Toxicity Analysis of Coal Mine Effluent on Vital Organs of Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) Using Biometric and Biochemical Parameters

Abstract

Alteration of certain energy reserves (total glycogen, lipid, and protein contents) and cell regulatory (total nucleic acids) molecules were periodically analyzed (5, 12, 19, and 26 days) in seven vital organs (muscles, kidney, liver, gills, air‐breathing organs, brain, and skin) of coal mine effluent exposed Heteropneustes fossilis (a species of Asian catfish). Changes in the biometric parameters of four organs (liver, kidneys, brain, and gills) were also simultaneously measured. The fish did not survive after 26 days because of significant (p < 0.05) depletion in the concentration of all studied biomolecules. Increased concentration of glycogen and protein in most of the tissues between five and twelve days indicated induction of compensatory changes in the energy metabolism of the fish due to high‐energy utilization by these tissues for detoxification. An increased quantity of lipids in the skin throughout the exposure periods might be due to their release from the damaged membranes of degenerating cells. Furthermore, reduced weight, decreased condition factor and organosomatic indices following prolonged exposure corroborate the decreased biomolecule contents of these tissues and point towards extreme toxicity rendered by the coal mine effluent.