A Review on Toxicity of Pesticides in Catfishes: Reproductive, Haematological and Biochemical Aspects

Abstract

This review article focuses on the effect of pesticides on reproductive functions, haematological and biochemical changes in catfishes. Pesticides are chemical substances that are released into the environment to control the populations of harmful pests. Pesticide exposure leads to toxicity in aquatic organisms, including fishes which are particularly sensitive to pesticides. The acute and sublethal concentrations of pesticides in the aquatic environment result in different lethal alterations, including changes in reproductive functions, histology, haematology, proteins, glucose, lipids, enzymes, etc. Pesticides act as endocrine disruptor compounds and have the potential to impair reproductive function in catfishes. Alterations in haematological and biochemical parameters are used as efficient biomarkers in assessing the toxicity of pesticides in fishes.

The Effect of Malathion Concentration and Exposure Time on Histopathological Changes in the Liver and Gill of Rainbow Trout

“…Excessive use of pesticides for pest control in farms, forests, and aquatic environments can cause extensive pollution in water, air, and soil [3][4][5][6]. While aquatic ecosystems are not target environment for the pesticides, the pollution caused by these substances tends to find its way into these ecosystems, causing genetic changes and biodiversity loss [7][8][9][10].…”

“…Malathion is an organophosphorus insecticide widely used in many countries including Iran. Malathion has low water solubility [9,11] and much like other organophosphates inhibit the activity of a set of enzymes, including acetylcholinesterase [4,12,13]. Malathion has different effects on the different species of fish, which mainly depend on the fish's age, gender, body size, and environmental chemistry and climatic conditions [14,15].…”