Histopathological changes in the reproductive system (ovaries and testes) of Oreochromis mossambicus following exposure to DDT

Abstract

A b s t r a c tThis study assesses the effects of 1,1-bis (4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (DDT) on the reproduction and gonadal histology of adult Mozambique tipalia (Oreochromis mossambicus). The fish were allowed to breed, following exposure to 2 and 5 jig/l of waterborne technical-grade DDT for 40 days. Fertilized eggs were artificially incubated. In the 5 jig/l exposure, posthatch survival was significantly lower, and prevalence of larval skeletal deformities significantly higher, compared to the control (p<0.05). Incomplete axial development was the common gross deformity in posthatch larvae, caused by failure to develop chondroblasts posterior to the buccopharyngeal cavity. There were no significant differences in the gonadosomatic index of exposed and non-exposed male and female adults. The exposure caused increased oocyte atresia in the ovaries and disorganization of seminiferous lobules in the testes of adults. DDT exposure reduced survival and increased deformities in larvae, at levels that did not cause severe histopathological changes to parental gonads.

Pesticides used in cotton production affect reproductive development, endocrine regulation, liver status and offspring fitness in African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

“…With the consequent inflammatory infiltration that follows, macrophages ingest these fragments and acquire foam cell characteristics, whereas chemical messengers from inflammatory response cells are responsible for extracellular matrix element production -collagen, glycoproteins, proteoglycans -that results in fibrosis (Highleyman and Franciscus, 2011). Flammarion et al (2000) also observed necrotic cells in the testicular tissues of chub Leuciscus (recently renamed Squalus) cephalus exposed to E2, as well as Louiz et al (2009) in Black goby Gobius niger in Tunisia, or Mlambo et al (2009) in Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus exposed to DDT. Two to five histological alterations identified in endosulfan exposed fish males were also found in Tihan exposed fish, but in smaller occurrence.…”

Assessment of the health status of wild fish inhabiting a cotton basin heavily impacted by pesticides in Benin (West Africa)

“…Flammarion et al (2000) also observed necrotic cells in the testicular tissues of chub Leuciscus (recently renamed Squalus) cephalus exposed to E2. Many histological alterations identified in males sampled in the Alibori River were also found by Louiz et al (2009) in Black goby, Gobius niger, in Tunisia, or by Mlambo et al (2009) in Mozambican tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, exposed to DDT. However, the most significant alteration in males of the species analyzed in this study was the high frequency of testicular oocytes (12.5-50% of male samples) in fish from contaminated sites, clearly indicating the feminization process of those males.…”

“…Goldfish exposed to 1000 μg/L of atrazine for 21 days displayed atretic oocytes (Spano et al, 2004). The presence of pre-ovulatory atretic oocytes was reported in Asian stinging catfish exposed to cypermethrin (Singh and Singh, 2008a), in African catfish sampled from an urban nature reserve in South Africa (Pieterse et al, 2010) and in Mozambique tilapia exposed to DDT (Mlambo et al, 2009).…”

Gonadal Histopathology of Fish From La Pólvora Urban Lagoon in the Grijalva Basin, Mexico

“…The IPF presence in the ovarian stroma of D. petenense was also documented in the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas and attributed to estrogenic compounds exposure, which may induce extracellular accumulation of vitellogenins (USEPA 2006). However, in the tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus and zebrafish Danio rerio FPI presence was attributed to vitellogenic oocyte degeneration induced by chemical exposure (Mlambo et al 2009, van der Ven et al 2003. In this study, gonadal histopathological alterations in T. helleri and Pterygoplichthy spp.…”

“…Atretic follicles of D. petenense showed oocyte cytoplasmic vacuolization, fracture of the zona pellucida as well as follicular epithelium hypertrophy. Although atresia is a normal degenerative process influenced by the fertility index of each species (Uribe-Aranzábal et al 2006), its rate may be influenced by a range of pollutants such as organochlorine pesticides, malathion, petroleum compounds, and aromatic hydrocarbons (Mlambo et al 2009, Bols et al 2001, as well as ecological disturbances that generate stress in female fish (Overstreet 1988). Despite follicular atresia was regularly observed in all of fish considered herein, its recurrence was highest in D. petenense, according with a generalized destruction of ovarian tissues.…”