Evaluation of the Ameliorative Roles of Vitamins A, C and E on Malondialdehyde (Mda) production in Clarias Gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) Fingerlings Exposed to Lead Nitrate

Author(s): Patrick Samuel

Abstract

The ever increasing anthropogenic activities all over the world that usually lead to release of
myriads of pollutants such as lead calls for concern. In the present study the effects of lead 
nitrate on the production of antioxidants such as malondialdehyde (MDA) in C. gariepinus and how such effects can be ameliorated through administration of vitamins were investigated. gariepinus fingerlings (whose initial weight ranged from 3-11g) were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of Pb (00, 26mg/L, 44mg/L, 61mg/L and 79mg/L) with replicate in each case. Minimum concentration of the toxicant was taken as the concentration for each of the vitamins and administered across all bud. Fresh concentrations of both toxicant and vitamins were administered every 72 hours for a period of 12 weeks every time the water medium was changed. The various treatments group include Pb (Pb only with T1-T4 and replicates), PbVA (Pb+vitamin A with T1-T4 and replicates), PbVC ((Pb+vitamin C with T1-T4 and replicates) and PbVE (Pb+vitamin E with T1-T4 and replicates). 3 samples of the fish were randomly selected and sacrificed from each aquarium tank every 2 weeks of the exposure period. The gills, kidneys and liver were excised from these specimens and homogenized in sodium phosphate buffer. These were then assayed for MDA productions levels in each case. The data generated were subjected to one way analysis of variance and considered significant at P≤0.05. From the results: In the samples exposed to of Pb only, the MDA liver mean values in T2 and T3 in the 2nd and 4th weeks of exposure, respectively, are significantly higher than other treatments including the control. The T2 mean values in both 6th and 8th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments including the control. While the T3 and T4 mean values in the 10th and 12th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatment including the control. The highest MDA production level of the liver of the samples was 56.65±0.06nM/mg obtained in T3 at the 10th week of exposure. The MDA produced in the kidneys of the fish indicated that T4 mean values are significantly higher than other treatments including the control in the 2nd week of exposure.T4 mean values in both 6th and 12th weeks of exposure are however, significantly higher than other treatments. The highest MDA production in this case was 40.33±0.06 nM/mg obtained in T4 at the end of the 10th week of exposure. In the gills of the sample, the control mean values are significantly higher than other treatments in the 2nd week of exposure. The T2 mean values in both 4th and 6th weeks are significantly higher than other treatments including the 
control. T3, T2 and T4 mean values in the 8th, 10th and 12th weeks of exposure, respectively are significantly higher than other treatments including the control. The highest MDA mean value of 80.28±0.06nM/mg in the gills of the samples was obtained in T2 in the 10th week of exposure. The samples of fish exposed to the PbVA group, the MDA production in the liver indicated close range of values in T1-T3 with T2 significantly higher than other treatments in the 2nd week of exposure. At the 4th and 8th weeks of exposure, the T2 mean values are also significantly higher than other treatments. T4 mean values in the 10th and 12th weeks of exposure were significantly higher than other treatments. The highest mean value of 40.10±0.03nM/mg at the 12th week was obtained in T4. The MDA produced in the kidneys indicated that T4 mean values in the 2nd, 10th and 12th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest MDA production in this case was 8.41±0.02nM/mg obtained in T4 at the 10th week. In the gills of the fish samples, the T4 mean values in both 2nd and 4th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The T1 mean values in both 10th and 12th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest MDA production in the gill in this case was 80.30±0.05nM/mg obtained in T1 at the 10th week of exposure. The samples exposed to PbVC, the T3 and T4 mean values in the 2nd and 4th weeks of exposure, respectively were significantly higher than other treatments. T2 mean values in both 8th and 10th weeks of exposure were significantly higher than other treatments. The T3 mean values are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest MDA production in the liver of the fish was 46.60±0.06nM/mg obtained in T3 after the 2nd week of exposure. The MDA mean values in the kidneys of the samples indicated that T3 mean values in the 2nd and 12th week of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest mean value in this regard was 40.21±0.02nM/mg obtained in T3 at the end of 8th week of exposure. The T3 mean values in both 4th and 10th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The T1 mean values in the 12th week of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest mean value of 45.07±0.05nM/mg was obtained in T3 in the 4th week of exposure. In the samples exposed to PbVE group, MDA production levels in the liver of the fish indicated that T4 mean values in the 2nd week of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The T2 mean values in both 4th and 6th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The T1 mean values in the 8th and 10th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest mean value of MDA in the liver was 40.19±0.03nM/mg obtained in T1 at the 10th week of exposure. The T1 and T3 mean values in the kidney of the fish are significantly higher than other treatments in the 2nd and 6th weeks of exposure, respectively. T1 mean values are significantly higher than other treatments at the 12th week of exposure. The highest mean value in this regard was 40.17±0.47nM/mg obtained in T1 at the 12th week of exposure. In the gills of the sample, the T3 mean values in both the 2nd and 4th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. T4 and T1 mean values in the 6th and the 12th weeks of exposure are significantly higher than other treatments. The highest MDA mean value produced in the gill in this case was 77.04±0.06nM/mg obtained in T1 at the end of the 12th week of exposure. The MDA production levels displayed varying values with the highest obtained in the gills of the samples of the Pb only, PbVA and PbVE treatment groups while the PbVC group recorded its highest in the liver of the samples. Higher concentrations of the vitamins could enhance greater understanding of the effects of the vitamins in ameliorating the effects of the toxicant.

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