Histopathological changes in the gill and liver tissues of freshwater fish, Cirrhinus mrigala exposed to dichlorvos

ABSTRACT

The histopathological effects of dichlorvos, an organophosphate pesticide, on the gill and liver tissues in Cirrhinus mrigala were determined by light microscopy. The fishes were exposed to sublethal concentrations (0.91 and 1.82 ppm) of dichlorvos for 10 days with parallel untreated control. No histopathological effects were observed in control group. Hyperplasia, desquamation, and necrosis of epithelial, epithelial lifting, oedema, lamellar fusion, collapsed secondary lamellae, curling of secondary lamellae and aneurism in the secondary lamellae were observed in gill tissues exposed to dichlorvos. Hepatic lesions in the liver tissues of fishes exposed to dichlorvos were characterized by cloudy swelling of hepatocytes, congestion, vacuolar degeneration, karyolysis, karyohexis, dilation of sinusoids and nuclear hypertrophy.