Acute and sublethal toxicity of an azole fungicide tebuconazole on ionic regulation and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in a freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala

Abstract

Tebuconazole (TCZ), an azole fungicide has been commonly used in a variety of industry and agriculture products. TCZ is persistent in the environment and thereby posing a risk to aquatic organisms. The present study is aimed to investigate the acute and sublethal toxicity of TCZ on ionic regulation and Na+/K+-ATPase activity in a freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala. The median lethal concentration of TCZ for 24 and 96 h (with 95% confidence limits) were found to be 9.6 and 7.2 mg L-1, respectively. For sublethal toxicity study, 1/10th of 24 h LC50 value (0.96 mg L-1) and 1/5th of 96 h LC50 value (1.44 mg L-1) were taken. In acute treatment, plasma sodium and potassium levels were found to be decreased significantly (p