BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF THE JUVENILE AFRICAN CATFISH CLARIAS GARIEPINUS (BURCHELL, 1822) EXPOSED TO SUBLETHAL CONCENTRATIONS OF PORTLAND CEMENT POWDER IN SOLUTION

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of sublethal concentrations (39.10mg 1 -1 , 19.55mg 1 -1 , 9.87mg 1 -1 and 0.00mg 1 -1 ) of Portland cement powder in solution on the biochemical parameters (cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase) in the serum, liver and kidney of the juvenile African catfish Clarias gariepinus after a fifteen-day exposure period. The result revealed varying levels of significant difference in serum, liver and kidney cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activities, showing that the liver was most affected, the serum was less affected and the kidneys were least affected by the sublethal concentrations of the Portland cement powder in solution after the fifteen-day exposure period. Consequently, the liver and kidney, the medium of transportation of nutrients and other metabolites were affected. The liver and kidney, which are primarily responsible for maintaining external and internal milieu of fishes via detoxification, metabolism and excretion, are susceptible to deleterious effects of Portland cement powder. Therefore, sublethal concentration (39.10mg 1 -1 ) of Portland cement powder in solution after a fifteen-day exposure has been most toxic and debilitating to the test fish.