ACUTE CARBOFURAN TOXICITY INDUCED CHANGES IN THE TESTOSTERONE AND 17ß-ESTRADIOL LEVEL IN THE FRESHWATER STINGING CATFISH Heteropneustes fossilis
The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of acute Carbofuran (CF) toxicity on the Testosterone and 17β-Estradiol levels in the serum of freshwater stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis. Initially, the fishes were exposed to five different acute toxic concentrations of Carbofuran viz. 0.408, 0.816, 1.631, 3.262 and 6.524 mg/l for 96 hours. A solvent control was also maintained without Carbofuran. After 96 hours, blood samples were taken from the concentrations in which fishes were alive i.e. the first three concentrations and also from the solvent control and serum was separated. Later, the Testosterone (T) and 17β-Estradiol (E2) level were estimated following the standard procedure. In the solvent control, the mean T and E2 level were recorded to be 3.09±0.05 ng/ml and 438.75±6.58 pg/ml for male and 1.85±0.04 ng/ml 3107.50±32.50 pg/ml for female respectively. However, the mean 'T' level decreased to 2.84±0.07, 2.58±0.07 and 2.25±0.08 ng/ml in male fish and 1.64±0.02, 1.53±0.01 and 1.29±0.03 ng/ml in female fish exposed to 0.408, 0.816 and 1.631 mg/l CF respectively. At the same time, mean 'E2' level increased to 466.25±3.75, 490.00±2.04 and 516.25±3.75 pg/ml in male fish and decreased to 2872.50±11.09, 2715.00±11.90 and 2462.50±31.46 in female fish exposed to 0.408, 0.816 and 1.631 mg CF/l respectively. In the present study, acute toxicity of CF concentrations caused decrease in mean serum levels of 'T' and increase in mean levels of E2 in male H. fossilis. On the other hand the mean 'T' and E2 levels decreased in females. The one way ANOVA clearly showed that the variation of the mean 'T' and E2 levels in solvent control and CF exposed groups of both male and female was significant at 5 level (P<0.05). Further, Post Hoc multiple comparisons made by LSD methods showed that there was a significant difference between treatments at 5% level (P<0.05).
