Carica papaya and Mangifera indica modulate haematological, biochemical and histological alterations in atrazine-intoxicated fish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822)

Abstract

Background Atrazine has impacted negatively on fish by inducing significant alterations in their haematological, biochemical and histological parameters. Mitigating such alterations to enhance fish survival becomes pertinent. Unfortunately, readily available and eco-friendly remedies are scarce. The study, therefore, investigated the potential ameliorative effects of dietary supplementation of aqueous Carica papaya and Mangifera indica leaf extracts on atrazine-induced toxicity and oxidative damage in the tissues of Clarias gariepinus. Fish (average weight: 10.57 ± 1.69 g, and average length: 10. 36 ± 1.26 cm) were randomly divided into six groups of ten samples each. Group I served as control and administered borehole water only, group II was exposed to 8.50 µg/l atrazine corresponding to ¼ of 96 h LC50, group III was treated with low (0.25 mg/g) concentration of each extract alone, group IV was exposed to 8.50 µg/l atrazine and treated with the low concentration of each extract, group V was administered with high (0.75 mg/g) concentration of each extract alone, and group VI was exposed to 8.50 µg/l atrazine and treated with the high concentration of each extract. The experiment spanned 28 days after which the haematological, biochemical and histopathological alterations were assayed. Results Atrazine intoxication significantly induced oxidative damage in the gill and liver, culminating into different histopathological disorders, decreased haematological parameters, increased serum, gill and liver levels of malondialdehyde and enzyme biomarkers (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and acetylcholinesterase). On the other hand, atrazine exposure caused decreased levels of glucose, protein and superoxide dismutase in the tissues. Treatment with diets fortified with both extracts significantly increased all the decreased haematological parameters, reduced the serum levels of the elevated malondialdehyde and tissues enzyme biomarkers in a concentration-dependent manner. Biochemical parameters in the tissues were also improved with dietary supplementation of the extracts. Histopathological examination of both tissues showed ameliorating effects of both extracts in restoring the structural and functional integrity of each tissue. Conclusions These results suggest that the extracts have ameliorative potentials against atrazine-induced peroxidative injury in C. gariepinus. The utilisation of these extracts could enhance better health management practices, particularly in a rice-cum fish culture, where atrazine application is common.

Dietary Supplementation of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) With Panax ginseng Essential Oil: Positive Impact on Animal Health and Productive Performance, and Mitigating Effects on Atrazine- Induced Toxicity

“…For instance, dietary fucoidan (Abdel-Warith et al, 2021) and Isatis phytogenic-based diets were found to significantly reduce the ATZ-induced intestinal histological lesions in Nile tilapia (Ali et al, 2022). Moreover, dietary Carica papaya and Mangifera indica negatively modulated the histopathological changes in ATZintoxicated Clarias gariepinus (Owolabi and Abdulkareem, 2021). As far as other toxicants are considered, it should be mentioned that dietary menthol EO significantly reduced the histopathological alterations in Nile tilapia tissues exposed to a sub-lethal chlorpyrifos dosage (Dawood et al, 2020).…”

“…Numerous natural feed supplements have been reported to be useful for mitigating sub-lethal ATZ toxicity in various fish species, such as vitamin E in African catfish (Kadry et al, 2012), Spirulina platensis in common carp (Khalil et al, 2017), fucoidan (Abdel-Warith et al, 2021), beta-glucans (Neamat Allah et al, 2020) and Isatis phytogenic diet in Nile tilapia (Ali et al, 2022), and herbal extracts in Labeo rohita (Pugazhendy, 2014) and Clarias gariepinus (Owolabi and Abdulkareem, 2021). However, no information is available regarding the suitability of GEO for this specific application.…”