Can Malachite Green Concentrations Cause Hepatic Toxic Effects in Adult Albino Rats: Histological, Biochemical and Immunohistochemical

Abstract

Malachite green (MG) has been widely used as the most efficacious antifungal agent in the fish farming industry. The aim of this study is to evaluate hepatotoxicity of different MG concentrations in adult albino rats. Forty five adult male albino rats were equally divided into 3 groups, each contains 15 rats. Group I (control), Group II (received daily dose of 3ug/kg b.wt of MG by oral gavage): divided into three subgroup equally according to time of taken sample and Group III (received daily gavage dose of 60ug/kg b.wt of MG by oral gavage): divided into three subgroup equally according to time of taken sample (Samples were taken 2 and 4 weeks from the start of the experiment and 2 weeks after drug stoppage (wash out). Hepatotoxicity was evaluated by biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical study. MG caused an increase of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate amino transferase (ALT and AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, and decrease in total protein in animals treated with MG as compared to control. These biochemical alterations were confirmed by the presence of different histological changes as degeneration of hepatocytes with congested dilated central vein , mononuclear inflammatory cells infiltration with significant increase in caspase-3 expression with decrease in survivin expression and this changes were highly significant in rats treated with higher doses than other groups and persist even after 2 weeks from MG stoppage .We can conclude that MG and its residues in the edible tissue of fish could not be ignored due to their suspected hepatotoxicity with apoptotic changes even at lower doses. This leads us to put strict limitations on its use in the fish farming industry in Egypt.