EFFECT OF JASPER HERBICIDE ON SOME IMMUNOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF NILE TILAPIA

EFFECT OF JASPER HERBICIDE ON SOME IMMUNOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF NILE TILAPIA

“Oreochromis niloticus“

Maaly A. Mohammed¹; Eman A.A. Abd El-Hamid²

and Amany A. Ghareeb³

¹Fish Biology and Ecology Department, ²Limnology Department, ³Fish Reproduction and Physiology Department. Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Abbassa, Abou-Hammad, Sharkia, Egypt.

ABSTRACT

Recently, excessive use of herbicides appeared to boost agricultural crops production. This caused many health problems for farmed fish and led to poor production. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity of herbicide (Jasper) on Nile tilapia as one of the most recently used herbicides. The 96-h LC₅₀ was determined and found to be 3.80 ppm. While setting this dose, the fish showed irregular swimming movements. Mucus secretion and buildup on the gills increased, and fish showed breathing disorders while swimming on the surface of the water, with their mouths opened with rapid and frequent exhalation.

The immunological and physiological assays were evaluated for one month under exposure to 1/4 and 1/8 of the 96-h LC₅₀
(0.95 and 0.48 ppm). These sublethal concentrations of jasper caused significant reduction in the activity of plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and acetylcholinestrase (AChE). While, plasma uric acid, creatinine and malondialdehyde (MDA) were elevated significantly at all periods of exposure. The activities of alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
were increased
significantly through the 4^th and 15^th day of exposure and declined at the end of the experimental period. Total plasma protein was decreased through all periods, while total lipids and glucose was significantly increased in all treated fish groups on the 4^th and 15^th day of exposure and significantly decreased at the end of exposure time.

In the light of the present study, we can conclude that judicious use of jasper herbicide should be done by the fish farmers to avoid haphazard water pollution and obtain good fish production.

Keywords:
Nile tilapia, Jasper herbicide, Immunity, physiology, biomarkers.