Genotoxicity and Oxidative Stress Evaluations in Juvenile African Catfish Clarias gariepinus Exposed to NPK Fertilizer

Abstract

Juvenile African Catfish (also known as Sharptooth Catfish) Clarias gariepinus were exposed to 2.26, 4.52, and 11.30 mg/L NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer for 21 d followed by 7 d of recovery to assess the genotoxic effects of the fertilizer in erythrocytes. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were evaluated in the liver and gill tissues. The fertilizer induced micronuclei formation with maximum effects on day 7 in erythrocytes of individuals that were exposed to 4.52 and 11.30 mg/L NPK, and on day 14 in individuals exposed to 2.26 mg/L of the same fertilizer. The lipid peroxidation, glutathione reductase, and reduced glutathione values in the exposed fish increased, while the values of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase decreased. There were mixed trends in the recovery patterns after the 7-d withdrawal from the fertilizer. Careful use of the fertilizer in the field is recommended to avoid toxicological effects on nontarget organisms.

Effects of haloperidol on peripheral erythrocytes and brain neurotransmitter levels of juvenile African Sharptooth CatfishClarias gariepinus

“…Micronuclei are some extra nuclei bodies formed due to chromosomal delays at the anaphase caused by improper functioning of the spindle fibers (Kumar et al 2013). The micronuclei assay has been used by many researchers as it is cheap, fast, and does not require the sacrifice of the experimental fish species (Ali et al 2014; Ebeh et al 2020; Khatun et al 2021). When juvenile African Sharptooth Catfish Clarias gariepinus were exposed to different concentrations of praziquantel, micronuclei formation indicative of potential genotoxic effects occurred in the fish (Nwani et al 2014).…”