Hematological constituents and ultrastructural changes in dark-banded rockfish, Sebastes inermis, under nitrite stress

Abstract

The acute toxicity and sublethal effects of nitrite on the dark-banded rockfish, Sebastes inermis (mean body weight: 83.3 ± 7.2 g), were studied under static conditions for a period of 96 h. The acute toxicity of nitrite was at the 50% lethal concentration (LC 50) of 700 mg/L. The sublethal effects on selected hematological parameters of the dark-banded rockfish, such as its osmolality, hematocrit, cortisol, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were measured after 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h of exposure to 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 700 mg/L nitrite. Sublethal nitrite caused a progressive reduction in the hematocrit of the fish, depending on the nitrite concentration and the exposure period. Exposure to 100–700 mg/L nitrite for 96 h caused a reduction in the hematocrit and an increase in cortisol, ALT, and AST compared with the control levels. Abnormal ultrastructural changes in the gills and liver tissues were observed in fish exposed to 700 mg/L nitrite for up to 96 h compared with the control tissues. Ultrastructural changes included atrophic gill mitochondria and hepatocytes that developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum and atrophic mitochondria. Although no rockfish mortality occurred at 500 mg/L nitrite, all the hematological parameters examined responded adversely to a nitrite dose of 200 mg/L for 96 h. These results show that although the acute toxic concentration of nitrite for the dark-banded rockfish is > 700 mg/L, sublethal concentrations of nitrite also negatively affect its hematological parameters.