Haematological Indices and Enzymatic Biomaker of Black Jaw Tilapia (<i>Sarotherodon Melanotheron</i>) from Lagos Lagoon

Abstract

The increases in industrial activities and rapid urban development which occur along the shores of the lagoon have resulted in serious pollution problems. The release of wastes containing hazardous substances and dumping of waste indiscriminately into water bodies could lead to environmental disturbance that might be considered a potential source of stress to the aquatic organism. A toxicological study was carried out to ascertain the effects of aquatic pollutants in the blood of Sarotherodon melanotheron at the Lagos lagoon for a period of three months. Four enzymatic biomarkers were analysed which include protein, superoxide dismutase, Malondialdehyde and Reduced Glutathione. Water sample were collected from Lagos Lagoon and analyzed.
The differential counts of Haematological indices such as Haemoglobin (Hb), Packed cell volume (PCV), Red blood cell (RBC), White blood cell (WBC), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin content (MCHC), were investigated. The lipid peroxidation and antioxidant biomarkers in the blood of S. melanotheron showed a significant difference (P < 0.05). The mean value recorded for Haemoglobin was 39.78±14.43g/L, PCV was 0.16±0.16L/L, RBC was 2.13±1.47T/L, WBC 6.22±2.66G/L while the Mean corpuscular volume was 73.39fl, MCH was 24.57±11.07pg, MCHC was 344.19±24.04L/L. Also the mean value Lymphocyte was 70.78±6.53% and Monocyte was 0.39±0.69% while 0% was recorded for Eosinophil and Basophil. Air temperature, water temperature, Salinity, pH, conductivity, Turbidity and dissolved oxygen had a mean value of 25.75±1.44°c, 25.17±0.75°c, 0.15±0.1‰, 6.13±0.82, 3.60±1.49mS/cm, 31.0±8.37FTU, 1.60±0.26mg/l respectively. Also the mean value of alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand are 68.07±22.92mg/l, 6.77±3.90mg/l, 0.53±0.55mg/l,0.84±0.37mg/l, 307.67±27.30mg/l and117.19±14.61mg/l respectively. Environmental factors such as low dissolved oxygen, high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) values of this study may be implicated as the possible cause of alteration in the haematological characteristics of S. melanotheron in this study. This study indicates that there was an alteration in haematological profile, antioxidant enzyme and lipid peroxidase activities in S. melanotheron blood which may cause biochemical dysfunction in this specie. All these result provide a useful tool in monitoring the condition and state of health of fish by knowing the normal value with respect to their responses to stress which affects body metabolism.

Keywords: Biomarker, Sarotherodon melanotheron, Haematology, Lagos Lagoon