SUBLETHAL HAEMATOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF FENTHION ON THE FRESH WATER FISH Cyprinus carpio.

Abstract

The present work was conducted to evaluate the haemato-biochemical alterations such as plasma levels of glucose, lactic acid, protein, haemoglobin, along with clotting time in Cyprinus carpio exposed to the three different sub- lethal doses (0.38 mg/l, 0.193 mg/l 8 0.096 mg/l) of fenthion for 60 days. Blood serum of exposed and unexposed C. carpio was analysed to determine glucose (Folin- Wu method), lactic acid (Berker 8 Summerson method), protein (Lowry method) and haemoglobin contents (Acid haematin method) as well as coagulation time (Lee 8 White method) after 60 days test period Sublethal exposure(0.38mg/l) of fenthion showed increase of 57% blood glucose and 34% lactic acid levels and reduced the protein and haemoglobin content to 28%. The clotting time was also reduced to 32% in the exposed fish. In the present investigation, it was observed that stressed C. carpio exhibited gill damage caused by tissue hypoxia at 0.38 mg/ml. It is likely that hypoxia stimulated the increase in blood glucose and lactic acid levels for providing anaerobic energy source during fenthion stress. Decrease in protein level may be due to its degradation and its utilization for gluconeogenesis to cope with the fenthion- related high energy demand. Decrease in haemoglobin content and clotting time may be due to histo- pathological damages observed in the liver. Reduction in protein, haemoglobin content and clotting time with elevation of blood glucose and lactic acid levels in fenthion- induced fish indicates shift in metabolism to compensate the toxicity stress.