic organisms. Fingerlings of Cirrhinus mrigala were exposed to acute and sublethal concentrations of silver nitrate and the alterations of gill Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, plasma electrolytes and biochemical parameters were assessed. The median lethal concentration of silver nitrate to the fish C. mrigala for 96 h was found to be 0.107 mg/l (with 95% confidence limits). 1/10th of LC 50 96 h value (0.0107 mg/l) was selected for sublethal study. During acute treatment branchial Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity was inhibited approximately 44.34% after 96 h of exposure. In sublethal treatment, silver nitrate could not produce a significant change in the activity of the enzyme at the end of 7th day. However, after 14th day, significant (p < 0.05) decrease was noted showing 22.52%-49.11% in rest of the study period. Silver intoxication resulted hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypochloremia, and hypoproteinemia in both the treatments. Despite the decrease in these parameters, plasma glucose level was found to be increased in both the treatments to endure the silver toxicity. We suggest that the alterations in branchial Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity, plasma electrolytes, and biochemical parameters of fish may be useful in environmental biomonitoring and to assess the health of fish in freshwater habitat contaminated with silver.