Effect of heavy metals on liver and gill of fish Cirrhinus mrigala

Abstract

A B S T R A C T Samples of Cirrhinus mrigala were collected from Kalambe village reservoir near Kolhapur. The fishes were exposed to sublethal concentrations of mercuric chloride (0.0206 ppm and 0.0402ppm) and lead acetate (28.2 ppm and 14.1 ppm) for 30 days. Effect of these heavy metals on histology of gills and liver and transaminases activity of liver was studied. The results showed severe pathological alterations in gills and liver of C. mrigala. The major histopathological changes in liver include loss of cellular architechure, necrosis in hepatocytes and accumulation of fat in parenchymal cells. The gills showed lamellar degeneration, epithelial lifting and necrotic changes in intercellular epithelial cells. Increase in glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) activities were noticed which indicate liver damage.