Anabas testudineus (Bloch) was exposed to 0.71 mg/L and 1.42 mg/L (25 and 50% of LC50 value respectively) naphthalene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), for 21 days. Blood biochemical parameters and erythrocytic morphological alterations were assessed to describe the naphthalene toxicity. Biochemical analysis showed a significant increase in glutamic pyruvic transaminase, GPT (576.7 ± 11.79 and 608.9 ± 12.08 U/L, respectively) and alkaline phosphatase, ALP (12.9 ± 0.69 and 13.4 ± 0.64 U/L, respectively) activities under two doses compared with control. Protein and albumin (ALB) content in blood decreased significantly, in comparison with control value in the tune of 22.67 ± 1.04 and 23.97 ± 1.24 g/dl, respectively and 10.7 ± 0.79 and 11.1 ± 0.67 g/dl, respectively. Erythrocytes showed varied symptomatic morphological changes under naphthalene exposure, which included severe denaturation, swelling in cells, appearance of sickle and tear drop cells, and cellular vacuolation. In particularly, the changes were more prominent under higher naphthalene exposure. Following the results, it has been able to establish that GPT, ALP, protein and ALB, and the morphological manifestations of erythrocytes would be good tools of biomarker in monitoring toxicological paradigm, especially to naphthalene exposure in aquatic bodies.
Keywords: Anabas testudineus; Erythrocytes; Glutamic pyruvic transaminase; Naphthalene; PAHs.
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