Evaluation of Erythrocyte Morphometric Indices in Juvenile Red Spotted Grouper, Epinephelus akaara under Elevated Water Temperature

Investigation of genotoxicity, mutagenicity, and cytotoxicity in erythrocytes of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after fluoxetine exposure

“…Both morphometric indices of erythrocytes and EMI assays have been recognized as suitable techniques for the early detection of early warning signs of environmental stress in fish, and these techniques are also sensitive to environmental pollution [32] , [35] . Mofizur Rahman et al [33] previously explained that assessment of morphometric indices of erythrocytes and their nucleus in fish can measure stress and be useful in monitoring fish health and has also reported that changes in the structure of erythrocytes and their nucleus may be due to disruption of lipid solubility in erythrocyte membranes, uneven hemoglobin distribution and erythrocytic necrosis. Importantly, stress is one of the factors in the welfare of fish that can affect morphological indices of erythrocytes [74] .…”

“…In addition, using the EMI determination in this work, we observed that the stage of erythrocyte maturation decreased with increased exposure to FLX concentrations. This may be due to the change in erythrocyte shape from elongated to round resulting from the effects of a decrease in erythrocyte major axis (EL) and nucleus minor axis (NW) enlargement [33] . Interestingly, the EMI assay indicates the balance between the production and elimination of erythrocytes, including an elevated presence of degenerate erythrocytes and immature erythrocytes in the peripheral blood, which are associated with pollution in the environment where the organisms live [50] , [77] .…”

“…One hundred erythrocyte measurements were randomly processed using ImageJ 1.52av software [34] per fish under a light microscope at a magnification of 100 × magnification (Olympus BX51). The morphometric indices of erythrocytes in the fish were examined using indices as described by Mofizur Rahman and Baek [33] , such as the erythrocyte major axis (EL), erythrocyte minor axis (EW), nucleus major axis (NL) and nucleus minor axis (NW), as shown in Fig. 1 .…”

“…1 . Erythrocyte size (ES) and nucleus size (NS) were also analyzed using the following formulas: [(EL × EW × π)/4] and [(NL × NW × π)/4], respectively [33] , [48] . In addition, erythrocyte shapes and their nuclear shapes were evaluated with EL/EW and NL/NW ratios, and the ratio between nuclear and erythrocyte area was assessed with the NS/ES ratio [49] .…”

“…Importantly, the comet assay and MN and ENA assays can be used to assess environmental toxicity [31] . This information may not be sufficient to determine environmental toxicity, so we decided to use erythrocyte morphometry and erythrocyte maturity determination to assess the cytotoxicity of pollution-sensing organisms that are sensitive enough to detect environmental pollution [32] , [33] , [34] . Several studies have suggested that these techniques are considered effective for the assessment of genotoxicity, mutagenicity and cytotoxicity, particularly in aquatic organisms [35] , [36] .…”