EFFECT OF AMMONIA STRESS ON GROWTH, HEMATOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, AND REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES PARAMETERS OF NILE TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus)
Department of Fish Physiology, Central Lab. for Aquaculture Research, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt.
| Received 17/ 11/ 2019 |
Accepted 17/ 12/ 2019 |
Abstract
The present study was conducted to evaluate the ammonium hydroxide stress on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) growth, health, and reproductive hormones. However, fish (70 ± 4 g) were exposed to different levels of ammonium hydroxide (0.0, 150, 250 and 350 pg/L) for 90 days. The results showed that fish growth was retarded as ammonium hydroxide levels increased and lowest growth was observed with fish exposed to 350 pg/L of ammonia. The highest growth was observed with the control group (0.0 ammonium hydroxide). Glucose and cortisol in fish plasma increased significantly, while total protein and total lipids decreased significantly due to ammonia stress. The obtained results show also that ammonium hydroxide stress was harmful to the fish liver and kidney where plasma aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, uric acid, and creatinine values were significantly increased with increasing ammonium hydroxide levels compared to the control one. It was also noticed that lysozyme increased with increasing ammonia levels as compared with the control one. But immunoglobulin M activities of Nile tilapia decreased with increasing ammonia levels as compared with the control one. plasma follicular stimulating hormones (FSH), 17B estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) were decreased significantly at fish with increasing ammonia levels. On the other hand, the measurements in most parameters of the male fish were larger than the measurements of the female fish that exposed to 150, 250 and 350 pg L-1 ammonium hydroxide for 90 days.
Keywords: Nile tilapia, ammonium hydroxide stress, growth, hematology, immunity, reproductive hormones.
