Toxic effects of agrochemical on the muscles of Channa punctatus (Bloch)

Abstract

Snakehead, Channa punctatus (Bloch), a common air breathing freshwater fish. By virtue of its omnivorous feeding habits, and easy and abundant availability and adaptability to varied environmental conditions, was selected as an ideal experimental animal for the present investigation. On exposure to sublethal concentration, marked thickening and separation of muscle bundles, haemolysis, necrosis, lesions with reduced compactness was observed. Sublethal concentration led to pronounced intramuscular oedema with minor dystrophic changes. Separation of muscle bundles and degeneration in muscle bundles with aggregations of inflammatory cells between them was an interesting observation. Also, vacuolar degeneration in muscle bundles and atrophy of muscle bundles were observed. Histological examinations revealed great variability in the intestinal lesions severity existed among most fishes and included focal deformation with necrosis of mucosal epithelial layer of some villi, enlargement of the villi due to vacuolar degeneration or cloudy swelling of the mucosal epithelial cells, lycmphocyte infiltration, dissociation and reduction of muscular bundles and serosal lysis were also detected.