ISSN 2756-388X
International Journal of Plant and Animal Sciences ISSN: 2167-0437 Vol. 1 (5), pp. 058-063, August, 2013. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research paper
Metals and histopathological alterations in the liver of Schizothorax niger, Heckel from the Dal Lake of Kashmir Valley
Ruqaya Yousuf, *Sajad Hussain Mir, Syed Tanveer, 2M. M. Darzi and 2Masood Saleem Mir
Postgraduate Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190 006, India.
2Department of Pathology, FVSC & AH, Shuhama Alustend (SKUAST-K), Srinagar-190 006, India.
*Corresponding Author. E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted 8 January, 2013
Abstract
The study was conducted to evaluate the presence and subsequent effect of trace metals (copper, zinc, iron and manganese) on the histomorphology of liver of Schizothorax niger (endemic fish) from Dal lake of Kashmir Valley. Using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, the varied seasonal metal concentrations for copper (66.77 ± 3.12 to 81.68 ± 3.51 ppm), zinc (73.81 ± 2.52 to 97.84 ± 4.62 ppm), iron (204.92 ± 5.21 to 296.51 ± 4.37 ppm) and manganese (01.13± 0.02 to 08.30 ± 1.00 ppm) were observed in the liver of hosts during the study period of two years. The highest concentration of metals was observed in the summer seasons and the lowest concentrations in the winter seasons during the entire study period. Further, histochemical analysis was done to crosscheck the presence of different metals in the tissue sections of liver of S. niger. The subsequent effects of metals was demonstrated histologically using haematoxylin and eosin stain that showed disruption of the hepatic cords and tubules with congestion and degenerative changes in hepatocytes that varied from mild in winter seasons to severe vascular degeneration in summer season. From the present study it may be concluded that the metals in the environment are polluting the water bodies and their subsequent deleterious effects harm the aquatic fauna particularly the sensitive native fish, S. niger which is one of the reasons for its decline from the fresh water resources of the Kashmir Valley.
Key words: Contamination, histological changes, Schizothorax niger, metals, liver.