EVALUATION OF ACHE ACTIVITY AND LIPID PEROXIDATION IN FRESHWATER TELEOST UPON EXPOSURE TO HERBICIDE

In this study, the freshwater fish Channa punctatus was used to study the harmful effects of clomazone on AChE and LPO at three different doses and for four different exposure times. To determine the sublethal concentrations of clomazone, the LC50 of the herbicide was calculated. Based on the calculated LC50 value, three different concentrations were determined: high dose- 0.5 ppm, mild dose- 0.25 ppm, and low dose- 0.08 ppm. The fish were treated with these concentrations and the exposure period was 7, 14, 21, and 28 days respectively. The acetylcholinesterase activity and concentration of MDA were significantly decreased (p<0.05) and increased (p<0.05), respectively, upon higher concentration and also with the increase in exposure periods. The highest reduction of AChE was recorded in the liver, followed by the kidney and gill in all three concentrations. On the other hand, the MDA concentration was recorded highest in the kidney, followed by the liver and gills. Though, in the liver, the concentration of MDA is almost the same when exposed to concentrations of 0.5 and 0.25 ppm clomazone. Thus, our findings imply that AChE activity and lipid peroxidation may be potential indicators of environmental pollutants in aquatic systems.